


Slayers: Alive

by Mikari



Series: Slayers: Freedom [1]
Category: Slayers (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-07
Updated: 2014-05-07
Packaged: 2018-01-23 21:12:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 50
Words: 501,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1579718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikari/pseuds/Mikari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Due to peculiar circumstances, Xellos ends up with a deadly curse that can only be broken by the willing kiss of a golden dragon. A tricky conspiracy lurks in the shadows, as the ultimate enemy that stands against the Mother of All Things awakens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Slayers: Freedom

Main Pairings: XellosxFilia, ZelgadisxAmelia, GourryxLina

Part 1 - Slayers: Alive - Due to peculiar circumstances, Xellos ends up with a deadly curse that can only be broken by the willing kiss of a golden dragon. A tricky conspiracy lurks in the shadows, as the ultimate enemy that stands against the Mother of All Things awakens. 

Part 2 - Slayers: Chaos - Beast Master's latest enigmatic plot involves Xellos and Filia temporarily switching species. The dragon Xellos and monster Filia join Lina and the others, as Zelgadis becomes closer than ever to his chimera cure. Together with unexpected allies, they face a force that threatens to destroy both the over world and their own world.

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 001: Danger! The Deadly Curse

"Bring in the next course!" Lina Inverse, the gluttonous sorceress extraordinaire, was currently passing by the kingdom of Seyruun, which meant of course, stopping by the palace to visit her dear friend Amelia and her lovely royal chefs. Amelia, being the kind hostess she was, found herself in the blissful obligation to provide Lina with enough food to fill her stomach, the same applying to Gourry. She didn't mind though, Zelgadis had run into Lina on the road to Seyruun and decided to tag along, Amelia was all too happy to see him. 

The sun was shining, the land was peaceful and everything was all around just fine, unless you're an exhausted overworked chef. That was why, in the midst of this peace and quiet in the city of white magic, no one expected him to show up. Yet there he was, and the peculiarly observant would notice that he was not happy with his current location, but there seemed to be something else that bothered him so much more, something that he would eloquently describe, should anyone inquire about it, as a secret. 

"Mr. Xellos?" Amelia blinked looking at the new arrival escorted to the royal dining hall by one of the castle guards. 

"So this is one of your friends, princess," the guard confirmed, taking the monarch's recognition of the suspicious purple haired man as proof enough that he could be trusted. "Have a good time with your visit," the guard excused himself, leaving just as suddenly as he came, but without the company of the unexpected guest. 

Lina had to actually pause in her eating and turn her head towards Xellos with imaginary interrogation symbols all over her face. "What are you doing here?" She asked with her mouth still half full before turning her attention back to the food on the table and realizing that Gourry had finished eating all the barbecued ribs during her short distraction. "My ribs! Gourry, those were mine!" Their usual antics followed as they disconnected themselves from the rest of the world. 

Amelia and Zelgadis however, were still waiting for Xellos' reply, perplexed about his presence and, in the chimera's case, not at all glad for it. "I just thought I should come to visit," Xellos grinned that familiar little grin that seemed to annoy everyone, which was his purpose anyway. 

"Like we're going to believe that," Zelgadis accused, clearly suspicious and with good reasons. "What kind of trouble do you have in mind this time?" 

"Oh, there is no such thing," Xellos innocently replied, though he was indeed thinking of something very troublesome, but this time it was troublesome for himself. He couldn't help it though, it was the tradition of every hundred years and he would look like a coward if he didn't attend. It was the monster's version of truth or dare. All the high level monsters, Xellos included of course, would get together and play their version of the classic game. 

Most of the time, the players would choose truth, being placed under an instant curse that would destroy them if they lied. The peculiarity was that the asker could throw out up to a hundred questions concerning a single subject matter, so ambiguous yet truthful answers wouldn't be enough to get past the curse, only enough to delay it until the cursed was pushed to a verbal corner and had no choice but to reveal the coveted truth or lie and die. The death in itself would provide a hint at the truth, thus making it pointless to sacrifice themselves for those who valued a secret more than their life. It was a grand way to obtain information, every one hundred years during their little reunion. 

Xellos was well informed about a number of things and served as a great source of information every century. The monsters would draw lots at random with each name being available once and cheating being punishable by a deadly curse whether they got caught or not. It was every monster's wish to draw Xellos' name and interrogate him about some important strategic matter, inquiring about every little thing concerning some topic of significant power. This time though, Xellos couldn't risk it. He had been order to keep his mouth shut or be killed by his superior, which meant that he had to choose dare, otherwise he would be killed by the curse if he remained silent. It was a matter of survival since being absent and coming off as the biggest coward in monster history was simply not an option, Beast Master would probably kill him for that too. 

After expecting a valuable source of information to be handed to him in a silver platter by the good fortune of having drawn Xellos' name, the monster whose name is of no importance was sorely disappointed. Xellos chose to undergo a dare, which shocked all those present and filled them with interest. Angered, the monster in question took a hasty and humiliating revenge, "I dare you to... have a golden dragon willingly kiss you, standard time limit." Oh yes, the dares did have a time limit to be accomplished and Xellos could already feel the seconds ticking in his mind as his eye twitched. 

"I will accomplish this dare as it is demanded of me," Xellos growled and promptly killed the monster who threw such misery upon him and that was why his name was of no importance, he was dead anyway. Of course the curse itself was another story, a product of the united power of all the attending monsters, even Xellos himself. There was no escape even if the one who dared him was dead. Worse yet, there was no cheating either. He couldn't just pop out of thin air, plant a kiss on a golden dragon and call it done; the dragon had to kiss him. 

Thus that brings us back to the current scenario. Xellos had chosen his target to be Filia with some obscure plan involving emotional manipulation forming in the back of his mind, yet not fully matured yet. His strategizing was sluggish and Xellos hated it, he blamed it on the terrible dread that was in fact so terrible that not even a monster who enjoyed negative emotions could enjoy it. He decided that a simple process of information gathering was in order, least he made a mess that caused the prospect of being kissed by Filia to become even less likely, so as to not say impossible, than it already was. It was time well invested in the end, all for the sake of doing things properly and not wasting his chance, it wasn't stalling at all. 

Thus Xellos felt the need to involve Lina and her friends by embarking in an odd quest to make them kiss each other. Xellos was no romance expert; he knew nothing about love except for the fact that it was unhealthy, him being a monster and all. Even if this put his health in even more danger, none the less he needed to observe. Under Zelgadis' impatient glare, Xellos continued, "I simply came to invite you all to go on vacation." He produced a group of tickets from his cloak holding them up with a grin. "This resort is renowned for several reasons, one of them being the grand buffet, they say the cuisine knows no rival and it's all you can eat. I've already taken care of all the arrangements, so the buffet is completely free." 

The mention of free food caught Lina and Gourry's interest instantly. "How do we know this isn't a trap?" Lina raised a suspicious eyebrow, when something sounded too good to be true, it probably was, especially if Xellos was involved. 

"Why don't you go and see for yourself?" Xellos suggested, knowing that there were few believable excuses he could give, plus he wasn't going to waste his time on them. Lina wasn't convinced, but that changed when Xellos tossed a bag of golden coins in her direction. Lina caught the plain brown pouch and looked inside, her eyes lighting up in pleasure. "That's a security deposit; if I'm lying you can keep it." 

"Tell you what, Xellos," Lina grinned greedily. "If you give me this as spending money I'll go on that vacation. After all, what's a vacation without being able to buy souvenirs?" 

"Very well, I should have expected as much," and he did. With Lina and therefore Gourry ready to go, Xellos turned to his next victims of trickery. "This particular resort also has quite a collection of magical books, I'm sure they're quite interesting." 

"Not buying it," Zelgadis grunted. "You may be able to trick Lina and Gourry into this but not me." 

"I understand..." Xellos feigned resignation. "Lina, Gourry and I will go on ahead and you can stay here... it's clear you want some time alone with Miss Amelia." 

Zelgadis and Amelia promptly blushed with Zelgadis letting out a stream of incoherent excuses as he mentally cursed Xellos, not knowing that the monster was already cursed. The stream of gibberish ended up with an embarrassed, "fine I'll go," with Amelia adding a similar barely audible acceptance. Thus the group set off towards Filia's residence, because Xellos insisted that he wanted to invite her too. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The trip to Filia's shop in a city a considerable distance away, went strangely without any problems. Lina and Gourry scared a few innkeepers with their voracious appetites that drained a hole in Xellos' wallet as Lina insisted that he paid since he invited them on the excursion. There was also the occasional unfortunate highwayman who, not knowing who Lina was, demanded that the 'flat-chested girl' gave up all her money and valuables before being ignited by the wrath of a fireball. All in all, it was an okay journey. 

The bells attached to the door of Filia's shop chimed as the cheerful shop keeper gave her usual greetings with a smile. "Welcome to-" then she stopped, her smile turning into a scowl, "why are you here?" She pointed an accusing finger at Xellos. 

Xellos remained silent for a moment and considered his options. Outright inviting Filia to tag along in a little vacation was both ridiculous and suspicious... but he wasn't in the mood to try too hard. After all, even a monster can feel drained when facing a task so excruciatingly difficult and unpleasant that even getting started feels like a dying effort... maybe literally this time. "You owe the honor of my visit to Amelia over there." He tilted his head in direction to the princess. He didn't like lying, but he simply wasn't in the mood to make an effort. 

"Me?" Amelia looked left and right as if something in the atmosphere could provide her with a clue that could help her make sense of Xellos' false claim. 

"By the way, here are the tickets you asked me to hold for you," Xellos handed the tickets to Amelia, knowing that in her distraction she wouldn't examine them too closely, at least not until it was too late. "You said some terribly unpleasant things about friendship and what not, but since I'm bored, I'll tag along anyway." 

"Oh... yes," Amelia thought she understood. It might have been wishful thinking, but maybe justice had finally found its way into Xellos heart and he was beginning to see the value of friendship. He wanted to express his feelings of companionship to the entire group, Filia included. If that was the case, then Amelia felt the need to assist him by coaxing Filia into joining them by pretending that she was the one who came up with the invitation. Surely then it would be far less suspicious and once they were blissfully vacationing, things would flow on their own. "I wanted to invite all my dear friends to the," she looked at the tickets, "Amor Resort?" Wait a minute, didn't amor translate to love? It sounded like someplace people would visit on their honeymoon, but love was not limited to couples, so there was probably plenty of room for friendship too. "To have fun and celebrate our friendship," Amelia finished. 

"Oh..." Filia blinked, recognizing the translation of the word. Though Lina's breathing rhythm went hectic for a split second, she calmed down before anyone could notice her gasp any more then Zelgadis' blush and sideways glance at Amelia. Gourry remained blissfully ignorant. What's in a name anyway? This was about food and magical research and at the very most friendship, not romance. She looked at Xellos suspiciously. "Why would that," she pointed rudely, "even consider acknowledging the existence of friendship?" 

Xellos had a good excuse for this, which consisted of guilt tripping Filia, but fate seemed to be in his favor in the face of adversity, as Amelia did it for him. It was about time he caught a break... then again, the hardest path lay ahead. "Miss Filia, I'm sure that a kind person such as yourself can find it in her good heart to overlook the past without holding a grudge and have a fun time with an open mind." 

"Well, I..." Filia wasn't sure what to say, but she was giving in. "I suppose that I shouldn't let the presence of such a foul creature stop me from having fun vacationing with the rest of you." It wasn't exactly the type of response Amelia was hoping for, but it was progress. Filia had been working hard, she needed a break. She could leave Gravos and Jillas to take care of Val's egg and the shop for a little while. It would be okay... "Alright, count me in, I'll just have to pretend it's just us good people in the group," she agreed. 

Okay, so Filia was not very likely to kiss him any time soon, but she was at least tagging along. Why did Xellos even choose her as the target anyway? Well, she was the easiest to find and manipulate... Yeah, that was it; that had to be it... Right, it was time to start the process of observation and gather data to put into action. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The journey the rest of the way to Amor Resort, located on a small island some distance away, was somewhat similar from the journey to Filia's shop. Lina and Gourry stuffed their faces on Xellos' account, Zelgadis and Amelia made polite small talk with each other and Filia conversed with each member of the group equally except Xellos of course, to whom she had only the most varied repertoire of insults. He didn't reply to any of them, holding his tongue as best he could with a fake smile plastered on his face. It was creepy. After a while, Filia was in fact so disturbed that she stopped insulting Xellos in favor of ignoring him, save for the scattered occasions when she shot him a suspicious glare. 

When the group of six arrived at the Amor Resort via ferry, they presented their tickets and were given three keys, pertaining to the rooms each couple would share as the clerk assumed. The group thought nothing of the three rooms since no one said anything about sleeping arrangements, and they roomed as they usually did, the girls in one room and the guys in the other, leaving one room vacant. 

From there on out, everything went rather well for most of the integrants of the group. The resort was huge and they each had things they wanted to do, so they went their separate ways with Lina and Gourry heading off to the open buffet. Zelgadis went off to check out the library and Amelia tagged along to help in his research. Xellos decided it was time to begin his experiments. Instead of going through the trial and error himself, he would make the others do it for him and copy the winning strategy. Normally he would come up with his own tactics, but he was a monster and winning a kiss was not something his nature allowed him to properly strategize for. Besides, he wanted to get it done as fast and painlessly as possible, let the others suffer the awkwardness in his place. It wasn't stalling, not at all, and it certainly wasn't fear of failure, absolutely not. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At an outdoor table in a fancy restaurant with couples all around, Lina and Gourry ate to their heart's content. If they had noticed Xellos sitting a few feet away hidden behind a large potted plant with odd plastic pink leaves, they didn't show it or didn't care. Xellos pondered his next move until his train of thought was interrupted by Filia taking a seat across from him at the table. "I've been thinking," she stated in response to his questioning look. "You've been acting strange lately, which means you're plotting something evil. I don't know what you intend to do, but I won't let you ruin the vacation Amelia so kindly arranged for all of us. Besides..." she admitted with a discreet glance around the fake pink plant, "even if this amusement park has room for friendship, it's obvious that they have room for more. Since I don't want to play the third wheel, it looks like I'll have plenty of time to keep an eye on you." 

"Is that so?" Xellos' mind felt awake again. He hated to admit it, even only to himself, but in the privacy of his own mind he knew that he was at a loss of what to do. Essentially, he was playing matchmaker, for observational purposes only, fueled by entirely selfish reasons, but he was playing matchmaker nonetheless. "This means that you won't let me interfere in their developing romance?" 

"Aha!" Filia exclaimed, her accusing finger readily pointing at Xellos. "So that's your plan. Naturally, since monsters hate love, you must hate it when people are in love. Well I won't let you ruin this for them. What was planned to be a vacation of friendship might turn into a romantic getaway for Lina and Gourry, and perhaps even more so for Amelia and Zelgadis and you won't get in the way!" 

"What if they mess things up on their own?" Xellos inquired purposefully. This part of the plan at least was easy, maybe too easy. Manipulation was one of the many talents that Xellos prided himself in possessing. 

"I won't allow it!" Filia firmly declared with unbreakable determination. 

"So you're going to play matchmaker for them?" Which would entail unknowingly helping Xellos in his research. Furthermore, the tactics that she considered to be the most effective would probably be the most effective on her. Once the script was complete, Xellos would just have to put up a little act and after a terribly disturbing and most likely absolutely disgusting experience, he would be curse free. Then he could say something mean and break Filia's heart; that would certainly make him feel better after the humiliation of being kissed by a dragon. 

"As a matter of fact, I am," Filia all too easily accepted the idea that had been put into her head, believing that it was her idea all along and that Xellos simply guessed it because it was oh so clear that it was her initial intention anyway. 

"All of this while keeping an eye on me?" Which in essence meant that she wouldn't mind if he tagged along and observed the entire process unfold. A real grin full of cunning adorned Xellos' face. 

Filia didn't like the look on his face, but challenged him with her response, "yes," her eyes adding a silent ' what are you going to do about it?' 

"Interesting," Xellos continued to grin in a way that unnerved Filia, but she decided to stay strong and alert. No monster was going to stop the matchmaker extraordinaire... even if she had virtually no experience in romance what so ever. Either way it didn't matter, she had read plenty of love novels and that was more than enough knowledge right there. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 002: Silence! There Are No Words

Xellos, the subject of an unfortunate and terribly humiliating curse watched as Filia, the self proclaimed matchmaker extraordinaire, observed Lina and Gourry, the buffet staff's worse nightmare. The pair a few feet away appeared to be content with munching down on every delicious culinary delicacy they could find in the buffet, apparently without a care in the world. Filia however decided that they needed a little help, a small push in the right direction. 

The determined dragon got up from her seat, being followed by Xellos, and headed over to the assortment of candles that was placed on a table in a corner of the open buffet. They were clearly there so that couples could pick out whichever they liked best and place them on their table. She then proceeded to separate the assortment of scents, by smelling each candle closely one by one, until she settled for a rose scented red heart shaped candle. 

She paused and wondered how she should go about this. She needed to add the candle to their table somehow, but didn't want to be seen. Then again, given how focused Lina and Gourry were on their food, maybe they wouldn't see her anyway. None the less, she had to at least try to be sneaky, just to be sure. She went down on all fours and crawled towards the table. A perplexed Xellos decided to follow suit, also crawling behind Filia until she stopped abruptly, causing his head to collide with her backside. 

The unfortunate, though surely accidental, mishap provoked a tiny undignified squeak to issue from the back of Filia's throat as her hands flew to her behind dropping the candle in the process. With both hands clasped over the 'perversely invaded' area protectively, Filia turned her head towards Xellos and glared. "Just what do you think you're doing?" She growled. 

"The same thing you're doing," Xellos replied innocently with an ever present grin. 

"Excuse me?" Filia's indignation was evident. I'm not going around touching people without permission," she frowned. This was wrong, Xellos was evil, annoying, perverse, cruel, dishonorable and just downright unpleasant, but not a pervert, she couldn't handle adding that to the already overflowing list. 

"Accident, please do proceed with what you were doing before." Xellos encouraged hoping that Filia would just let the matter drop. It's not like he made a habit of smashing his face into dragon tail on purpose. 

With a hint of doubt in her eyes, Filia picked up the candle and debated her next action. Having Xellos directly behind her was bad. "If you must tag along, then crawl next to me, not behind me." 

"I fail to see the purpose of this," none the less Xellos did as he was told, crawling next to Filia now. 

"I want to set a candle on their table so that there's a romantic atmosphere," Filia explained and immediately regretted it. She shouldn't be telling Xellos about her plans so he could ruin them! "Don't try to stop me," she crawled away faster with Xellos keeping up. 

"You know, people are staring," Xellos pointed out, not really caring too much, but feeling stupid none the less. However, it was still a good venture. He got to observe not only the matchmaking, but also Filia's behavior, which in the end had to equate to something in his favor when it was time to make his move. 

"They're not," Filia whispered, referring to Lina and Gourry who were still focused on their food. The sneaky pair reached the area of the floor next to Gourry and Lina's table. Filia carefully used her laser breath at minimum intensity to light the candle and reached up to place it on the table. She then crawled backwards away from the table and took refuge behind a plastic pink potted plant; the color was rather predominant in the resort. 

Gourry was the first one to see the candle; he nonchalantly picked it up, blew it out and took a bite out of it. "Hey! That flaming candy was mine!" Lina snatched away the remainder of the candle and devoured it herself while Gourry protested that he saw it first. 

With a horror stricken face, Filia looked back at the candle table, noticing a sign above it that advertised them as 'sweet edible candy candles.' Well at least that explained why Gourry didn't spit it out in disgust, but candles that were promptly eaten wouldn't be around long enough to create much of an atmosphere. 

While Xellos did have extensive knowledge about humans, he focused on things such as manipulation and war. Emotional pressure was useful to know about, but romance was not. Okay, so apparently eating candles was romantic. Right, he would have to make a mental note about that. 

It didn't look like Filia was anywhere near done yet. She got up and this time walking in a much less crazy manner, made her way over to the jukebox. She searched her pockets for a coin but sadly found she had none, she had left her wallet forgotten in her luggage back in the girls' room. Sighing sadly she felt that she would have to give up on her next hopefully better received mood setting idea: music. "I wish I had a coin." She muttered to herself. 

"Here," Xellos offered, eager to see what Filia would do next. He hated to admit it but he was starting to get amused despite the subject of his study being such a terribly fluffy one. Finding amusement in war, destruction and all around chaos was one thing, but in matchmaking? Who would have thought? 

"Thank y-" Filia stopped her automatic reply, eyes going from grateful to suspicious. She looked at Xellos who just smiled like he always did. She examined the coin waiting for it to explode, but it didn't. "I'm watching you," she warned before deciding to try her luck with the coin. She inserted the coin into the jukebox cautiously. 

The contraption came to life with an odd voice. "Tell me what song you wish to hear." From there on out Filia began to list names of songs, but the machine kept pointing out it didn't know any of those. 

"Do you even know what this thing is?" Xellos wondered curiously. He knew exactly what it was and he had a feeling that if Filia knew, she wouldn't want anything to do with it. But maybe he was wrong... 

"It's a jukebox," Filia pointed towards the sign attached to the box. It featured a square enclosed bottom and a display of musical notes stone carvings under glass on top. There was an opening to insert a coin with several coins littering the bottom of the sculpture as if it was a wishing fountain. "The instructions read, 'jukebox: insert a coin to hear a song' see?" She stated as a matter of fact, while pointing at the sign. She might have added something about monsters being illiterate, but she stopped and instead theorized about the problem, "the coin was fake." 

"No, you just don't know what this is," with a low power magical force of dark waves, Xellos created a small hole on the bottom box to reveal a small monster that looked like a parrot with really big teeth. "It's a magical container for a type of monster that can steal voices; they're rare in this area, hence why it wouldn't know any songs from around here. Some far away cities trap them and use them for entertainment. Of course they would have to sacrifice a few singers to build up the variety first. The people here must have purchased it unknowingly or maybe on purpose." Xellos finished his information. 

Filia felt herself twitch in anger as the buffet's manager paused in his recently started activity of complaining to Lina and Gourry about eating too much, to take notice of the damaged equipment. He then proceeded to accuse Xellos and Filia of property damage. "How could you even complain? What you have here is a monster! It can endanger people's voices!" 

"Not if you hadn't let it out!" The manager dramatized. 

"How could you take such a risk by keeping it here?" Filia argued critically. She was thinking about how terrible it was that the humans would take such a foolish risk and was ready to chastise the manager further, when the odd purple big tooted parrot thing let out a mighty squawk that left her ears ringing and her throat strangely dry. Then she became painfully aware of the fact that her voice was gone. Making mute gestures, she insulted Xellos with her eyes; he was the one that let that thing out after all. 

"I honestly didn't think it would want your voice," truly amused, Xellos couldn't help it but to tease Filia. "I mean it's pretty bad, specially when you yell at me for no reason, quite unpleasant to the ears. I feel sorry for that poor creature; it'll probably get a horrible case of indigestion." 

What Filia couldn't do with her voice she did with her mace. After all, a hit to the head could be translated into a variety of insults. Seeing the hit coming from a mile away, as that was the predictable reaction from Filia, Xellos easily dodged. The exchange gave the manager enough time to panic and the parrot monster enough time to fly away. 

"There goes your voice!" Xellos pointed out as Filia stopped swinging her mace at him and joined the manager in panicking. 

"Capture it!" The manager suddenly begged. "Don't think I didn't notice," he looked at Xellos accusingly. "I saw those small rays of energy; they must have been stronger than they looked if you managed to break this container. I know you're a sorcerer. Since you're responsible for this disaster you must fix it! Recapture that creature at once or be banned from this resort." 

Xellos was less than happy with being ordered around by this human, in fact, he was most displeased, but he knew that getting kicked out of the resort was a bad idea. "Alright, I'll find the creature and exterminate it." His tone left no room for argument as his purple eyes opened in a rare occasion and his fangs became the prominent feature of a grin that looked harmless a mere second ago. 

The manager nodded slowly and backed away. He then took the time to nervously look at anything that wasn't the scary sorcerer in front of him, because he didn't realize Xellos was a monster. That's when he noticed that the two gluttons from before were gone. Then a chef came running to proclaim that a blond man and a red haired girl were assaulting the kitchen. Leaving the manager to his troubles, Xellos promptly left, followed by a fuming Filia. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Spotting the parrot monster was very easy; catching it was another story as it moved with amazing speed, gliding through the crowds of people walking down the massive resort streets. Filia let out a stream of silent insults directed at Xellos, who mockingly placed his hand behind his ear and leaned in. "Sorry Filia, could you speak up? I can't hear you." He gestured with fake innocence. "What was that? Could you repeat what you just said? Oh my, how terrible, it seems my hearing is failing me. Don't you feel guilty for leaving me deaf after all your yelling?" 

Filia's face turned a distinct shade of angry red as she wielded her mace at Xellos who easily teleported away via the astral plane. A few passer-bys stopped to watch but they were not alarmed. They assumed that the comedy routine of a magic show was all part of the park's entertainment, some even clapped and cheered for Xellos, who was apparently the winning character of the skit. The unwanted attention only got Filia more upset until she paused, realizing that she had lost sight of the parrot. She waved her hand to Xellos and put away her mace. She raised both hands, palms facing him. 

"Does this mean you want to call a truce?" Xellos inquired, not quite ready to stop playing, bothering Filia was such a fun game. He watched as she nodded frantically. 

Filia then tried her best to signal to Xellos what she wanted to communicate. It didn't help that neither of them knew human sign language, which was the only kind of sign language available really. Dragons thought that those who didn't have a voice were simply destined to be silent observers and that was the natural order of things. As for monsters, when their 'hands' consisted of claws, pincers, paws, twigs and actual hands with a variety in number of fingers it was pretty hard to standardize a sign language. Besides, communication didn't matter much to non-spies anyway. None the less, Filia made a brave attempt and moved her voice-less lips to say 'where is' while shrugging her shoulders, her forearms upwards and her palms flat towards the sky. 'The parrot' Filia's mouth moved without sound as her arms made a flapping motion. 

"A bird?" Xellos guessed as if they were playing charades. The crowd of people that had gathered to watch added in their own guesses that ranged from everything from chicken to pterodactyl. 

Stomping her feet angrily Filia threw a silent temper tantrum, balling her fists and kicking the dirt, arms moving up and down violently as her angry red face presented a fierce expression of narrowed eyes and clenched teeth. "A monster!" A girl called out. 

Filia looked around thinking that it was the parrot, though no one seemed interested in it before. She didn't see the wretched voice stealing monster bird anywhere and instead wondered if they were onto Xellos' true nature. Then she realized that the young lady was pointing at her. In disbelief, she stopped and pointed at herself, her mouth moving without sound to the shape of 'who me?' 

"Monster! Monster! Monster!" The crowd began to chant, assuming that was what Filia was trying to impersonate. In which case Xellos would ironically play the part of the heroic sorcerer. 

Filia looked absolutely horrified. A few tears escaped from the corners of her eyes before she ran away in silent sobs. The crowd cheered still convinced that it was all part of the show; the blond lady was a pretty good mime. Xellos grinned as the crowd cheered and waved goodbye teleporting away, which only made the crowd clap louder. It could be annoying for a monster to cause amusement for any being other than itself, but this was an exception just because Filia's misery was so delicious. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

It didn't take too long for Xellos to find Filia. She was sitting miserably on the edge of a fountain with a cupid statue in the middle holding an arrow ready to shoot it to the skies. She was still quietly sobbing, but appeared to be in the process of accepting the fact that she was mute and apparently resembled a monster, the latter of which seemed much crueler to her. 

Xellos sat down next to her on the fountain's edge and gave her his usual infuriating grin. She glared in response and crossed her arms over her chest, shifting her body in her seat to face away from him. "I just thought you might want to know that-" 

Before Xellos could finish expressing his latest taunt, the voice stealing monster parrot took the cupid statue for a perch and began to sing in a very familiar voice. "Ivory beyond white, everlasting infinite light, brightness that pierces the night, by your endless power destiny ignites, let the world be purified by your might!" 

Xellos covered his ears in discomfort and the parrot looked like it was choking on air, until it fell dead on the bottom of the fountain where it promptly disintegrated into black smoke which dissolved into nothingness. The passer-bys pointed and clapped, they loved the little magic show surprises that the resort had. 

"That song..." Filia whispered and upon doing so she realized, "my voice! I got my voice back!" She breathed in relief. 

"What an awful song, of course it had to come from your voice, I could tell right away given how off-key it was." The remark was expected coming from Xellos even though he was lying. 

As for Filia, she couldn't care less what Xellos' opinion was about her singing skills, but she did notice his discomfort. "That song was actually a purification spell designed to kill monsters, it's called Heaven's Light." She explained with a look of vengeance in her eyes. "I suppose singing it in a golden dragon's voice was too much for that weak monster. I wonder how effective it would be sung by the original owner of this voice." 

"Not effective enough to kill me," Xellos assured and he knew he was right, as did Filia. 

"Maybe effective enough to bother you?" She glared threateningly then put on a sweet expression and sang. "Ivory beyond white, everlasting infinite light, brightness that pierces the night, by your endless power destiny ignites, let the world be purified by your might!" 

"Ugh, it's like the opposite of the Dragon Slave," Xellos covered his ears but soon realized that Filia wasn't casting the spell, just singing the chant that went with it without the willing concentration of energy that casting required. It still bothered him, though not as significantly as it could. He noticed with a certain amount of perplexity that Filia's choice to hold back meant that she was trying to get back at him, but not seriously trying to pick a fight. 

Xellos told himself it should come as no surprise, he was a very high level monster after all and a single golden dragon didn't have a ghost of a chance of taking him down all by herself. Furthermore, even if she was prone to hit him on the head with her mace and throw out a variety of insults at him, Xellos noted that Filia wasn't seriously out to kill him. Not that it matter to him, because she couldn't. 

Satisfied to have annoyed Xellos in some way, Filia triumphantly marched off. So she couldn't create a romantic atmosphere for Lina and Gourry, so she momentarily lost her voice and made a complete fool of herself, so some cold hearted people thought she looked like a monster, so what? She would get over it and get on with her life with the very effective motivation of not letting Xellos win. She would just have to pick up her plan where she left off. She would go off to find her friends and continue playing matchmaker for them in secret and Xellos wasn't going to stop her. 

Shaking off the unpleasant feeling of the song and going back into neutral observer mode as much as he could, Xellos followed Filia. She blissfully made a point out of ignoring his presence and continued walking down the resort streets, searching for her friends. It was a big place and she didn't know where to start her search, Lina and Gourry would have probably been banned from the open buffet by now and must have gone elsewhere. For the time being, she just walked, keeping her eyes open for any familiar faces and pretending she didn't notice Xellos walking next to her. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 003: Alarming! Dragon In Distress

Xellos, the still cursed monster and Filia, the somewhat frustrated yet determinately optimistic matchmaker, made their way down the busy streets of Amor Resort in search for Filia's next victim... er... target... of matchmaking. It didn't look like Lina, Gourry, Amelia or Zelgadis were anywhere near by, but they would have to be found eventually. Sure, the resort was huge, but they couldn't miss each other forever. 

Sighing as her feet began to ache from all the walking, Filia stopped near a concession stand advertising some candied berries. She eyed the berries hungrily, she could use a little snack, but then she remembered she didn't have her wallet on her and she couldn't very well ask Xellos to buy her food, even if she offered to repay him later. 

Fortunately, or unfortunately if she had any idea what was to come, the man in charge of the stand offered her a free sample in the form of a candied berry on a stick. "Give this a try, pretty lady," he winked, holding out the tooth pick with the heart shaped red berry coated in caramel on it. The man had an odd accent, but he was pretty handsome, a fact that flew over Filia's head as she was focused on the berry. Maybe Lina was rubbing off on her. 

"Thank you," Filia smiled politely and accepted the snack. She picked the berry off the toothpick with her mouth, first savoring the caramel on top before biting into it. It was delicious, too delicious for words. "This tastes amazing!" She proclaimed with more fascination than anyone should have for a berry. 

"Doesn't it?" The man leaned in flirtatiously, the breeze playing with his platinum hair. His blue eyes stood out over his perfect tan. "Maybe you would like to have a box of these?" 

Filia was about to answer with the affirmative, but then her smile deflated. "Maybe some other time," she replied in disappointment. She wanted those berries, she wanted them badly and she didn't know why. 

"Going on a diet, Filia?" Xellos decided it was as good a time as any to throw another wise crack at Filia. Besides, he really felt like interrupting the flirting, not that he cared, it was just boring. "It's about time." 

Filia glared at Xellos, but before she said anything, the berry salesman spoke for her. "Don't listen to him, sweetheart. You're just fine the way you are." He smiled as charmingly as he could. 

"I know," Filia threw her nose in the air in an exaggerated expression of nonchalance. "Xellos is just an idiot. Even the simple act of being around him makes my blood boil." She adjusted her cloak, it was hot out today. "I can't stand him," she waved her hand in front of her face trying to fan some air into her warm complexion. "Is it just me, or is it hot?" The last statement was directed at the salesman, who of course, took it the wrong way. 

"Oh it's not just you, though you certainly are, I am too," he winked while Filia couldn't make heads or tails of the true meaning behind his odd reply. He did have an unusual accent; maybe he wasn't too experienced in this particular language. Noticing that Xellos was giving him a nasty look, the salesman handed the purple haired man a box of berries. "Here, take this and go away, the lady is now in much better company. Maybe if you eat enough of those you'll actually manage to attract a woman of lesser standards. They're supposed to be some kind of dragon aphrodisiac or something." 

Xellos froze in the act of having a berry box shoved into his hands as some sort of pity inspired consolation price after having what the salesman assumed to be his date stolen. Filia froze at that moment too and all the color from her previously flustered face drained momentarily, only to come back full force tinting her skin scarlet as she pushed her voice to function. "Aphrodisiac?" She spoke fearfully, dragging out each syllable as if it was something dreadful, and it was. 

"My, my, so that's the kind of girl you are," Xellos couldn't even finish enjoying his taunting before Filia screamed an ear splitting wail. 

"These are... these are... are these dragon lust berries?" Filia choked out in a panic. 

"Yeah..." The salesman was a bit taken aback, but he bounced into action quickly and he was all too eager. "Are you really into that stuff or something? It's just a legend, they don't do a thing. But you know, if you're in the mood who needs berries? Either way, if you're into it I-" 

"No!" Filia screamed at the top of her lungs unleashing a laser light from her mouth to the skies above. The salesman took the laser breath as his cue to leave. He could be open minded, but maybe there was a reason this girl was with that purple haired seemingly wimpy weirdo. He was probably her private punching bag and the salesman was no masochist. 

Xellos opened his mouth to let out another teasing taunt, but before he could produce any words, Filia pushed past him in a fit of panic. He decided after less than a split second's hesitation that he should go after her. Thus he followed the stream of uncomfortable and sometimes blasphemous remarks voiced by those pushed aside by the rampaging blond. 

It didn't take too long for Filia to find a sort of alleyway between a store and a restaurant and duck into it past the pink plastic potted plant with the giant leaves that were supposed to obstruct the view of the overflowing garbage cans in the alley. There she stood facing the dump with her eyes tightly shut, her hands on the sides of her face and her expression in pure agony as she chanted, "I'm not thinking, I'm not thinking, I'm not thinking..." 

Then that voice, his voice, broke her concentration with a simple innocent, "Filia?" That sounded more melodious and attractive to her than it should. 

"Go away!" Filia half snapped and half begged. "I've done something terrible! Those berries, those atrocities! Do you know their full story?" She was all out crying now. 

"I don't," Xellos admitted a bit dishearten by the fact that he was ignorant of the cause of Filia's misery. He wanted to be the cause of Filia's misery, thus he should be well informed so he could taunt her. 

Filia sniffled still facing away from Xellos. "Long ago, some terrible sorcerers kidnapped and tried to enslave two dragons. The dragons were kept under control with cruel magical artifacts and painful spells for the most part, but that wasn't enough. The sorcerers wanted fully trained slaves disciplined into submission from a young age. Yet they knew the dragons closely guarded their young. The two dragons in captivity would never think of willingly bringing one of their own in to such a painful situation, so the sorcerers forced them to ingest some berries that they created by alchemy which made their instinct run wild." Filia paused, too horrified to continue. 

"So basically, they wanted to breed the dragons," Xellos summarized. "I do hope you're not going to somehow blame the presence of the berries at the resort on me, because as much as I've love to take credit for your torture, this was all your fault." He hoped that his dismissive attitude was appropriately vexing. 

"The dragons died, they killed each other to stop their suffering and the possible suffering of those who could have resulted of their tainted union." Filia continued her story, the lack of accusation towards Xellos indicating that she knew it wasn't his doing. "The rest of the golden dragons eventually found the terrible sorcerers and studied their records to learn of their awful acts. The sorcerer group was destroyed, but it was too late about the berries. The alchemic recipe had escaped into the world and the humans treated it as a delicacy. It's fine for them, it's harmless to humans and completely without effect, but us dragons need to guard against it. I had been warned long ago when I was studying, it was a terribly embarrassing lesson but I-" 

Xellos cut her off, "I don't think I want to hear about the particulars of dragon sex-ed." He stated flatly, adding just the right amount of disgust to his tone. "Anyway, are you going to wait out the effects of this by standing around in a smelly alley and staring at garbage?" 

"Yes," Filia snapped flustered, "I just wish I didn't have to hear it too." 

She was obviously referring to him and as it often happened, Xellos had a comeback. "Then you'll just have to stop speaking." 

Angered, Filia couldn't resist the urge to turn around and glare at Xellos. The problem was that every aspect of his unfortunate existence looked desirable to her in her current state. She screamed, disturbed by her own naughty thoughts and dashed past Xellos, only to stop cold in the middle of the busy street of the resort. 

Xellos approached Filia and examined her peculiar expression, like a deer caught in a Dragon Slave. "What's wrong now?" 

'That guy passing by sure is handsome...' Filia mused against her better judgment. 'His hair is purple too, just like Xellos,' her rampaging thoughts added. 'No, no, no! Don't think of random men in inappropriate ways, especially if they remind you of Xellos!' Filia mentally screamed at herself. 'That other man down the street doesn't have purple hair, it's nice and black... Just like the aura of a monster, an aura of sexy darkness.' That thought was if at all possible more disturbing than the last. 'What about that nice looking blond guy over there? He doesn't look like Xellos at all... except for the acute purple eyes.' To be reasonable, the resemblances between the aforementioned random men and Xellos were small and barely noticeable unless one was adamantly searching for them as Filia's mortifying subconscious was. 'Don't think of Xellos! Don't think of Xellos!' Filia mentally screamed at herself once again. 'Think about... about... about that guy over there! The redhead with the green eyes and the nice built and the expression that's nothing like a grin. No, I shouldn't be having lustful thoughts about random strangers at all!' 

"Filia?" Xellos prompted once more. It was as if her mind had experienced a system crash that would be known in a more technologically advanced future society as a mental blue screen. 

Filia snapped out of her daze, painfully realizing that she had the hots for every male creature in sight, including Xellos, which was definitely the worse part. "Get me out of here," she pleaded, trying her very best to stop her body from moving, in fear that she wouldn't be able to stop it, falling into a crazy lustful trance. "Please, get me out of here, get me away from people, teleport me, I don't care who sees us, please!" 

As enjoyable as the begging was, Xellos decided to humor Filia. It looked like everyone around was inclined to assume that every oddity they saw was only part of the show anyway and certainly not a cause for alarm. He held on to her and took her to the astral plane, reappearing in seconds in an empty hotel room that Filia vaguely recognized as being identical to the room the girls were staying at, though this one might have been the spare room, given the absence of luggage. The closeness needed for the process of a monster teleporting and bringing a passenger along was not broken upon arrival, as Filia held on to Xellos with all her might. If he had been human she would have crushed him with her dragon strength, even if she was in a human-like form. Teleporting usually gave Filia something similar to motion sickness, but this time the effect of the berry was too strong to allow even that. 

"Filia?" Xellos questioned once more as the wheels in his head began to turn faster, because they were always turning. "Interesting," he mocked, "if I didn't know any better I would think you want me and by that I don't mean you want me dead." 

Filia trembled as the well raised, moral side of her fought weakly against her berry induced lustful instincts. "Don't let me go," the request was rather pointless given how strongly she was latching onto him. 

Even if Xellos was a very high level monster, he could still feel the full force of her strength and he admitted in the privacy of his own mind that Filia was a very strong dragon. "You're the one who's holding onto me." He pointed out, just to see if it would annoy her, though she was clearly too distressed to be vexed, even by Xellos. He found that strangely unfair. 

"Please, don't let me go or I'll go crazy!" Filia desperately begged. For the time being just holding on to a male specimen with all her might seemed to be enough to keep her insanity at bay. "Please, please," she chanted. "I can't be set loose on the humans, please don't let me..." 

"Humans?" Xellos questioned with true curiosity. "Feeling hungry, are you?" He teased. 

Filia ignored the teasing and continued in all seriousness, her face buried in Xellos' chest, causing her voice to be somewhat muffled. "If I try to do something crazy and terribly improper, something unthinkable, something... sinful," she summarized, "with a human, he'll be helpless. No human man, strong as he may be, has a fraction of the strength of a dragon and dragon slaying wizards aren't all that common either," not that she would be stupid enough to flirt with one if she knew where one was located, even in her state of loss of mind. "I would... commit a terrible crime!" She cried, her tears fully cascading out to the sound of loud desperate sobs and ragged breaths. 

"What if he doesn't try to stop you?" Xellos suggested. It was clear that more than a few men would love to have Filia. Although, he purposefully added in his own thoughts as if to sternly remind himself, that those men were human weaklings with extremely poor taste. 

"That's worse!" Filia lifted her face and looked at Xellos, trying with all her might not to find him attractive and failing miserably. "I don't want to play with anyone's feelings, or body. I don't want to do something bad, I don't want to lose control of myself, I don't want to lose sight of morality!" 

"And you think I can stop you?" Xellos lowered his voice to a whisper that could be catalogued as seductive, though Filia wasn't sure if he did that on purpose or if it was just her imagination. 

"You're strong," she stated simply, noting in the back of her mind that she rather liked violet more than she would ever admit. "You're a high level monster, you can fight, you can defend yourself." 

It wasn't that Filia was expecting any favors, Xellos realized. Rather, she was putting them both in a position where he could either defend himself or submit to her desires. For some reason, she was certain that he would fight back and he was probably the only man in the entire resort with the power to effectively do so. "Why would I?" 

Filia's eyes widened in horror as her already shaky voice grew in nervousness. "You're a monster, I'm a dragon, we hate each other," she voiced it as if it was the most basic piece of factual knowledge. "You're disgusted by the thought of... you know... with a dragon... aren't you?" The uncertainty tortured her consciousness, while the overtaken part of her mind celebrated the possibility of an effortless surrender on her prey's part. 

"I'm a monster," Xellos emphasized, his signature grin of false innocence turning into a much more mischievous one as his purple eyes stared into her azure gaze. "I'm not built to resist temptation," he informed punctuating his sentence with a kiss. 

Filia's heartbeats sped up even more, her fingers partially transformed, claws digging into Xellos as her tail popped out from under her skirt and she bashed it harshly on the floor, leaving an indentation. Her eyes glowed golden, but the rest of her remained in a human form. She got over the shock and responded to the kiss hungrily, allowing herself to part from Xellos only when the need for oxygen was too immense to bear. 

Xellos was caught up in the moment at first, but after Filia released him to breathe, he realized with disappointment that he was still curse. He could feel the effect of the curse on his body, slowly pushing him towards his death sentence little by little with each passing second. They kissed and she was definitely willing, so why didn't it work? He analyzed the prospect further and came up with a theory, she wasn't willing after all. This was all because of the effect of the berry; she didn't consciously make the choice to kiss him so that didn't count. That was why he ruled out threats, blackmail and bribery in the first place, apparently using raw lust as a motivational tool checked out as well. He could conclude that any motivational tools checked out. Filia had to kiss him simply because she wanted to without any outside influence to push her into it. Well, not Filia, more like any golden dragon, but Filia was conveniently near by anyway. 

Xellos concluded that he would have to continue his observations and keep on gathering data. He was planning to trick Filia, but it shouldn't count as a trick if she didn't know she was being tricked. Manipulation or not, she would make the choice on her own with real affections for a lying source, yet the affections would be real even if they were misplaced and that should be enough to break the curse. He would have to match-make for himself and Filia, court her in a sense, he wasn't looking forward to it, but even a monster has survival instinct and he was strongly plagued by the desire to live another day... As well as other desires, given the current circumstances, not that he would ever admit to that. 

Filia panted heavily as she struggled to fight a sudden case of asphyxiation. Her tail disappeared and her clawed hands turned back to normal human hands, leaving Xellos' shirt in tatters. The rhythm of her wildly beating heart slowed back to normal and her body appeared to calm down. She let out a breath, thankfully not a laser one. "I'm... okay..." Filia sounded like she was trying to convince herself more so than inform Xellos. One berry wasn't enough to make her go all the way, but she would be weary of food for the rest of her life after this experience. Unfortunately, her stomach chose that moment to growl in hunger, reminding her that she needed to replenish the energy she just used up. She ignored it, she would have to eat eventually, but right now she wasn't in the mood for it. Realizing that she was still hugging Xellos, albeit much more gently, Filia backed away as if she had been burned. She was horrified. "You were going to let me!" She accused. 

Xellos shrugged trying to appear nonchalant and ordering his own body to calm down... immediately. "It's what you wanted and you would have enjoyed it too. Like I said, I'm a monster; I'm not built to resist temptation." 

"So if a random girl throws herself at you, she can have you?" Filia pointed accusingly at Xellos with disapproval and disappointment fighting for a place in her tone alongside disgust. 

"Usually, a random girl's reaction to a monster would be to scream in a panic and run away," Xellos was back to his cool, calm and collected self in record breaking time, with no small effort. "It's a bit of a turn off." He grinned that familiar false grin with his eyes closed in a silly expression that screamed he was blissfully ignorant about everything around him, even if the truth was all the opposite. 

"Good for her!" Filia snapped, even if the metaphorical random girl in question didn't refer to anyone specific. Feeling embarrassed, mortified and all around humiliated, Filia stormed out in a huff. 

Xellos stood in place for a second, feeling rather disappointed. Of course he was disappointed, he just endured kissing a golden dragon and it was all for naught, that was the only reason he had to be disappointed and a very valid reason it was. He decided to take a break from following Filia for a while and occupy himself with the task of purchasing a new shirt to replace the one Filia destroyed, because simply materializing a new one was boring. 

To be Continued


	2. Chapter 2

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 004: Honesty! For What It's Worth

He looked ridiculous when she found him; then again, the population of similarly ridiculously dressed men in the resort was quite numerous. Taking a deep breath and telling all secondary thoughts along with her common sense to shut up, Filia approached Xellos. 

The purple haired trickster was sitting on a bench, apparently minding his own business, though for someone who was supposedly uninterested in his surroundings he had a certain observant air around him. His head turned this way and that way, looking at the couples that passed by holding hands. He might as well add holding hands to his list of tactics to be used later. He considered adding giggling like an idiot to the slowly developing list, but even the mortally cursed have their limits. 

Knowing that she was being ignored, Filia spoke up, "can I sit?" She inquired with as much confidence as she could muster. She was ignored again, no surprise there. "I'm sitting." Filia took a seat on the bench next to Xellos, a short way away from the fountain with the cupid in the middle, surrounded by rose bushes. The bushes produced flowers in such a bright shade of hot pink one could only conclude they were fake, or that the gardener was an alchemist obsessed with the color pink. The leaves were a minty green rather than a regular leafy green so as to not upset the calm and romantic feeling of pastel colors, or for some other equally mushy reason. 

The second Filia sat down, Xellos made a sudden motion jumping a little as the bench was pushed down on her side and flopped back to its normal position. "Geez, Filia, you're really packing on the pounds, aren't you?" He commented sarcastically. 

Trying with all her might to keep her temper down, Filia scowled and pointed out truthfully. "You know as well as I do that you made the bench move. My weight had absolutely nothing to do with it. Then again," she had the daring audacity to pinch his arm as she spoke. "You're so scrawny, maybe you really are that light." 

"Can't get your hands off me? I'm flattered," Xellos remarked. He was known for doing all sorts of silly things on occasion so really, the fact that he had changed into an attire like the kind they sold at the local shops wasn't a real shocker. He did look especially silly wearing a short sleeved purple shirt with many yellow flowers printed on it, a pair of red shorts and yellow flip-flops, his signature staff having been left behind at the guys' hotel room. "May I remind you that in your eagerness you destroyed my clothes last time." 

Filia turned scarlet and looked in every direction to see if any of the passers care about their conversation... they didn't. Those people were strangers, her friends being no where in sight. Those people didn't know her or Xellos and they apparently didn't care about their antics. "About that," Filia resolutely pushed her voice to work. "I um..." was she seriously apologizing to Xellos? Well no, that was never her plan; she just wanted to let him know she didn't care about the incident. She wanted to show him that she got over it and moved on with her life. She wanted to act like she wasn't terribly ashamed, mortified beyond belief, which she was. But Xellos couldn't know, or else he would exploit it, then her friends would know and even if they claimed to understand she wasn't herself when it happened, Filia would still die of shame. She had to confidently show Xellos that his taunts wouldn't bother her, so that he wouldn't bother using them in the first place. "Sorry if you were bothered by it. I hope you're not traumatized, because I'm not. In fact, it's kind of a blur," it was a lie. Every moment was painfully clear to her. 

"Really?" Xellos raised an eyebrow curiously. Filia was a horrible liar and he could see right through her. It probably came because she tended to be too honest and sincere. "I could tell you all about it, reenact it even." 

"I don't care," Filia voiced flatly only because it was her most well rehearsed answer that she planned to give Xellos if he threatened for blackmail. Except he wasn't threatening for blackmail, he was offering her another make-out session. "I mean I do care, no, I mean I don't want to. Anyway, I'm just letting you know that the incident is completely unimportant to me." 

"So you wouldn't mind if I tell Lina?" Xellos asked with a grin. He knew Filia was feeling particularly tortured right now, it was awesome. It was even more awesome because he was the cause of her misery. 

"I don't mind, it honestly doesn't matter," Filia shifted uncomfortably and tried to look indifferent, as opposed to embarrassed. It wasn't working. 

"What about Amelia?" Xellos pressed on. He wasn't willing to give up until he got a somewhat truthful reaction from Filia. 

"It's the same," Filia choked out. 

"Gourry?" Xellos continued. 

"It might go over his head," Filia felt a little cruel for pointing that out, but it was true. 

"Point taken," Xellos chirped, his usual grin well in place. "Zelgadis?" 

"It doesn't matter if they know; it doesn't matter if they all know," Filia snapped. "In fact, it doesn't even matter if the whole world knows." 

"That you made out with a monster?" Xellos supplied smugly. 

"A kiss is not making out, it's just a kiss," Filia argued with a red face. Other than a few quick glances that avoided his eyes, she had not been looking at Xellos, but knew he was looking right at her. 

"Just a kiss, huh?" Xellos pretended to muse over this. A kiss was certainly not just a kiss, it was the cure he needed. "I thought golden dragons had more self respect than that. So if a random guy wanted to kiss you, he could?" 

"No!" Filia half-yelled. "That's not what I meant, I wasn't myself and you should have done something to stop me!" 

"I teleported you away, didn't I?" Xellos reminded. 

Filia opened her mouth to speak then promptly closed it again like a fish person and proceeded to mull over that information. Okay, so Xellos had made himself a little bit useful and she supposed that harming an innocent victim would have been worse than degrading herself with a monster, just because Filia could be selfless like that. Frustrated, Filia let out an exasperated breath. He won, Xellos won, he was going to win no matter what she did. Filia cursed her bad luck. "I can't stop you from humiliating me, can I? Fine, do it, I won't beg you not to!" 

"If you really want me to," Xellos grinned annoyingly. "However..." he made a dramatic pause. "I might let your deplorable behavior pass if you do a little something for me." 

"I won't do anything bad," Filia outright stated. 

"I know, teaching you evil is not possible, you're not smart enough to learn it." Another pause later, Xellos continued, rather enjoying the foreboding expression Filia was wearing. "Kiss me," Filia was sober now, Xellos had to give this one last try. 

"What?" Filia stammered, now staring right at Xellos out of pure shock. 

"I think you heard me," Xellos stared back with a plotting look. "There is a condition though," of course there had to be. "I give you my word as a monster-" 

"For what it's worth," Filia muttered bitterly. 

Xellos ignored her, "that I'll keep this incident that happened between us a secret, if you give me your word as a golden dragon that you'll kiss me. Here's the catch-" 

"It has to be done in a completely humiliating way," Filia supplied with rising anger. 

"I wasn't going to say that, but if you keep giving me suggestions I might take them," Xellos warned. With his signature grin unchanged he finished his proposed deal. "The catch is that you must kiss me of your own will." 

"That makes no sense," Filia blinked in surprise. "How can I kiss you of my own will if you're blackmailing me?" 

"I'm not," Xellos tried to twist things around a little. "Let me rephrase my proposal." He mused over it for a second and came up with a slightly different deal to similar ends. "I give you my word not to reveal the incident to anyone and ask for nothing in exchange for my silence. Additionally, in a completely separate and unrelated matter, I request, not blackmail, order, or threaten," he specified, "that you keep your mind open to the possibility of kissing me when you are completely sober, with a firm grasp on all your senses and not being pressured into it by any outside force. In other words, consciously and of your own initiative, unaffected by any ulterior motives be them yours or mine." 

Filia blinked dumbly and stared at Xellos as if he grew a second head. Actually, that wouldn't have been all that strange, his request, not threat, was far stranger. "Are you asking me to keep my mind open to the possibility of ever wanting to kiss you of my own accord?" 

"Correct," Xellos confirmed. "I'm glad you finally got that single brain cell of yours working." So asking a girl to kiss him and then insulting her wasn't a very good tactic, but this was Xellos, he couldn't waste an opportunity to start an argument with Filia anymore than she could waste an opportunity to start an argument with him. 

"That's suspicious," Filia honestly stated. "It's too easy and you never make things easy." Yet no matter how many times she went over it in her head, she couldn't figure out what Xellos wanted to do... Then it occurred to her. "Aha!" She pointed her accusatory finger at Xellos yet again. "I know what you're trying to do; you're trying to make me feel better so that the hit is harsher when you make me feel worse. You're trying to make me lower my guard!" 

"Whatever you say, Filia," Xellos rolled his eyes. It was clear that Filia wasn't going to stop suspecting him any time soon and time wasn't exactly on his side. "Look, how's this then: let's drop the subject and leave things as they are. If I'm going to do something, you can't stop me anyway so there's no reason for you to worry about it. Then after you cool your temper, give my request some more thought." 

Filia glared at Xellos with a great amount of distrust, "fine." She agreed, but only because she had no choice but to agree. She got up from the bench and as she did her stomach growled again. 

"Don't tell me you really did go on a diet," Xellos tried to fall back into a comfortable pace of exchanging insults. "You're such a twig without a figure as it is." 

"Oh shut up you piece of raw garbage!" Filia yelled. "First I'm too fat and then I'm too thin? Look in the mirror you reject circus clown!" She turned on her heals and threw her head back in indignation, walking off in a fuming huff. Of course, Xellos followed her and of course he had a comeback for her insult. Then they fell into a rhythm of insulting each other that felt almost normal. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Taking a break from the activity of insulting Xellos, Filia made her way to a restaurant as the sun began to set. There she spotted Amelia and Zelgadis sitting at a table eating calmly and chatting pleasantly. 

Feeling that she was given another chance to perform her good actions as a matchmaker, Filia sat down and observed them from afar from behind a menu. Unlike the open buffet this restaurant was indoors and far homier looking. It had waiters and waitresses on the job and required payments per dish consumed. Luckily, Filia had remembered to go pick up her wallet from her luggage. She had a job to do as a matchmaker, but she couldn't do it on an empty stomach. 

A waiter approached with a notepad in hand. "What can I get you?" He paused and took a second look at the ridiculously dressed purple haired man. "You're one of Lina's friends." He pointed his pencil at Xellos. 

Xellos gave the man a curious smirk, "Zangulus was it?" He pretended to be unsure, because no human's name was worth remembering all that clearly, yet Xellos made it a point to remember them all. "It's quite a surprise to see you here. How is Miss Martina?" 

"Likewise," Zangulus decided that small talk would be acceptable enough. He had left in decently good terms with Lina's group, though he still very much considered Gourry to be his swordsmanship rival. "Martina's doing well; she's working here too, though at a different part of the resort. We've been working to save up and restore her kingdom. It's along road but we're getting somewhere." He glanced curiously at Filia, "I take it this lady is your date?" 

Filia slammed her fist into the table breaking it. "No!" She bellowed. 

Zangulus stared at the broken table in surprise as did a few people including Amelia and Zelgadis from a few tables away. The murmurs of conversations and the sound of silverware on plates heard at the restaurant were suddenly silenced so that the awkwardness could be more clearly perceptible. "Um... Let me show you to another table." Zangulus graciously saved the situation and the murmurs of conversations and the sounds of silverware on plates continued normally. That was save for the conversation previously being held by Amelia and Zelgadis who paused in their eating and talking along with everyone else, but didn't resume the activities after Zangulus' line. 

Instead they stared as Zangulus showed Xellos and Filia to a different table, were they silently sat and were too far away to hear when Filia mumbled a barely audible, "sorry..." 

Zangulus however, was at hearing distance. "Never mind, it's not a big deal, the table was obviously about to fall apart anyway." Because there was no way this girl could have caused it to break, at least not without magic. "Are you okay?" 

"Yes," Filia automatically replied, though she felt that she was anything but. 

"She's a bit possessive," Xellos stated with nonchalance. "My dear Filia always corrects people when they say I'm her date or her boyfriend, the proper term would be lover, right darling?" He winked. 

Filia turned scarlet yet again, she had been doing that far too often in the past twenty-four hours and was starting to fear that it might begin to affect her circulation... or give her an anger fueled heart attack. She remembered her little conversation with Xellos before and realized that if he wanted to say something stupid no one could stop him, but no one had to believe him. In fact, she was sure that anyone who knew her wouldn't believe his nonsense, but Zangulus didn't know her. Rather than adamantly denying the so called accusation of being Xellos' lover, Filia allowed rage to take over and tried to throw him for a loop. "Actually," she regained her cool in an almost frightening manner. "I think fiance would be the proper term, honey." 

Xellos' face twitched in surprise, but only slightly. For the most part, he managed to maintain his smiling expression. Then his smile grew in amusement. "Of course, you're absolutely right, sweetheart." It was as if words such as darling, honey, sweetheart and the like had become the worse possible insults. 

There was something odd about the atmosphere between those two, but then again, Zangulus' beloved Martina wasn't exactly like other girls either. Who was he to judge Xellos' taste in women? He waited as Filia and Xellos engaged in a glaring contest with each other while pretending to read the menus, until they finally each ordered something. In Xellos case it was mostly for show really since monsters didn't need food the way humans and dragons did, but he could still consume it if he so felt like it and there were certain tastes he very much enjoyed, like popcorn, but that wasn't on the menu. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

By the time Zangulus returned with the food, Xellos and Filia had fallen into an unspoken truce, so that they could enjoy a meal focusing their mouths in eating rather than in speaking insults. By that time, Amelia and Zelgadis had also stopped staring and were finishing their food, once again conversing with each other. However, their topic had shifted considerably. 

"I still say it's impossible," Zelgadis assured. The justice loving Amelia sometimes got some silly notions stuck in her head. At times Zelgadis thought it was noble or even sweet, but this time it was downright weird. 

"Have hope, Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia insisted cheerfully. "Maybe Mr. Xellos and Miss Filia really are getting along with each other." It's not like she was suggesting they were on a date or anything, just that they looked like they had become friends... sort of. 

"Look at them glaring at each other!" Zelgadis insisted. "Then there was that broken table a while ago. Xellos must have said something that angered Filia. He seems to have a very annoying talent for angering people." 

"At least he's trying to change," Amelia maintained her point. "He did invite us over here and we were able to do a lot of research in the library." 

Zelgadis huffed, "you mean we wasted the day sorting through an endless supply of cheesy romance novels and," he blushed, "rather inappropriate books?" 

Amelia blushed as well; browsing that particular section in the off chance that they might have missed something useful was a very embarrassing endeavor that Amelia would rather not think about. "It's still a nice vacation. Even if the library isn't useful, we can at least enjoy the rest of the resort, there's certainly a lot of variety. Tomorrow we should all go somewhere together, it'll be fun!" 

Zelgadis wanted to point out that one of monsters' favorite pastimes was ruining fun, but he decided to remain quiet. Amelia was determined and Zelgadis knew he would be wasting his breath if he tried to change her mind. "Fine," he adopted a look of resignation. He would still be on guard though; Xellos was definitely plotting something, that much was obvious given the fact that he was Xellos. 

"It's settled then," Amelia chimed happily. "I'll talk to Miss Lina and Miss Filia about it tonight and you can talk to Mr. Gourry and Mr. Xellos," she smiled. Tomorrow would surely be a lovely day; Amelia felt it in her heart. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 005: Fantastic! A Vivid Dreamscape

By the time Filia was done with dinner, Amelia and Zelgadis had already left the restaurant. It wasn't that Filia's appetite was anywhere near Lina's, she simply started her meal when Amelia and Zelgadis were almost done and was distracted by it long enough to miss their departure. With a full stomach, Filia noticed that it was already dark and she was certainly exhausted. Her matchmaking plans would just have to wait for another day. Hopefully whatever Xellos was planning would wait for many, many days, because she would seriously need a long time to recover from today. 

Although they had paused their insults that pretended to be flirts, or was it flirts that pretended to be insults? The routine was resumed when Filia requested the bill and Zangulus handed it over to Xellos. The golden dragon had shrugged and held a tiny victory in watching him pay, though she was the one to provide a tip for Zangulus, because she knew Xellos wouldn't. 

After leaving the restaurant, the silly insults did not go on, instead the pair walked in silence to the hotel, with Xellos occasionally glancing here and there as if studying the movement around him. In front of the hotel, Filia paused and asked the question that was floating on her mind. Given her already bad position, what could it hurt? "Does it feel bad?" 

The question which was rather lacking in context and information, took Xellos by surprise and was addressed with nothing but a slight raise of the eyebrow. 

"The atmosphere here, does it hurt you?" Filia once again proclaimed her curiosity. "I mean," she elaborated, "it's so full of love and happy thoughts, it must be unpleasant to you, since you're a monster." 

"It is," Xellos admitted the obvious as it was of no use to deny it. "But I'm a very strong monster, you said that yourself." He alluded to something that was spoken during Filia's distressful time. He knew she didn't want to remember that, so he made a mental note to hint at it whenever he could. He would, however, keep the embarrassing secret between them, for the time being at least. 

Filia only looked away as a response. She didn't know why she asked that question, the answer was obvious and it didn't matter anyway. Without another word she began to walk towards the stairs. 

"Are all dragons rude enough to walk away in the middle of a conversation?" Xellos tried to get the insults rolling again, it was fun. 

Filia gave him no response save for a glare, but decided that she wouldn't humor him. Xellos wanted to argue and though she would normally answer, Filia was simply too tired at the moment. She kept making her way up the stairs ignoring Xellos as he followed after her. 

When she got to the girls' room, Filia retrieved her copy of the key from her pocket and made her way in. On one of the four beds, it was beyond her why so many beds per room were needed, there was a box with a note attached to it. Filia curiously picked it up and read it. 'Hey Filia! After Gourry and I got kicked out of the buffet's kitchen, I said I would sue them for false advertisement because it was supposed to be all you can eat. They offered me store credit if I didn't and since I don't know any lawyers anyway, I took it.' That would explain the pile of bags and boxes in the corner. 'This one is for you! Enjoy, Lina.' Filia thought it was sweet of Lina to have gotten her a gift, until she reached the foot of the note. 'PS: You can show your gratitude by taking me out to dinner sometime.' 

Filia sighed, regardless of what Lina got her; it couldn't have been more expensive than taking her out to dinner would be. Even so, Filia tried to look on the bright side, it was the thought that counted and she really needed some optimism. She opened the box to find a cute little dress with yellow sunflowers on pale blue fabric and a pair of matching flip-flops. It was sleeveless and about knee length, going will with the resort's general atmosphere, though it wouldn't provide enough space under the skirt to hide her mace. She couldn't imagine Lina buying it, some random shop keeper probably forced it on her somehow. It must have been a dangerously fierce shop keeper, or maybe Lina decided to try to look extra cute and didn't want to make the effort alone. Maybe it was a good sign, maybe Gourry would compliment her and things would roll from there, but Filia knew she was getting ahead of herself. 

Ignoring Xellos' still looming presence silently behind her, Filia noticed that there was another note on her bed. That second note was from Amelia, she must have come into the room and left again when Filia and Xellos were at the restaurant. She read the note with curiosity, wondering in the back of her mind if Amelia had seen her little table breaking display at the restaurant. 'Dear Miss Filia, I hope you are enjoying your time at this resort. Lina told me she purchased a dress for you, she got me one as well and suggested that we should all wear them tonight to go see the fireworks display from the central plaza. I think it's a wonderful idea and hope you'll join us. Also, we should all enjoy the resort together tomorrow, but we can talk about that later. Best wishes, Amelia.' 

Relieved that the note didn't mention anything about the restaurant incident, Filia took another look at the dress. She was tired and not in the mood to stay out waiting for fireworks, yet she didn't want to disappoint her friends. She concluded that being tired wasn't a good enough reason to miss out on the fun; there would be plenty of time to sleep later. Besides, just because she was in the mood to hide under warm covers and sleep away her sorrows it didn't mean that she should. That was probably what Xellos wanted her to do and she wouldn't give him that. 

She would go out and have fun, being filled with all kinds of positive emotions, especially the kind that bothered him most, whichever those were. She honestly didn't understand the source of her curiosity, but she decided that she had no reason to try to understand Xellos. He was a monster; he was evil, end of story. The notion didn't feel completely right, but she couldn't quite place why. Letting the matter drop in her mind, she turned to face Xellos with the dress in her hands. "Leave, I'm changing." 

He didn't move and he didn't say anything. Filia knew this was Xellos' little revenge for being ignored earlier. 

Crossing her arms Filia stated a valid, although from her perspective nonsensical, point. "If you want me to consider the thought of kissing you to be remotely passable, let me say that you're not making any progress by being a pest." 

Xellos faded into nothingness without a word. There was something unnerving about how he silently agreed to leave her alone with relative ease, but Filia couldn't put her finger on it. 

Filia changed as quickly as possible, fearing that Xellos would teleport back into the room at any random moment. Once she was wearing her new dress, she exited the room, locking it behind her. Downstairs she found Xellos, leaning casually against the wall at the foot of the steps. She walked past him without a word and he followed her. 

The walk to the central plaza was not a long one, the bad news was that they couldn't make it to the plaza because it and the area around it was so terribly crowded. Who knew for how long some of those people had been waiting. 

"Miss Filia!" Amelia waved for her attention, cheerfully making her way over to the familiar new arrivals. She was wearing a pink dress with red roses in a similar style to Filia's. Apparently Gourry and Zelgadis also received gifts from Lina in the form of the male attire that dominated the resort, very much like Xellos'. They were both wearing shorts, dark blue for Gourry and gray for Zelgadis, which were not as brightly colored as Xellos' red shorts, but their shirts were certainly just as festive. Gourry had jellyfish pictures all over his light blue shirt, while Zelgadis had the classic dark green palm tree patterns on a lighter green background. They were all wearing flip-flops. 

Lina looked the most different in her orange and white checkered dress; she must have thought a flower pattern was going too far. She did however have a single white lily on her hair. "Glad you made it," Lina greeted casually, though with a hint of annoyance that was not directed at any of her companions, but rather at the crowd. "Unfortunately, we were too late and all the good spots are taken, as you probably already noticed." A crowd of that size was impossible to miss. 

"That doesn't mean we can't still have a good time!" Amelia tried to maintain a cheery atmosphere. Xellos was not fond of her attitude. 

The fireworks began, a fact that Lina's group was only aware of judging by the sound of the explosions in the distance and the atmosphere around the central plaza lighting up. They couldn't see the fireworks though, the numerous crowd was packed too tightly in front of them and there was just no way to see them. "What a rip off," Lina muttered as she scanned the area for a way to get a better view. "We might be able to see the fireworks from the top of the hotel, it's a bit further away, but it's close enough and we should have a clear view from up there." Without waiting for any opinions of different suggestions, Lina ran off in direction to the hotel. Gourry automatically followed her and soon the whole group trailed behind. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A pleasant breeze was blowing that night, though it was imperceptible from the ground level due to the gathered crowd. From the hotel's roof there were no obstacles in the way. The group approached the railing at the edge of the roof terrace most of them automatically leaning on it luxuriously. Lights of many colors painted the skies in a beautiful display as the fireworks exploded brightly. For a moment they were all focused on the lights and peace reigned supreme among them. Then it ended all too soon. 

As if hoping for more, the group stayed silent, looking at the sky, before they realized that they couldn't coax more fireworks out of thin air with their eyes. They resolved to go back to their rooms, heading down from the roof, men and women parting ways in the hall with a wide exchange of good nights and such well wishes. The resort's activities went on twenty-four seven, but this was only their first day there and after traveling all the way to the resort, a good night's sleep was in order to recover from the trip. Perhaps tomorrow they would stay out late enjoying the festivities. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At the girls' room, the three had showered, changed, brushed their teeth and finished all the activities normally done before going to bed. "Where do you think we should go tomorrow?" Amelia inquired, reminding the others of her suggested plans. 

Lina answered immediately, "the roller coasters! I spent today at the buffet, then finding something to buy with my store credit so I didn't have time to go on the roller coasters. I think that's something we can all enjoy," she grinned, clearly looking forward to it. 

"I didn't really have time to look around either," Amelia admitted. "Unfortunately, the library here isn't as useful as Mr. Xellos made it sound. Mr. Zelgadis and I were not able to find any remotely useful clues towards his cure. At least we got the research out of the way just in case and maybe now that it's done, Mr. Zelgadis will be more open to enjoying the resort." 

"Research, huh?" Lina grinned mischievously with the look of one who is about to tease her friends. "I thought you two were on a date." 

Amelia blushed, "it wasn't like that, Miss Lina. We're just friends." There was something about the way she said it that hinted she would be more than happy if they were more, but she didn't really feel like discussing it. She could ask Lina about Gourry, but instead decided to bring the quiet Filia into the conversation. Filia had not said a single word for a while and Amelia didn't want her to feel left out. "What about you Miss Filia? Did you have fun today?" 

No, she did not have fun today, but Filia couldn't very well say it so bluntly. "Kind of..." Seeing Amelia's somewhat disappointed and inquiring look she added more cheerfully. "I think tomorrow will be better, since we'll all be hanging out together." Which meant that Xellos might give someone else a little of his annoying attention and less to her... Or he could open his big mouth and try to embarrass her in front of everyone. 

"You spent the day with Mr. Xellos, right?" Amelia encouraged Filia to elaborate. 

"Not by choice!" Filia frowned. "He just kept following me," she crossed her arms and made it clear she didn't really want to talk about him. 

"And that's why you destroyed his clothes?" Lina laughed, causing Filia to blush. 

"Did Xellos say that?" The embarrassed golden dragon was about to come up with some sort of denial, but realized it might not even be necessary. The piece of knowledge Lina had about the day's events was incomplete and out of context. 

"Yeah, he said you attacked him with your dragon claws and his shirt paid the price, but that he was otherwise okay. I ran into him at the store when he was shopping for a replacement," Lina explained. 

"Then that outfit he was wearing, it was actually a gift from you too?" Filia confirmed. Never mind that Xellos could just materialize some new clothes for himself, being a high level monster. Oh no, that wouldn't serve to provide information to Lina about the incident, because even if it was incomplete information, Filia would get annoyed and possibly embarrased by it anyway and Xellos knew it. 

Lina nodded, "yeah, I know Xellos is annoying, but I got something for everyone, so I figured, why not?" 

Taking the opportunity to encourage peace and friendship Amelia added, "I think we should take this vacation as an opportunity to become closer friends, all of us, even Mr. Xellos." 

Filia huffed, "like that's going to happen." 

"C'mon, Miss Filia, you should keep an open mind about Mr. Xellos," Amelia smiled encouragingly. 

The comment about keeping an open mind reminded Filia about Xellos' odd request. She still didn't understand what he was trying to accomplish. Letting out a breath, she decided to humor Amelia, "alright, I'll keep an open mind." She was just saying that really, she would have to be on her guard. "I'm very tired now, so if it's okay I'll be going to sleep." 

The girls all decided that it was best to go to sleep. After exchanging good nights, they got comfortable on their beds and blew out the candles, letting sleep come. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

It was still night time when Xellos appeared in the room where Filia, Lina and Amelia still slept. He placed an odd gray cloud shaped candle with swirls of white and black in it on the night stand next to Filia's bed. He would continue his research if this didn't work, but if he could spare himself that, he would. 

Xellos then placed some odd masks over Lina and Amelia's faces. The so called masks looked more like paper boats then anything else. He lit the candle, leaving Filia unprotected against its effects then took up the extra bed in the room, which happened to be next to Filia, Amelia was in the opposite corner and Lina snored loudly between the two girls behind the paper that stuck to her face even when she tossed and turned. Xellos closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of the candle, allowing sleep to overtake him. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia found herself in a strange place. The skies were painted in the color of the sunset and a vast field of flowers spread out far until it faded into white sand with a calm ocean reaching out endlessly in the opposite direction. Filia breathed in the fresh air and stretched out her arms, the scene was absolutely beautiful. She didn't know where she was, but she didn't question it, she only enjoyed it. Had she stopped to think about it for a moment, she would have realized that this was a dream. 

Xellos crash landed into Filia's dream several feet away, falling into a flowerbed. She seemed to remain unaware of his presence, entranced by the task of dipping her toes in the ocean. The purple haired monster lifted himself to a sitting position and examined his surroundings in horror. The scent of the candle should allow several people to share a dream and the current dreamscape was definitely Filia's. Xellos had heard that when humans are fond of each other they dream of each other. He knew for a fact that humans also tended to rely on dreams for a way to predict the future and be guided. Dragons were just as stupid as humans in his opinion, if not more, and humans were easy to manipulate. They tended to switch up cause and effect. Liking someone was a common reason to dream about them; therefore a dream about someone had to mean they liked them. Xellos was unsure if his curse could be broken in the dream world, but it was a possible shortcut worth exploring. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, in the real world, Lina turned over on her bed facing in Filia's direction. The light of the candle on the night stand woke her and she sleepily opened her eyes not quite all there. She didn't even notice the paper structure attached to her face as she softly blew on the odd candle that she had not noticed being there before. The candle wouldn't go out, so the sleepy Lina waved her hand, sending a small gust of wind at the candle. The candle was not blown out immediately, but it was knocked off the night stand. 

The cloud shape shattered upon hitting the floor as if it was made of the most fragile glass. The flame flared then promptly died, letting out an invisible smoke that was trapped in the room to be breathed in only by Filia, Xellos and a certain unseen other. Reacting on automatic, Lina shot a freeze arrow of lesser potency at where the already extinguished flame should have been, then returned to sleep instantly, the consequences of her actions remaining completely unknown to her. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 006: Terrifying! In The Land of Nightmares

The calm sound of the ocean, the scent of the flowers, the oh so gentle breeze. The picturesque scene was only a dream, Filia's dream, but it was starting to get to Xellos. Taking a deep breath and immediately regretting it he coughed as a manifestation of his discomfort. For someone who was so temperamental when she was awake, Filia sure emanated fuzzy feelings in her sleep. It was time to change that. Xellos willed the dream to take a different shape. If he was going to motivate Filia to kiss him by eliminating the possibility of being embarrassed, after all, this was the privacy of her own mind as far as she knew, then he couldn't make the atmosphere too sinister. He couldn't leave it as it was either; it was just too nightmarish from his perspective. He willed the scene to change some more... then it happened. 

What happened was not the change that Xellos had in mind, but a completely different one. The flowers all wilted and died, sure he was wishing for it in the back of his mind but he didn't will it, then the sea dried up. The scent of dead sea life, fish, jellyfish and the like, was left behind as the water evaporated. The grass withered, going from brown to gray, turning to ashes and Filia screamed. Zombified hands with bony fingers and ragged rotten skin popped out of the ground grabbing the terrified Filia. She had no time to fight back as she was dragged in, the sand beneath her feet turning into black quicksand. 

"Filia!" Xellos called out as he rushed to her. He wanted to tone down the fluff, not turn the dream into a horror house. 

"Xellos!" Filia's shrill scream wasn't one of accusatory anger, it was a desperate call for help. She was sinking fast, the sand up to her neck. 

Xellos dived forward to grasp her outstretched hand as her head went below the quicksand. He managed to reach her hand and pulled with all his might. Filia's head reappeared above the sand as Xellos kept trying to pull her out. Her expression was contorted in pain and she was still mostly stuck, but Xellos wasn't about to give up. He couldn't sense it, but he knew it was there, the presence of another monster. What he didn't understand was why he was unable to sense it. Perhaps it was one of those weak monsters with a special power. The answer was in the back of his head, but he couldn't access the memory when he was so focused on something else. 

Filia emerged from the sand up to her waist. She managed to pull her other arm free taking hold of Xellos to attempt to pull herself all the way out of the sand, which was certainly not like normal quicksand. "Why is this happening? Who's attacking us?" She asked frantically. 

"I don't know," voicing the truth tasted sour for Xellos, knowing things was part of his job and he hated that he had been caught off guard. In hind sight he could almost see the entire plot unfolding, but it was too late. 

More zombified hands with rotting flesh, that were far longer than any human arm would be, though they were vaguely shaped as such, popped out of the sand and took hold of Xellos. They pulled him back away from Filia, trying to force him to let her go. They somehow mustered the strength to drive him to his knees and drag him away. There was a force at work that severely weakened him. 

The zombie hands finally succeeded in pulling Xellos and Filia apart, with Filia sinking into the sand and Xellos being left face first in it. The hands sunk back beneath the surface and everything was left in silence. Xellos lifted himself up with some difficulty. He had enough of this, and he knew what this was. The memory surfaced, he figured it out. 

The source of his predicament was no doubt a dream eater. It was a very weak monster that even a human child could beat to a bloody puddle if the being decided to pick a fight. Some humans called them lesser imps. They were small and annoying creatures that could do virtually no harm by lack of power when people were awake. They created the illusion of might by entering people's dreams and praying on their fears. They were indeed so weak that it was no wonder Xellos missed the hidden presence in the room. The creature didn't know who it was messing with. Xellos focused on making himself wake up. He would go back to the real world by waking up and deliver a painful death to the being that dared to challenge him. Then he would go back to sleep and fulfill his experiment properly. 

Xellos waited but nothing happened. He focused harder and a peculiar scent invaded his nose. He realized that the scent, which could only be perceived by monsters, was not an illusion originating from the dream. As he focused on waking up, he managed to connect to his real senses. He had no image to look at save for that of the dream since his eyes in the real world remained closed, but he could faintly feel the pillow and mattress under him and the covers over him. He could also smell the candle, but the scent was far too strong. 

The feeling of a soft pillow was replaced by a pounding headache and the scent of the candle left his perception as he was dragged completely into the dream. The candle was actually a container with a very special liquid inside. The flame extracted the liquid releasing it into the air in small portions over a limited range. The container must be broken; it was the only real explanation. It was odd in itself since usually dream eaters are not too smart. He doubted that the creature would have the plotting skills to know how beneficial breaking the candle would be. 

Xellos focused some more, he could only feel Filia's presence in the dream world, which meant that Amelia and Lina had not been dragged into it. Sitting on the sand, Xellos looked exasperated, his usually squinting eyes opening with a dangerous glare. He was trapped and the power he could use in the dream world was limited. The dream eater couldn't harm him or even Filia, but he could terrify her and maybe even traumatize her. That would certainly interfere with his plans. He hated the feeling of being weak, even if it was only a strange illusion. Dream eaters could take control of everything, leaving the consciousness of their victims to struggle. He would have to save Filia and the odds were already against him, since the power he had at his disposal was no where near the real level. 

Well he might as well get started. He began walking through the ashes that were piled where the field of flowers had once been. He saw a dark shadow looming in the distance which was worth checking out. He attempted to teleport towards it to no avail. He tried levitating and it also refused to work. In the end he had to run through the ashes that were piled deeper and deeper with each step. 

By the time Xellos reached the pillar of darkness he was waist deep in ashes. The darkness emerged from a hole in the ground that was pitch black. A few haunting wails were heard from it followed by a scream that echoed from deep within. Just as he thought, the tunnel must lead to Filia. The stupid dream eater could not know who Xellos was. He was giving him the standard treatment, allowing for the perception of hope that was scheduled to be crushed. 

If only Xellos could make himself wake up this would be different, but he knew that after being overtaken by the spell of the candle this deeply he wouldn't be able to wake up by sheer will. He wished that something would wake him up from outside, a noise or something. Maybe Lina or Amelia would wake up in the middle of the night for a glass of water. They would see him and yell at him for sleeping in their room, maybe even throw a pillow or something harder. That would be his ticket out of this nightmare and the first thing he would do would be to kill that insolent dream eater. 

Without further ado, Xellos dove into the pitch black hole. He knew this was all an illusion, he could focus on that, but Filia would probably give into her fear and give the dream eater more false power. Xellos' landing was harsh, but he knew the pain was an illusion, he was a high level monster, he wouldn't feel pain from a simple fall like that. He landed in a sort of puddle in the darkness. 

Flaming torches suddenly lit up on their own as if marking a path through the deep cavern. It was then that Xellos realized he had landed in a puddle of blood and the dark red substance was sticking to him. "Seriously, why must all idiots use the same old gory sceneries?" He couldn't do much, but he could at least clean himself up. He stood and focused, the blood disappearing from his skin and clothes. He dashed into the tunnel following the torches. He knew he would find Filia, he was supposed to catch a glimpse at his so called prize right about now, those dream eater scenarios were far too predictable. 

As he made his way deeper into the tunnels, they became dimmer with the torches on the black stone cavern walls being more far apart. He finally arrived at a set of large doors and with more effort than it should require if any of this was real, he pushed one of them open just enough to squeeze in. 

The next room was of the same fashion as the rest of the cave, black stone was all over and it was dark, save for the eerie glow of a throne crafted from bones adorned with human-like skulls on the armrests and the top of the backrest. It looked very uncomfortable to sit on. Filia was sitting on the floor next to the throne with a distant lost expression. She had cuts and bruises all over, mixed with dirt and grime. She heard his steps and looked up, "Xellos?" 

"Yes," he hurried towards her purposefully. "I know this sounds crazy, but all of this is a dream, or rather a nightmare." 

It didn't look like Filia was really listening to him. She stood shakily and approached him. "Xellos?" She inquired again, stumbling forward to be caught by him. "The real one?" 

Her question caught Xellos' attention, "what do you mean?" Was there a fake him running around? It wasn't an unusual tactic for a dream eater to use on a human. Create a false copy of an ally and have the copy commit some sort of evil action that makes the victim feel betrayed and hopeless. Then when the real one shows up, they will get the accusations and consequences. Humans were too easy to manipulate and sometimes the accusations of dreams evolved into real accusations. If only they could differentiate dreams from reality and prophetic dreams from stupid dreams the humans wouldn't be such easy pray... or the dragons in this case. 

"He looks just like you, but I knew he wasn't the real you," Filia revealed. "When you took over the monster race I thought you changed, that you turned even worse than you were. Then I realized that it wasn't you. You're evil, but you're the kind of evil that finds amusement in his actions. The impostor, the one who calls himself the monster king is just cruel." A few tears escaped her. "It's strange; when I realized it and yelled that I knew he wasn't the real Xellos he got angry and left. I've been sitting here for a while, knowing that he would return to kill me. I can't believe their all dead," she sobbed. "Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Val-" 

"That's a lie," Xellos interrupted before Filia could finish listing off the names. "Whatever background you're provided with your weak subconscious accepts it, but it's a lie. Think of the details, of the specifics. Don't think of an explanation that makes sense, try to remember it rather than find the logic in it. This is all an illusion!" 

"I'd like to think that," Filia sobbed. "Where have you been? Where you frozen like some of the monsters who opposed the new rule? Did you just escape?" 

Xellos knew that he wasn't getting anywhere fast and the dream eater probably wouldn't give him much more time to talk to Filia. "Don't resist, relax, leave your mind at a blank and don't do anything. Close your eyes and just breathe." She didn't know why she was doing it, but Filia did as she was told. "You can look now." 

Perplexed as to what Xellos meant, Filia examined her surroundings which were all just the same. Then she looked down at her clothes. Rather than wearing dirty rags, her clothes were fully repaired and perfectly clean. She had no cuts or bruises what so ever. "How did you heal me? You even fixed my clothes, how is that possible?" 

"Since this is a dream I can influence you," and she could influence him, but Xellos decided not to point that out. "You were attacked by a dream eater," okay time to pretend to be gallant, it might benefit him in the long run. "I came here to save you, risking my own life!" He added in a lower tone, "and sanity..." 

Filia only stared at Xellos unsure, she looked as if the phrase 'dream eater' stirred up some memories but they were so deeply buried that she couldn't immediately drag them out. 

The scene was interrupted by the appearance of the dream eater, teleporting into a sitting position on the bony throne in Xellos' appearance. The appearance decayed to a rotten zombie version of Xellos with glowing red eyes. "You're so well informed, human; could you be a dream guardian?" 

Xellos seriously considered smacking his face with his palm at this point in disbelief of the dream eater's stupidity. However, he decided against the action as it would probably mitigate the effect of the deadly glare he was giving that lowly monster. He didn't realize zombies could sweat, not that it was a real zombie anyway. 

"What's he talking about?" Filia inquired in confusion. She was beginning to get used to the idea of this being a dream by trying to remember, not explain, how the chain of events took place which ended up with that Xellos look alike taking over the world and not even having the mercy to put her out of her misery instead keeping her as his personal slave. It was her worse nightmare, but it didn't feel so real once she realized that the finer points of the so called happenings didn't make sense. Besides, she vaguely remembered hearing about what a dream eater was, though she wasn't too clear on it. 

"A long time ago, the dream eaters wrecked havoc among humans," Xellos explained. "They have no real power and they're rather stupid. They invade people's dreams and take on the form of their worse nightmare, information that people unwillingly project when they show extreme fear in a subconscious state. The humans considered the dream eaters to be dangerous because they could drive a person into madness. However, they eventually discovered that their attacks were purely psychological and that they had no physical power what so ever. Once they conquered the psychological attacks by holding on to the idea that dreams are not real, a turning point was reached." 

The zombie Xellos twitched. He didn't like where the conversation was going. He thought he was in trouble and he didn't even know the half of it. He was still unaware of the fact that Xellos was a very pissed off high level monster that would painfully kill him when he got out of this. 

Xellos concluded his explanation, "once the humans figured out how to beat the dream eaters, a few were trained in such techniques and used a special scent that only monsters can smell, though it is nonetheless effective on any creature, humans and dragons included. Those who inhaled the invisible miasma would share a dream, thus the dream guardians could protect others from the dream eaters until the actual dream eaters were found in the real world and exterminated. Humans got the hang of it and drove them to extinction, or so it was said. As it sometimes happens when it is thought there isn't a single specimen of something left, it turns out that there might be a few left after all." It was his understanding that the last dream eater was kept in suspended animation in the private collection of a certain someone. It was very suspicious indeed. Xellos doubted that it would be likely that the creature actually escape. He assumed that this was a different one entirely and that there were more than one left after all, though not for long. He would still keep his mind open to the possibility that the creature had been set loose on purpose, though it seemed unlikely. 

Filia nodded at the explanation, remembering when she heard about it during her education when she was little. "Human, you really are a dream guardian!" The dream eater gasped. 

Xellos felt his eye twitch in annoyance at being called a human. He in turn answered with the more degrading name later given to the dream eaters, "lesser imp," a mere imp, an annoyance more so than a threat and the least significant of them all. "You will die a very painful death! Seek him, Filia!" 

"What?!" Filia glared fiercely at Xellos. Okay, so she was dreaming, she wrapped her mind around that idea already. Even in her dream Xellos was just as annoying, but not even in her dreams could she forgive him. "I'm not a dog!" She made a giant mace about three times her size materialize in her hands and smashed it into Xellos' head, pleased that when she lifted it he was stamped into the floor and having some difficulty getting up. At least he seemed to be significantly less powerful in her dreams. 

Xellos muttered something angry and possibly too offensive to fit in the PG-13 category. Because of that stupid lesser imp he couldn't fully influence Filia's dream beyond a few small details, not until the imp let go of it and Filia was the only one who could make him do that. Being the primary dreamer in the equation, only Filia could defeat the imp from the dream world. Though that wouldn't kill him, Xellos would take care of that when he woke up. 

"If this is my dream it's about time I took control of it! March forward my friends!" An army of adorable fuzzy kittens and bunnies appeared out of thin air and attacked the dream eater. Xellos backed away horrified, Filia's mind was a very scary place, not that he would ever admit that to her. Another thing he would never admit was that he kind of thought that evil sounding "mwahahaha" laugh of sweet revenge she was doing was almost worthy of a monster. 

To be Continued


	3. Chapter 3

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 007: Furtive! In The Privacy Of My Mind

It looked as if the wind was blowing, judging by the multitude of cherry blossom petals flying around Filia's dream. Yet the visual effect didn't come with the actual feeling of wind, in an odd contradiction that could only occur in dreams. Filia took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she stood in an endless field with colorful flowers, vibrant blues skies, a few fluffy white clouds scattered about and a pretty rainbow. Cute little birds were perched on the branches of the trees while bunnies and kittens played tag all around. 

Xellos twitched, "you're a horrifying person," he tried hard to sense the meager presence of the dream eater. "It looks like the dream eater is gone." 

"Of course it is, I was trained to take control of my dreams. I was just a little out of practice, that's all," Filia explained with a smile on her face. Then her smile melted into puzzlement. "That's odd, why are you still here? The nightmare is over. Really, I don't know what's worse, Xellos taking over the world or Xellos playing the role of my knight in shining armor in my dreams." She shuddered. "I think of that idiot too often, now I can't make his image fade away," she glared. 

Xellos was feeling rather exasperated. The invisible mist was still around though the lesser imp had turned tail and ran. Regardless of his attempts to run and hide, Xellos would surely hunt him down... and he would find him. He realized that Filia seemed to think that his presence was only part of the dream and the dream eater alone was responsible for the disturbances. Maybe he could use that in his favor. "You know, Filia, if I'm a fragment of your imagination, then anything that happens here is known only in the privacy of your own mind. Which means that no one can pressure you into doing anything and any actions you take are yours alone." 

"Why is this subconscious aspect of me stating the obvious?" Filia wondered, then shuddered again at the thought of any aspect of hers looking like Xellos. 

Okay, so he would have to be more hands on about this. If he could get Filia to kiss him now, his torture would be over. Xellos approached her slowly and wrapped his arms around her, his face an inch away from hers. 

Filia seemed more confused than unnerved, since she thought this was all her. "Ah, of course, dreams reveal one's hidden fears. I should stop being afraid of Xellos' idiocy," she pushed him away with more nonchalance than she had ever before displayed around him. "Now, how to spend the rest of my dream?" She sat down on the ground to ponder. 

"Facing your fears? Satisfying your hidden desires?" Xellos suggested as he sat behind her massaging her shoulders. 

"Hmm..." Filia allowed herself to relax for a split second before she caught herself and slapped his hands away. "Even in my own imagination this is wrong." She searched for a hidden motivation she might have to keep Xellos in her dream. Usually she got lost in dreams and let things flow naturally, most of the time not even realizing she was dreaming until she woke up. This was one of those rare lucid dreams and she didn't want to waste it. Why was Xellos there? She came up with a theory and grinned. "I see, after that nightmare it's logical that I would want some payback." She snapped her fingers and Xellos found himself wearing a completely silly pair of pink bunny ears and a big frilly pink collar with a large golden tag hanging from it. The inscription on the golden tag read, 'Filia's slave.' 

"Are you under the effects of another of those special berries again?" Xellos tried to annoy Filia, but she barely blushed. 

"I suppose it wouldn't feel like payback without a little realism. It's creepy how well my subconscious can reenact Xellos." Filia turned away from him again and patted her shoulders. "I'm feeling kind of tense, right here." 

"So this is what you've been doing all along?" Xellos wasn't sure if he was amused, disturbed, or strangely flattered. "Fantasizing about having me as your personal slave?" 

Filia ignored Xellos and tried to concentrate. "Okay subconscious, time to sort things out and do some good old philosophical thinking. It's been a while since I've done that in a dream, but it can be quite insightful." She paused and brought up the first confusing subject that plagued her. "What could Xellos' next evil plan be?" 

"Maybe he just wants a kiss and if you kiss him he'll just go away?" That wasn't a very smart way to go about his goal, but Xellos was tired. He was starting to think that nothing could be worth spending so much time in Filia's head. 

"It's odd," Filia continued her insightful monologue, "Amelia also suggested that I should keep an open mind..." 

"About kissing me?" That would be weird, how would Amelia know about any of this anyway? Caught off guard, Xellos stopped massaging Filia's shoulders. 

"Don't stop," Filia commanded before continuing her musings. "I think Amelia is way too lax with who she gives her friendship too, or the opportunity of friendship anyway." 

So Amelia wasn't in on this, it would make no sense for her to know. However, it did sound a lot like her to be all up for friendship. Xellos continued massaging Filia's shoulders and listening. 

"There's something in the back of my mind that I can't quite understand. My judgment about cataloguing Xellos as evil feels like it could be flawed." This was something else that caught Xellos by surprise, which Filia only admitted to herself. "If only I could place my finger on the missing detail, why does it feel flawed to think this way?" 

"It's just like with the ancient dragons," Xellos suggested. He could definitely use this to his favor, even more so given that Filia was convinced he was a particle of her own subconscious. 

A small gasp escaped Filia as she mused over it. "The golden dragons hunted down the ancient dragons because they were fearful of their power. It was terribly unfair, but that can't be the case with the monsters. The monsters are openly evil!" Before Xellos could come out with a counter argument, Filia did it for him. "Then again, there could be an exception, although rare..." She shook her head, her long blond hair bouncing around her. "I should investigate this matter and see if such an event was ever recorded in history." 

The rest of the dream was spent with Filia practicing her pottery skills in a visualization technique that was supposed to help her improve her abilities. By Xellos' calculations it was almost time for someone to wake up naturally, possibly him. He didn't need sleep anyway and it was only a matter of time before his body had enough of it. "It's almost time to get up." 

"How perceptive of me," Filia put the finishing touches on her last vase; it was pink with white petals painted on it. "This started out as a nightmare but it turned out to be a good dream after all," she concluded with a smile. She strode over to Xellos and blushed. "I can't believe I'm doing this, but I might as well get it out of my system in the privacy of my own mind. Although, I think I'll need a thousand self analysis dreams to figure this out." She kissed him. 

This time it was willing, this time it was supposed to work... in theory. Xellos waited for a moment, he still felt cursed. He responded to the kiss, still cursed. He realized it wasn't working, she was kissing a figment of her imagination as far as she knew, not him. Yet he didn't let go of Filia until he faded away from her dream. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The first thing that assaulted Xellos' senses in the real world was a pillow being thrown by Lina. How in the world did she manage to wake up before him? She had ripped off the paper mask and was yelling insults at him over the terrible crime of entering a maiden's room without permission. Of course Filia and Amelia woke up soon after, with Filia automatically tossing her dream to the back of her mind. One idea about it remained prominently in her memories though; she had to research monsters and the possibility of the existence of a... not good, but at least half decent monster at some rare point in history. 

After being chased out by Lina, Xellos left, off to do some lesser imp hunting and was absent from the breakfast table when the group met downstairs to eat. Gourry and Lina's appetites were just the same as ever that morning and an air of familiarity was around them mixed with the excitement of novelty. Filia's research would have to wait, since she had some roller coaster involving plans to tend to. 

"Did everyone sleep well?" Amelia politely asked at the breakfast table, while Lina and Gourry devoured a mountain of food. 

Gourry answered something incomprehensible, then swallowed and repeated, "I slept great!" Without a moment's pause, he resumed his eating. 

"Me too, up until the incident, anyway," at least Lina swallowed most of her food before her first attempt at a reply. Not all of it, but enough to be understood. 

"Incident?" Zelgadis questioned curiously. 

"It was that idiot Xellos!" Filia took the opportunity to criticize him. "He was sleeping in our room. After Lina chased him out, we searched the room for traps, but didn't find any. Either way, I think he's plotting something!" Because if history ever remembered a good, or at least half decent monster, it wouldn't be Xellos. 

"When is he not plotting something?" Zelgadis agreed. Filia smiled at having someone's support, unlike Amelia who was all out for friendship and Lina who had the nerve to include Xellos in her gift giving spree the day before. 

"Exactly," Filia nodded and slapped away Lina's hand as she tried to steal her muffin. Although Filia had some researched planned, her mood towards Xellos that morning was no where near favorable. 

"Where is Mr. Xellos anyway?" Amelia took a look around the hotel's food court and was unable to locate Xellos. 

"Probably off somewhere plotting," Filia's face brightened at the possibility of spending the day without him. She was strangely moody that morning. 

"Well, we're not waiting for him. As soon as we're done eating we're hitting the roller coaster!" Lina loudly declared in the voice of a leader. Filia smiled, for once she had no complaints about Lina and Gourry's speedy way to consume food, though she still wish they had a normal appetite so they could be done before Xellos showed up if he intended to. Then again, this was all going to be charged to Xellos... Filia smiled some more. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The line to ride the roller coaster was huge. Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis and Filia stood out there in the sun, waiting for the line to move. Though the wait was long and Lina was impatient, they could at least chat with each other while they waited, and there was no Xellos. 

Meanwhile, on another part of the resort, Xellos was on the hunt for a certain troublesome lesser imp. By the next night, the mist would have cleared out of the girls room and he wasn't about to try that particular useless strategy again, but he wanted vengeance anyway. Pushing his senses to the limit, he managed to catch what could have been the weak aura of the lesser imp. Holding on to the perception, Xellos followed it to a structure with a large sign advertising it to be a mirror maze. He entered and followed the aura, but going in a straight line wasn't going to work, this was a maze after all. 

Xellos turned left and right at seemingly random yet well calculated intervals. Albeit the maze might seem complex to a human, it was nothing compared to the collection of caverns that formed the underground hideout of some monsters. He finally spotted the creature in its true form, grinning cruelly. 

The being was small and thin, about two feet tall if it were standing upright, though it was currently crouched in a corner in fear. It saw the unmistakable reflection of that same purple haired man from his disastrous venture the previous night and he knew his life was about to end. The being was a of a mud-like color with the shade of dirt brown changing in patches on its dry skin. Its little angular face had glistering red eyes and long ears sticking out from the sides of its head with ragged skin hanging from them. 

Xellos glared at the creature. "Before I kill you, I want to ask if anyone sent you here. I will know if you're lying and make your death even more painful." Not that he was planning to have any mercy anyway. 

The being trembled and stretched out his right hand, revealing a symbol on his palm. The symbol was not something that belonged to a specific entity, but rather an all purpose symbol for silence that even a lesser human sorcerer could give such a lowly weak creature. This meant that the lesser imp couldn't communicate anything that was a secret, thus he couldn't share any useful information. 

"Interesting..." Perhaps someone let the imp loose in the resort as a joke or it was a gift from the competition. Yet the fact remained that Xellos had thought the dream eaters were extinct. If this was truly the last one it seemed off that the previous owner would use a human silence spell on it. It made little sense; maybe the previous owner was just trying to confuse people, but who would even begin to build suspicions anyway? Xellos pushed away the thoughts, this had to be a mere coincidence, the collector had nothing to do with it... maybe. 

"Good bye!" Black light bounced off Xellos' fingertips accompanied by violet lightning. The magic hit the target dead on and destroyed it as it let out a wail of pain and was reduced to ashes. The strange part was that some of the magic bounced off the mirror and towards Xellos who dodged it. Those were very peculiar mirrors indeed... He frowned, how in the world did he fall for such an obvious trap? "Interesting..." He stated once more, there had to be a greater power at work. There was no way Xellos could have missed the aura of the second monster that now had him right where it wanted. A power perhaps greater than Xellos' must have hidden that aura, but there were only so many monsters stronger than Xellos. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The rush of wind, the moments when she realized she was upside down, the speed, the laughs, it was like flying, only more fun. When the roller coaster cart reached the end of the track, Filia realized that it wasn't long enough. She still felt the need to soar speedily even if it was in the confines of a cart. With a few laughs still spilling out in a fit, the group exited the roller coaster cart and made their way out, ushered by employees. The line outside was constantly growing and it was obvious they wouldn't get another ride anytime soon. 

"After all that waiting they should give us ten rides," Lina observed. She could just use magic to fly around, but it wasn't the same as a roller coaster. 

"I know what you mean," Filia agreed. "Strangely, I feel like spreading my wings and flying right now. I guess the ride really was too short and left me wanting more." She soon realized in horror that Lina and Amelia were looking at her with plotting expressions. They suddenly reminded her of Xellos, it was a bad sign. "No..." Filia read the thoughts in their eyes. "No, no, no, absolutely not!" 

"Please, Miss Filia!" Amelia begged, her eyes becoming big and shiny as she did. 

"C'mon, Filia, do it for us!" Lina joined in with a similar expression. 

Gourry looked at Filia with a clueless face. "What are you doing for us again?" 

"I'm not giving you a ride on my back like a roller coaster!" Filia snapped. She crossed her arms, stomped her feet and put on a stubborn expression. 

"You are?" Gourry's face brightened, "thanks Filia!" He smiled. 

"I just said I'm not!" Filia insisted to no avail as Lina and Amelia kept giving her sad kitten looks. 

"Looks like you're trapped in a corner," Zelgadis stated with indifference. "If you ask me, the easiest way to get out of this is to humor them..." 

"Oh, quit pretending, Zel," Lina patted him on the back as if giving him a little push towards honesty. "You want a ride as much as the rest of us!" 

"Absolutely not!" Filia remained firm. 

Lina sighed and feigned resignation, "if you say so. I guess that's it for roller coaster rides for today. What else could we do? Maybe Xellos will have an idea, we should go find him." 

Filia's eyes widened. "We don't need Xellos to tell us what to do. There are lots of fun things to do here; I can come up with a lot of ideas myself!" 

"I have an idea!" Before Gourry could state his idea, Lina elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow... I think I forgot." 

Quickly catching on to Lina's plan, Amelia fueled it. "Miss Lina is right, I'm sure Mr. Xellos will come up with all sorts of entertaining ideas for us to spend the day together." Amelia felt mean for using Xellos to pressure Filia, but she really wanted a ride, the roller coaster had left her wanting more and she couldn't resist. "Right, Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia winked as a hint that Zelgadis should follow the plan. 

As easily as Zelgadis blushed, his face turned red and he babbled an agreement. He knew Amelia was only trying to reference Lina's obvious plan, but that didn't make her any less cute. Although Zelgadis didn't enjoy Xellos' presence, he was caught off guard and had already agreed to it. 

Filia considered the option of simply going off on her own, but she felt that she shouldn't take off in a huff. Besides, if they did find Xellos and send him to her, he would be all too happy to annoy her all day. It was best if Xellos got lost and remained lost. "Alright, alright, I'll play the part of a roller coaster!" Filia raised her hands in an exasperated surrender. "Just let me find a private place to transform." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 008: Sneaky! Conspiracies and Traps

In the mirror maze, Xellos sat on the floor with apparent patience, talking to seemingly no one, but knowing full well he was being heard. "I do wonder what in the world could have motivated you to try to kill me. It's a bold move indeed." He had the distinct feeling that he was lacking information. "Have any peculiar events happened concerning the monster race that I am as of yet unaware of?" There was no reply. "I suppose I'll know soon enough. Oh yes, I do apologize if I am disappointing you, but I do plan on leaving alive." 

A monster cannot be killed unless it is by a force of greater power. But even when the opponent didn't have that power, if it was backed by it, that would present the possibility of victory. Yet still, Xellos couldn't think of a likely reason as to why that particular monster would want him dead. Well he could think of several, actually, but why take such a risk? Furthermore, why conclude that the odds were favorable enough? There was definitely something going on in the high ranks of the monsters and whenever Xellos escaped this death trap, he was determined to find out what it was... somehow. It didn't make it easy that he wasn't supposed to go any where near monster headquarters until after his dare was done, a rule that he could bend only in case of an extreme emergency and this wasn't that bad yet. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Faster Filia!" Lina cheered as Filia soared through the sky in her dragon form with Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis on her back. 

"Wee!" Amelia got carried away and raised her hands into the air, forgetting the fact that dragons didn't come with built-in seat belts. "Spin Miss Filia!" 

As Filia made loops in the air, too fast to give those holding on time to fall off, it was Zelgadis who saved Amelia from falling since she wasn't properly holding on. "Be careful, Amelia!" 

"Oh... sorry about that, I got carried away," Amelia blushed, becoming more aware of Zelgadis' arms around her waist. "Thank you, Mr. Zelgadis." 

"This is even more fun than a roller coaster!" Gourry loudly proclaimed as Filia gained altitude. 

"Now for the big dive, hold on everyone!" Even if at first she was opposed to the idea of serving as a sort of living roller coaster, once she got into it, Filia was having fun. She flew up high then dived towards the ground at amazing speed to the sound of her friends' delight. She pulled up at the last second, inches away from touching the ground and glided as she slowed to a stop, landing gently. Filia stretched out her tail and positioned her body, leaning back so the group could slide off her back into a pile of amused laughter. 

"That was fun!" Gourry cheered, "but all this flying is making me hungry." It was about time he made a comment like that. 

Lina looked up at the sky where the sun shone brilliantly directly overhead. "It's mid day and the smell of food is getting to me too." 

The people lounging around the picnic area above which they had been flying made no motion to panic at the sight of a dragon, so Filia was all too happy to ignore them. That was until several approached and tried to climb on her back. "What are you doing? I'm not part of the resort's attractions!" The people around her didn't seem to be taking her seriously and insisted on trying to climb on her back. "I said no!" For the sake of protecting her personal space, Filia took off once more, disappearing into the skies above. That didn't completely discourage the stubborn couples on the ground, who thought riding on a dragon was oh so romantic. Many followed her on foot waiving at her to come down, without even the smallest chance to actually catch up to her. 

"There goes Filia," Lina shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand as she looked in the direction Filia had taken off in. "What do you say we find a place to eat?" 

"I think that's a good idea, Miss Lina, I'm sure we all feel like having some lunch by now. I hope Miss Filia is alright on her own." Amelia politely commented with only a hint of pink on her cheeks. She seemed to be pretending she didn't notice Zelgadis' arm around her waist while very much enjoying the close contact. Zelgadis was doing the exact same thing. 

Lina grinned upon noticing how close Amelia and Zelgadis were. "Why don't we meet by the fountain after lunch?" There was no real reason for them to further split up after they had decided to spend the day as a group, but Lina wanted to give Amelia some alone time with Zelgadis. Lina didn't think that it also meant that she would be alone with Gourry; because the two traveled together by themselves so often that it was the most natural thing. 

"Oh?" Amelia paused, wondering why Lina would suggest splitting up. Zelgadis' arm around her waist became an even more prominent thought in her mind. He stopped her from falling off Filia and kind of forgot to let go. "Okay," she smiled, blushing full force. "We'll see you later, Miss Lina, Mr. Gourry." 

Lina grinned mischievously, "have a good time you two!" She was looking right at Zelgadis as if hinting at something. 

Zelgadis couldn't help it but to blush, chimera skin or not, he had no control over it. "The same goes to you." He managed to reply somewhat steadily, then wasted no more time before leaving with Amelia. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After losing her stubborn pursuers, Filia landed between two buildings and after making sure no one was watching her, she swiftly transformed. She walked out of the alley and into the long main street of the resort. Taking a breath of relief she examined her surroundings. It was midday and knowing Lina and Gourry, they were probably hungry. It stood to reason, regardless of the normalcy of their appetite, that Amelia and Zelgadis would be hungry too, so was Filia. 

She was about to search for her friends to join them in having lunch, but stopped as she sensed something. The aura of a monster that had been previously hidden by a power grater than even Xellos' was no longer being concealed. She stared at the mirror maze before her. The energy of darkness was clearly coming from there, though it felt as if the source was the entire building, yet the aura was a singular one so it couldn't be a horde of monsters. Feeling as if it was somehow her duty to investigate, Filia braced herself for the worse and rushed in to save any unfortunate human victims that might have stumbled into a monster trap. 

As she made her way through the mirror maze, she realized it was deserted and found it odd. She thought she saw some people going inside as she walked down the street a few seconds ago. The aura of the unknown monster was all around, but there was also a familiar aura which Filia picked up as she approached it. She turned a reflective corner and at the conclusion of a dead-end hallway she saw a certain someone sitting cross-legged on the floor as if waiting for something, or someone. 

"Hello, Filia," he sounded mocking, which came as no surprise. 

"Xellos!" Filia spat out the name like venom, to her, 'Xellos' was becoming the single most insulting sound anyone could speak. "I'm on to your plans, you and your monster friend," the word friend was coated in heavy sarcasm, "are trying to harm the people in this resort!" 

Xellos chuckled despite the unfavorable situation he was in. "Really Filia, I didn't expect any more from you, a failed conclusion, a failed attempt to stop a non-existent plot, getting caught in a trap. I can't really say I'm disappointed because I didn't expect you to know any better, who would?" 

Filia let out a sound that could only be described as a menacing growl worthy of the fearsome fame that dragons had in certain parts of the world. "I'm not going to make it easy." She was ready to fight back tooth and nail, or rather fang and claw. 

"I'm not the one you should be worried about," Xellos grinned with the mocking look of one who is all too aware of a secret that affects others, but they don't know it. "As it stands, you're already in the belly of the beast." He was too, but he wasn't about to point it out. 

"What are you plotting?" Filia's golden scaly tail appeared from beneath her dress, the usual pink bow replaced with a light blue one that better matched her vacation attire. 

"I thought you claimed to know exactly what I was plotting," Xellos grinned. 

"Speak, monster!" Filia did her best to sound as confident as possible, never mind that Xellos could easily kill her. If he wanted to, he would just do it, so what was the point of pretending to want peace? 

"Shut up!" A booming voice that came from everywhere and nowhere echoed through the mirror maze. "I've had enough of your loud mouth, dragon." The atmosphere around Filia began to distort as the mirrors melted into a sort of transparent goop that tried to grab her and pull her in. Filia screamed and struggled to fight back, gathering energy in her mouth. 

"That's a bad idea," Xellos pointed out nonchalant. He had not moved an inch the entire time. 

Filia let out a powerful laser breath that bounced off the reflective surface and nearly took off her head on the rebound. Fortunately, she managed to dodge it despite her very limited movement. The laser bounced off a mirror behind her with less potency as last time. The odd angle carried it towards Xellos, who had no choice but to finally move. The laser bounced again repeatedly, losing power each time until it harmlessly faded away in the air. Filia was not inclined to try that again and there wasn't much else she could do. She didn't have her mace with her, neither did Xellos carry his staff, not that it mattered much anyway. The transparent goop absorbed her into the wall unpleasantly. For a few eternal seconds, Filia thought she was suffocating before being tossed out through the ceiling of the hallway, landing in Xellos' arms. 

"Ugh," that same booming voice from before complained while making gagging noises. "I can't take it, golden dragons taste terrible!" 

"Excuses, you are simply incapable of digesting a power greater than your own. When that power is a golden dragon that's the first sign that you're a weakling!" Xellos teased, golden dragons were powerful creatures, but not in comparison to him. "If not for the help of a certain someone, you wouldn't have been able to hide your aura from me either." 

Any further comments on Xellos' part were interrupted by Filia's hand colliding harshly with his face. "Put me down!" She demanded, already bracing herself to be dropped, thus easily landing on her feet when Xellos let her go. 

"Hmp!" The booming voice that came from nowhere and everywhere sounded smug. "Regardless of what you say, you're both my prisoners. I might not be able to digest you, but I'm completely invulnerable on the inside. You'll just have to sit there and die of starvation. The dragon will no doubt go first, then you Xellos, there's no energy for you to absorb here." 

"What in the world is going on?" Filia yelled beyond the end of her patience. "Xellos, what is this? It almost sounds as if this monster is your enemy too." 

"Give the girl a price for getting her single lonely brain cell to work," was Xellos' sarcastic reply. 

"Stop dancing around the issue you piece of raw garbage!" Filia demanded. 

Xellos chuckled, "I suppose that if I don't tell you directly, explaining things step by step with small words, then you'll never understand." 

"Will you two shut up?" The booming voice yelled, making their ears ring. While Filia cringed at the noise, Xellos managed to maintain an indifferent expression. 

"No," Xellos smiled. "As I was saying, Filia, this here is a monster and by this I mean the mirror maze. It's one of those monsters that normally is quite weak and can be slain by any semi-decent human sorcerer. This isn't how this type of monster looks normally. The appearance it usually has can be compared to a giant worm. This type of monster often pretends to be a cave so it can eat unsuspecting travelers. There is another monster involved in this. It is made of transparent goop. It has no offensive power what so ever. It can try to suffocate its victims, but even a normal human can literally brush it off and escape, although destroying the creature is extremely difficult. Those two monsters were fused together like chimeras and a new one was created. As a result, the worm gained the defense of the goop on the inside. The new product was then caused to shape shift via magic and transformed into the mirror maze." 

Filia had heard about both types of monsters, but she had never heard about them being fused. Monster alchemy was a very scary thought. "Then we've already been eaten? But if the defense is all on the inside, then wouldn't that mean that this thing can be defeated from the outside?" 

"Remind me to stick a gold star on your forehead later," Xellos was evidently still in the mood to provide sarcastic replies, he usually was. "There's only one problem, who would think to attack an innocent looking mirror maze? The monster's aura is hidden; I know you couldn't have been able to feel it on your way in. Or were you stupid enough to come in anyway?" 

"Shut up!" Filia growled, "you're in this too. Or do you have an explanation as to why you got eaten too? Are you stupid or just masochistic?" 

"I am neither, sorry to disappoint you on that second one, but you'll have to take your mace wielding inappropriate fantasies elsewhere." Even if he was in a lot of trouble, Xellos still had the motivation to throw out his annoying witty replies. 

"Ew!" The echoing voice of the chimera mirror maze monster loudly exclaimed. It made Filia jump, couldn't that thing give a bit of a warning when it was about to speak? "I really don't want to hear about the strange things you two do. It's disgusting, what are you? Humans?" 

Xellos gave the walls a dirty look, "I will kill you for that offense." 

"Go ahead and try," the mirror maze monster taunted. "Watching you struggling helplessly," because the being was indeed able to see all that happened inside it. "Is still better than watching you two make out. A monster and a dragon? Unthinkable! It makes me want to puke!" 

There was a long awkward silence between Xellos and Filia. Neither of them looked at each other as they processed what the echoing voice had just said. Then Xellos ever so slowly turned his head towards Filia with a mischievous grin. Filia felt Xellos purple eyes burning into the side of her face, not literally thankfully, and quickly looked at him with an expression of horror. "No," she firmly declared, stomping her foot for emphasis. 

"It might be the only way out of here," Xellos pointed out, pretending that he didn't at all feel kind of odd about the so called escape plan. 

"No, no! Absolutely not! I would rather stay here until I die!" Filia dramatized, though she soon took it back. "Actually, who says I'm going to die? Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis are out there. We had a great time together, without you," she gave Xellos a pointed look. "They'll wonder where I went and come looking for me. It's only a matter of time before they find me, then Lina will Dragon Slave this gluttonous monster to oblivion!" 

"I hate to burst your bubble, but it's not likely that they'll find us. Even if they do, they'll probably get themselves caught before they even know what's going on." Xellos explained with superficial calm. 

"What about you?" Filia glared, all too happy to point out what she pointed out next. "Are you helpless against this thing? Why haven't you killed the monster who dared to eat you and compare you to a human? You looked rather offended, are you just going to take that?" 

"I'll get my revenge," Xellos assured with sinister certainty. "I'll get my revenge on this monster and on the monster lord trying to kill me." 

Filia's face paled. "The monster lord trying to kill you?" She stuttered. 

"Yes," Xellos confirmed. "Due to reasons that are not your concern, I've been a little out of communication with the monster race. It seems another of the monster lords decided it was a fine opportunity to lower Beast Master's ranks by getting rid of me." It was only a theory, a suspicion, but a guess was all that Xellos could currently come up with. "It is that monster who granted this one additional power and used the circumstances to its favor. Weak monsters with special abilities, normally they're nothing, but with some power-ups and some strategizing, additionally in this case a combination, they can be... vexing." Xellos returned his face to his usual carefree expression. "Oh, but don't worry, I won't let a little thing like an assassination attempt ruin my vacation." 

Filia's brain was on overdrive analyzing each new fact she had learned. If the monster race was on the move, that could spell trouble for the whole world. Then again, from what she could gather, this sounded like an internal conflict, which at least meant that the different factions of the monster race could ultimately weaken each other. Although they were monsters, so they would probably drag innocent people into their quarrels and ultimately cause a considerable number of catastrophes. Xellos sounded oddly truthful about his revelations. If even he didn't fully understand what was going on despite usually being a step ahead of everything, then whatever was going on was a closely guarded conspiracy. 

Filia went over the possible culprits in her mind. She could just ask Xellos what he suspected, but she had a feeling that he wouldn't tell her anyway. It couldn't be Shabranigdu himself, if he was back and wanted to take out Xellos, then he would have already done it. That meant that it couldn't be someone in the same level as Shabranigdu either. That left the monsters below Ruby Eyes, of which Garv and Fibrizo could be eliminated. If Xellos worked for Zelas Metallium, whose forces would be affected by the loss of Xellos to her ranks, that left the main suspects as "Dynast Grausherra or Deep Sea Dolphin?" 

"Unlikely," Xellos replied thoughtfully, "but not impossible." Deep Sea had not been particularly hostile towards Zelas in the past, one might even say it was the opposite, but who could say for certain, really? Dynast had been overall rather quiet in the recent years, but Xellos had a feeling that the monsters, Zelas included, would have noticed if he was plotting something. It was all too strange, almost as strange as Zelas' insistence in Xellos keeping his mouth shut during the entire truth or dare thing. He had a lot of information, but when it came down to it, even if it was known and used to strategize against Zelas, she could just as easily mount a counter attack. Yet his risky silence made it look as if he knew something particularly vital that Zelas wanted to keep under wraps. The feeling of unknowing confusion was new and irritating to Xellos. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 009: Stressful! Desperate Times

A terribly uncomfortable silence had invaded the atmosphere inside the mirror maze monster, whose composition made teleporting impossible. Well, it was uncomfortable for its latest meal anyway, but pretty comfortable for the gluttonous monster. Xellos and Filia sat on the floor wordlessly, waiting for something to happen. They were both thinking about the same thing and stubbornly refusing to discuss it. Who was trying to kill Xellos? What did that mean in the grander scheme of things? It didn't make sense that someone would just randomly try to kill him, even if no doubt about it, many would be happy to. There had to be a plan behind it, a big plan. 

Loud snoring suddenly began to echo through the reflective hallways. Filia wore an expression of discomfort, which lasted until Xellos pinched her cheek between his index finger and thumb. She yelped and slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me!" 

A loud yawn echoed. "Oh, great, just when I thought I could get some sleep." The mirror maze monster complained. 

"Not with me around you won't," Xellos cheerfully declared, with far more joy than the situation even remotely deserved. 

Filia glared and returned the action, pinching and pulling both sides of Xellos' face. "If you want to torture this thing don't include me in it!" She let him go angrily. "I can torture the monster my own way. Needless to say, the mirror creature didn't like the sound of that. 

Xellos rubbed his face. "What exactly are you going to do? Use your laser breath and have it bounce off the walls and decapitate you?" 

"No," Filia grinned in a surprisingly sinister way, then her expression morphed into something completely different, she looked happy and angelic. "Life is wonderful!" She bellowed at the top of her lungs. 

"No!" Xellos backed away and covered his ears. 

"I'm so very happy because I live a wonderful life," Filia continued making her best impression of Amelia. "The world is a beautiful and peaceful place and I have lovely friends that I care for very much. Life is truly wonderful!" 

"Shut up!" Both the mirror maze monster and Xellos snapped at the same time. With Xellos emphasizing the order by clasping his hand over Filia's mouth, his other arm around her waist as he held her still from behind. Then she bit him. He pulled his hand away but Filia's partially transformed dragon fangs wouldn't let go. Feeling particularly vengeful and given that his posture made the area easy to reach, Xellos bit Filia's neck. The gasp that escaped her effectively freed Xellos from her grip. 

"Stop that!" Filia stumbled forward away from Xellos. Her hand flew to her neck in anger. She made use of the mirrors all around to examine her reflection. It wasn't so bad, there was no blood involved. Compared to her savage bite, this was nothing, though the area was looking kind of red. "This... this... this..." She couldn't find the words to express her indignation. 

"I believe it's called a hickey," Xellos provided with all the nonchalance he could muster. Disgusted grumbles invaded the atmosphere and the structure of the mirror maze shook, but it wasn't an earthquake. Xellos began to walk away, followed by an angry Filia who threw out a variety of insults at him. He stopped in front of the door that would have led outside if not for the fact that it was tightly shut. The door was also covered in mirrors, though it was vaguely identifiable. "If we stand near the mouth, it'll be easier to escape when the monster coughs us out." 

Horrified, Filia asked, "are you still trying to disgust it into spitting us out? What about tickling its throat?" 

"It's a building; it doesn't really have a throat. Any physical action will be in vain," Xellos explained with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Whatever we do must affect it mentally, if it thinks it has to spit us out, it will. Unless you want to stay here?" 

A certain part of Filia's dream the previous night resurfaced in her mind. She sometimes had prophetic dreams, but she didn't think that particular detail was one of them. All she could clearly remember at first was the resolution to research the existence of a good monster, which after spending some time with Xellos, was starting to look more impossible by the second. But there was more to that dream, she vaguely remembered kissing Xellos, was it a warning from her subconscious about her terrible fate? 

"What's going on through that head of yours?" Xellos wondered as he observed Filia's horror stricken expression. As a sincere afterthought he added, "then again, I don't think I want to know." 

"If... if... if..." Filia paused, took a deep breath and pushed the words out. "If it has to be done, I guess I could, for the sake of survival and survival only," she emphasized. "You know..." Xellos prompted her to continue with a silent raise of the eyebrow. "Kiss you," she finished. 

If it was for the sake of survival and survival only, then it wouldn't do Xellos any good in terms of his curse. However, it might at least solve the problem of him being trapped and allow him to get his revenge on the mirror maze monster. "Alright," Xellos agreed with less smugness and a longer pause than what Filia expected. 

They approached each other. Filia's arms rested at her sides. Hugging wasn't necessarily a vital bonus torture in the process of making a sentient building spit them out. Still, it might make the sentient building more disgusted and thus cut the kiss short. She reluctantly wrapped her arms around Xellos, allowing him to do the same. Then they stayed that way for several seconds, their faces mere inches away from each other. Impatient, Xellos decided to get this done and moved forward. 

"Wait! Wait!" The echoing booming voice of the mirror maze monster interrupted the scene. "Dragon girl, are you really willing to kiss a monster? Because it looked as if you don't like him very much. Are you going to let him do this to you? I thought golden dragon girls were supposed to be pure maidens or something. I didn't think one would be so easy." 

Filia immediately pushed Xellos away and glared defiantly at the walls. "I'm not easy!" 

"No you're not," Xellos agreed completely, "you're difficult, you're very, very difficult." 

"Shut up!" Filia growled at Xellos. She sighed in resignation. "This thing is right though." She hated to admit that a monster was right; she might never forgive herself for that one. "I shouldn't be kissing random monsters just for the sake of survival." 

"Really?" Xellos put on a purposely incredulous expression. "Here I thought most living creatures would do almost anything for the sake of survival. I guess you must not really care a whole lot about dying." 

"What's it to you?" Filia retorted. "You're a monster. Monsters are all for chaos and death and whatnot. So why don't they just kill themselves and get it over with!" 

"You're so mean to me, dear Filia," Xellos pretended to be hurt. 

Filia huffed, if there was someone completely incapable of making her feel guilty, it was Xellos. "You deserve worse." 

"Excuse me, but I am rather inclined towards the probability of the preference of survival." Xellos regained his cool and collected expression, but only superficially. A little bit beneath the surface his annoyance grew. 

"Good for you," Filia crossed her arms and looked away. This conversation was over as far as she was concerned and she refused to speak to Xellos any more. She was angry at him, which was nothing new, but she was also angry at herself. 

"Filia, you're not making this very easy." It could only be so long before even Xellos would get tired of playing around, especially when a likely solution to his most immediate dilemma, because it certainly wasn't his only one, slipped through his fingers when he was so close to it. That was it, the solution and nothing more, a sacrifice for the sake of survival, and a big sacrifice it was. 

"Well I have to draw the line somewhere!" Filia retorted. Wait a minute, wasn't she determined to ignore Xellos? She couldn't help it but to reply, his tone was slightly different and it caught her off guard, though she wasn't sure why she was paying such close attention to his tone anyway. 

"And you're drawing it because some stupid monster told you to?" Xellos retorted. "Of course, you have no morals of your own, I witnessed that first hand." 

Filia's face turned scarlet and her eyes shone with tears of frustration. He was never going to let her forget about the berry incident. She could argue that he had no morals either, but he was a monster and while morals were indeed very important to dragons, monsters weren't supposed to have them. "I... I hate you!" It wasn't the smartest comeback in the world, but it summed up Filia's feelings pretty well. 

Xellos opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the echo of the mirror monster's complaint. "You two argue like an old married couple. Shut up, you're giving me a headache!" 

Instead of pointing out that the monster was in the shape of a building and therefore didn't actually have a head, Xellos decided to try another tactic. If that thing was going to keep him captive he was going to make it very unpleasant. "Filia," he gave her a purposeful glance. 

Filia realized another change in Xellos' tone. He wasn't being mocking this time as much as he was being decisive. It was the kind of tone that spoke paragraphs in just one word, the kind of tone that said, or rather demanded: 'pay attention to me because I have a plan.' "What?" Though her voice was still charged with a noticeable amount of upset fury, she was more focused, waiting to hear the plan that Xellos might have come up with. 

"I think it would do us some good to exercise our vocal cords." Xellos suggested with a sly smile. 

Filia blinked, what did that have to do with anything? Then a look of realization invaded her face. The mirror maze monster was complaining about the noise. Maybe if they were noisy enough they would be released. "Sure, why not." 

They nodded to each other and covered their ears tightly. They took a vast amount of air into their lungs and finally let it all out in massive sound waves that could be heard outside the enclosed space. The mirror maze monster replied in turn by screaming, "shut up!" The loud voice echoing all over. 

Filia cleared her strained throat and eased her breathing. "I think we might just lose this competition," she painfully admitted. "It was worth a try though," why was she even bothering giving some credit to Xellos? He gave enough credit to himself. 

"Shh, do you hear that?" Xellos listened beyond the closed door. It was very faint, but people outside were talking. "They can hear us." 

Filia's face instantly brightened as she came up with a plan. She took in another deep breath and screamed out without warning, "Lina! We've been eaten by a monster, get us out of here!" On second thought, Lina might Dragon slave the entire monster with them still in it. Thus Filia called out to the less rash members of the group, "Amelia, Zelgadis, Gourry! Help!" Filia coughed, her throat felt dry. She looked at Xellos who seemed to be fighting with all his might to maintain his expression of false cheer. "You could help me." 

"No," Xellos couldn't manage to put any false cheer or even a hint of mockery to his reply. His voice came out serious and flat. 

"Why not?" Filia demanded. 

"I'm not calling out for help," Xellos stated what he thought should have been obvious. Then he added for emphasis, "because I'm not helpless." 

"If you're not helpless than why haven't you defeated this monster? I know for a fact you don't believe in mercy." Filia found a small victory in throwing the circumstances in Xellos' face, even if it would have been so much more fun if she wasn't in the same predicament. Xellos glared and Filia felt a cold chill run down her spine, but she ignored it. Okay, so maybe given who Xellos was, her behavior could be catalogued as suicidal, but despite being aware of the fact that he could and, being a monster, probably would kill her, it somehow managed not to faze Filia. Even so, without a verbal prompt from Xellos, she had nothing else to say. 

A moment of silence passed while Filia allowed her tired throat to recover before she attempted to call for help again. In the mean time, Xellos kept listening to the faint sounds coming from outside from lack of anything better to do. 

"I'm so hungry!" A familiar voice complained. "I can't believe all the restaurants are full. I know it's the midday rush, but this is ridiculous. They won't let us go back to the buffet, which I still say is an unfair discrimination, and none of the restaurants have room! I'm going to starve if this keeps up!" 

"I know, I'm hungry too!" Another familiar voice agreed. The first was female and the second male. 

Seeing the look of attentive concentration that appeared on Xellos' face as he tilted his head ever so slightly towards the door, Filia strained her ears to listen. Those voices... she knew them! "Lina! Gourry! The mirror maze is really a monster, I'm trapped here, help!" 

"Did you just hear Filia?" Lina's voice wondered. 

"I don't know..." Gourry blankly replied; he had not been paying attention anyway. 

"I'm here! I'm trapped, help!" Filia insisted, screaming as loudly as she could. "The mirror maze is a monster, the building itself is a monster!" 

"Filia?" Lina replied with a hint of doubt. "What do you mean the mirror maze is a monster? It looks like a normal building to me." She tried to open the doors but they wouldn't move. "It's locked." 

"Shut up!" A very loud echoing voice was heard, even outside. If the fact that the building had a very eerie booming voice didn't hint that it was a monster, or at least somehow haunted, the fact that inanimate objects, such as buildings, shouldn't be talking in the first place would give it away. 

"Stand back!" Lina commanded in a warning voice that could only mean one thing. The very likely possibility was confirmed when she began to chant a familiar spell. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows, hidden in the stream of time is where your power grows!" 

Filia gasped and backed away from the door. Where could she take cover inside the target anyway? "Wait, Lina, you're being too rash!" 

Lina's chanting continued, "I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy ooh..." Lina's stomach growled loudly as her spell deflated and disappeared since the caster lacked the needed energy to fuel it. "I'm so hungry!" 

Filia breathed in relief when the chanting stopped. The bad part was that she was still trapped, but being trapped was better than being blown up. "Maybe you should try something other than the Dragon Slave!" Filia suggested, especially because she was a dragon and she certainly didn't want to be slain. 

Exasperated and not in the mood to be rescued, Xellos decided to take matters into his own hands. Without a warning, he grabbed Filia by the shoulders, spun her around to face him and before she could protest, he planted a kiss on her lips. "Ew!" A loud disgusted sound was heard as the transparent goop of the walls abruptly propelled them outside through the suddenly open door. 

Xellos and Filia landed in a heap on the road on top of Lina and Gourry. The four disentangled themselves from each other and got to their feet as gracefully and quickly as possible, which wasn't much. While Lina questioned their exit, Filia's face went from one shade of red to another. "You!" She pointed at Xellos accusingly with unparallel fury. 

Xellos, who was very much still cursed all thanks to Filia's unwillingness to cooperate, asked challengingly, "what about me? How could I just watch? Well I wasn't going to help you, but that thing got tired of your foul taste and spat you out anyway." 

Filia then realized that no one, aside from Xellos, herself and the mirror maze monster of course, had noticed the kiss and she was certainly not going to point it out. She growled fuming and reiterated, "I hate you!" 

"The feeling is mutual," Xellos smiled, his amused expression returning full force. He looked at the mirror maze and glared. He raised his hands and gathered dark energy. Several people stopped to watch the show. Then finally Xellos released the mixture of dark energy and purple lightning at the building. The entire place lit up and a scream of agony was heard, then the monster's aura was gone. 

Filia blinked, the building looked just the same as ever, "it's dead," she realized. It was no longer a sentient building, but it was still a building, so she wasn't sure if the term corpse could be used in this situation. 

"I don't know what kind of craziness is going on," Lina was not in a good mood, "and I don't care!" She yelled. "If I don't get a decent meal right now I'll go crazy! You know what they say about dragon? They say dragon is delicious!" She eyed a horrified Filia hungrily. 

"I beg to differ," Xellos teased. 

"I'm sure we can find a nice restaurant!" Filia insisted. "Look, isn't that a restaurant just down the street? Let's go there!" the place looked full, but Filia would make room for Lina if she had to. Seriously, she had enough near death experiences to deal with already and being eaten wasn't a very dignified way to die. 

"Food! Food! Food!" Lina chanted as she dashed towards the restaurant down the street hungrily. 

"Food! Food! Food!" Gourry joined in and ran after Lina. 

"I better make sure they get a good meal," Filia took off after them as well. 

Xellos paused; he had a lot of thinking to do and a discreet investigation to conduct. This wasn't only about his curse anymore. As if things were not already complicated enough as they were, they just became more complex. Who could be after him and why? He would have to be extra careful from now on. Then a thought occurred to him. Whoever was behind all this should be aware of the curse upon him, most high level monsters were. He found it odd that Filia, his possible cure, had not been directly attacked yet. Xellos would just have to keep an eye on her, least he rid himself of his assassin only to be taken down by the curse. Protecting Filia... it was a task he was certain that he wasn't looking forward to performing, but it was all for the sake of survival. 

To be Continued


	4. Chapter 4

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 010: Invader! A Little Competition

"Zangulus!" Filia recognized the waiter and rushed to him desperately. "We need a table right away!" 

Zangulus' eyes were not on Filia, who was speaking to him, but rather on someone behind Filia. Lina had a rather fierce expression that called all attention towards her. She almost glowed with chaos and looked as if she would pounce any second. "Is something wrong with her?" 

"Yes, she's hungry and she wants to eat me!" Filia gushed out before she even had time to properly phrase her reply. 

Zangulus' eyes bulged open wide for a few seconds; he blinked looking back and forth between Filia and Lina. "Cannibalism," he finally concluded adopting a 'should have known' expression. "I wouldn't really put it past Lina." 

"She might also Dragon Slave this place to dust," Filia urged, making it clear that Lina wasn't just her problem; she was everyone's problem in the ten mile radius. Sure, Lina had been without energy before, but if it involved food she could make some pretty amazing recoveries. 

"Martina will be upset if I lose this job," Zangulus worried. He glanced around the restaurant, but it was full. "How about I escort you all to the special table?" He didn't even need to wait for a voiced reply as Lina and Gourry's stomachs growled and Filia nodded quickly. The entire time Xellos only watched quietly. 

Zangulus led the group to the kitchen where they were met with the chefs' critical eyes. Even so, he settled them into a table where dishes were set to be taken out as a set and food was prepared, it wasn't a table for the purpose of eating at. "Zangulus, what do you think you're doing?" The head chef complained with a disapproving expression. 

"Saving our lives and unless you want my efforts to go to waste, you need to start serving the food," Zangulus urged. "That girl over there is Lina Inverse!" 

"Lina Inverse!" The main chef exclaimed, joined in his surprise by the voices of several others. The rumors of Lina Inverse the bandit and pirate killer, dragon spooker were quickly spreading beyond the world outside the barrier and all around the globe. That was all the motivation the chefs needed to start feeding Lina and her traveling companions immediately. 

"By the way, Filia," Lina inquired with a steak in her mouth. "What's that on your neck? It looks like a hickey." 

"What's a hickey?" Gourry predictably asked. 

"A love bite," Lina explained simply, with her mouth still full of food. 

"Oh, you mean how I bite this food because it's so delicious and I love it?" Gourry gave Lina his usual look of ignorant bliss. 

"It's a couple thing, never mind." Lina decided to leave it at that and turned her attention back to the mortified Filia. "Is it?" 

"No!" Filia loudly denied it. Doubtful, Lina glanced at Xellos, who gave her a toothy grin as if inviting her to make a visual comparison of his mouth and the mark left on Filia's neck. Catching on to the silent implications, Filia defended, "it's a bug bite!" 

"That was a pretty big bug," Lina suspiciously commented. "I would say it was a monster of a bug." The obvious reference to Xellos, which was the monster part albeit Filia thought both terms fit him, made the golden dragon blush even more. At least, to Filia's benefit, the subject was dropped shortly after that comment and no more was spoken of it as Lina accused Gourry of stealing her roasted potato. 

After calming down sufficiently, Filia let out a breath of relief, though she was still self conscious about the mark on her neck. Maybe she should buy a scarf, she didn't care that it was warm there. "Thank you," she told Zangulus with all honesty once the worse had passed. 

"No problem, it was a survival effort on everyone's part anyway." Zangulus replied with relief, seeing that the possible catastrophe was adverted. 

Observing the scene, Xellos concluded that there was no immediate danger to Filia's life. Lina was there to fight off any attacks and she was rapidly replenishing her energy so any future attempts at casting the Dragon Slave would be nothing short of absolutely destructive. He could leave without worries for the time being, thus he faded away, teleporting to a different location. 

After a while, a few tables in the restaurant became unoccupied, though Lina and Gourry were still consuming dish after dish. With some persuasion from Zangulus, saying that the chefs would be able to work faster if they had more room to work in, the group was moved to a table in the official eating area of the restaurant. The chefs were a little less uneasy after the move, but they were still exhausted, yet willing to survive. 

During the entire process, Filia took a moment to notice that Xellos was gone. He came and went whenever he wanted, for which teleportation came very much in handy. It wasn't really surprising that he would disappear without a warning, thus for the time being she just disregarded the fact and tried to enjoy her peace while it lasted. She had even managed to get her order in and have a good meal. Despite being a dragon and having a healthy appetite, Filia still didn't eat anywhere as much as Lina and Gourry, who were still absorbing all the food placed before them at an alarming rate. 

Time passed until finally, Lina and Gourry leaned back in their chairs with satisfied expressions. "Ah, what a good meal..." Lina sighed contently. Filia thought they were done until Lina added, "now for some dessert!" She began to scan the menu. 

Filia let out a breath; she should have known this was coming. She idly thought that instead of sitting around she should try to do some match making. Although it looked like Lina and Gourry were more focused on the food than each other, she could at least give them some privacy. "I'm going to... stretch my legs. Enjoy your dessert." 

Just when she thought she had not been heard, Lina looked up from behind her menu and voiced a simple, "okay, see you later." 

Gourry smiled and added his own, "later, Filia!" Before both of them turned their attention back to their menus. What was the point of browsing? They were going to order everything anyway and in triple portions, just like they always did. 

Filia exited the restaurant and mused over her matchmaking strategy. Given the extreme focus on food that Gourry and Lina possessed, a meal was not the ideal atmosphere for matchmaking. She reasoned that a resort as big as this, which was love-themed in many ways, should have an activity similar to a ball going on. In the stories she had read romantic things always happened in balls. If she could find out about the time and location of a ball in the resort, she could invite everyone to go and maybe even get Amelia to help out if any additional convincing was needed. 

With that plan in mind, Filia set out to seek information. She entered a random souvenir shop not a far walk away from the restaurant and took a moment to admire the multitude of keychains. They were pretty, but ridiculously pricey. "Excuse me," Filia addressed the shop keeper, a girl not much older than Lina with a freckled face and wavy brown hair. "Do you happen to know if any balls are celebrated at the resort?" 

"Of course!" The girl cheered in an overly sweet voice, her green eyes lighting up in excitement. "We have balls every night. The biggest one is a masquerade ball held at the dome at the north end of the main road." 

A dome, huh? Not a castle? The resort was certainly large enough to have a castle and a dome didn't seem too romantic. Then again, Filia didn't want to shoot down the plan so quickly. "Thank you, I'll make sure to check it out." With her plans for later decided, Filia exited the keychain souvenir shop and made her way down the street. Lina and Gourry were probably still eating dessert and she didn't know were Amelia and Zelgadis were at. 

Filia saw a free bench not too far away from the fountain with the cupid in the middle and sat down. It was the same bench where she sat when she was talking to Xellos. He was such an annoyance, she was glad he was gone and hoped he would never return. The nerve of him, kissing her without permission, it didn't matter if it was for the sake of survival. She never thought she would kiss, or be kissed by, a monster once, let alone so many times. How many had it been? She blushed and decided not to count them; it was too many, end of story. 

"Would you like some ice-cream?" Filia jumped at the sudden voice and turned her head to look at the man sitting on the bench beside her. She had not even noticed his arrival. "I apologize if I startled you," he smiled in a friendly way, his wine colored sharp eyes projecting an alluring atmosphere. He had golden hair and elongated elf-like ears, he was a golden dragon. He wore the classic white and gold robes that many golden dragons favored. 

Filia managed to pry her eyes away from his handsome face to the cookies & cream ice-cream cone the unknown dragon was offering her. She accepted gratefully, "thank you." 

"You're welcome," the golden dragon smiled. "You seemed as if the warmth of the day was getting to you. I thought some ice-cream might help you cool off." 

"I'm grateful," Filia smiled, "but I don't think I know your name." She was starting to feel a bit awkward and perhaps just a tiny bit intimidated. There was something about this guy... "Um... I'm Filia..." no doubt about it this golden dragon was from a different temple as her, she had never met him before. 

"My name is Phythan; it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Filia." His eyes seemed to focus for a moment on the still visible mark on Filia's neck. It was only for a second, but Filia noticed it. 

Feeling self-conscious, Filia's unoccupied hand went to her neck covering the spot. "Bug," she muttered before licking her ice-cream as a distraction and hopefully a clear enough hint that her mouth was busy and couldn't utter any further explanations. 

"Oh? That looks painful." He couldn't have believed it, no one was that stupid. It was obvious that Phythan was just humoring her by pretending to take her word for it. He gently touched her neck, causing Filia to tense up at the sudden contact. "The neck is a sensitive area, it should be protected." he untied the sky blue bandanna he wore around his own neck and tied it around Filia's in a more scarf-like manner. "Keep it," he smiled charmingly. 

Filia blushed scarlet and nearly buried her face in her ice-cream. Why was she so nervous? "Thank you," she finally managed to say. Feeling as if it wasn't enough she added, "you're very kind." 

"You're welcome," another charming smile. "Are you enjoying the resort? I came all by myself and it has been fun, but it would be more enjoyable with some good company. How about you?" 

"I came with a few friends," Filia tried to get her voice to work naturally. "It's been fun," it had in deed been fun sometimes, but had also been stressful because of that nuisance Xellos. "Although, my friends are a bit busy at times and I don't want to be in the way." 

"Dates?" Phythan guessed and Filia nodded. "So your friends have dates, but you don't have a date of your own?" 

"No..." Filia admitted, focusing once more on her ice-cream. If their group was on a triple date, she would have gotten paired off with Xellos. She wasn't sure why her brain kept reminding her of him, Filia just wanted to forget he existed, she honestly did. 

"I can't see why, you give off such a nice aura, even so soon I can tell you're pleasant company." Yet another charming smile, Phythan gave those away quite often. "And dare I say it? You're very beautiful." 

"Thank you..." Filia pushed herself to speak. It was polite to thank people for their compliments after all. Unlike Xellos, who always insulted her, Phythan was very nice. 

"You seem a little bit shy." Yes, you guessed it, another charming smile, it was something Phythan did constantly. "But I think it's cute." 

"Thank you..." Filia had finished consuming the top part of her ice-cream and was now biting the edge of the cone. She watched Phythan with the corner of her eyes; he had amazing eyes, piercing, intelligent and captivating. 

Phythan laughed in a melodious, yet still distinctively masculine voice, "you're certainly very grateful." 

Filia had to stop herself from automatically saying thank you again. "I... um... think you're very nice..." and handsome, and gallant and polite, and respectful, and considerate, and kind hearted, unlike Xellos, who was a monster and didn't have a heart anyway. Her eyes were caught by his, so that's what was so familiar about him; the shape of his eyes was kind of like Xellos' eyes when he opened them. It was just the color that was different, though the two shades, Xellos' lighter purple and Phythan's darker wine, could probably be fitted into the same color wheel. Wait a minute; didn't she just think not long ago that Phythan had attractive eyes? How could she then compare them to Xellos? That was a huge contradiction! 

"I think you're nice too, and I would like to see more of you if that's alright." Was that the hint of a seductive undertone? Maybe she just imagined it. "There's a masquerade ball at the north dome tonight. Well, not just tonight, they have it every night, but if you're free tonight, then maybe you would consider going with me?" 

Filia reasoned that she was planning to go anyway and she didn't have a date, while Amelia and Lina did. If she was going to play matchmaker she might as well contribute to the feeling of a triple date. If she was the odd one out, it would be more of a friendly outing. Besides, Amelia might feel the need to keep her company so she didn't get lonely and that meant she would have less time to dance with Zelgadis. "I would love to," Filia agreed, pouring as much confidence as she could into her acceptance. "Actually, I was planning to go with my friends. It would be nice if there are six of us, since that's an even number." She refrained from going any further so as to not babble any more about odd and even numbers. 

"Ah yes," Phythan looked satisfied, almost smugly so, kind of like Xellos, but in a charming way that was nothing like Xellos. "Then everyone would have someone to dance with." 

"Yes," Filia agreed, mentally adding 'except Xellos' but he wasn't supposed to be in the picture anyway and she didn't know why she kept thinking of him. It was creepy, she should be more than happy to forget about him. Maybe she was afraid he would show up and ruin everything, since he's Xellos and ruining things is something he has a lot of talent for, but life is for the brave. Filia was resolute not to worry; she would just enjoy her time at the ball. Filia stood up from the bench. "See you tonight?" It sounded as if she was pushing him away, she didn't mean to, but she needed a breather and more so she needed to stop thinking about Xellos. 

Phythan stood up as well. "I will look forward to it, Miss Filia," he took her hand and placed a kiss on it, then dramatically walked off with an ever present charming smile. 

Filia sighed, the odd feeling she got went away when Phythan was gone. She wondered what it meant. Did she like him? Probably, he was a golden dragon and a very nice one at that. He had a number of positive qualities, or at least it looked like he did. She would just have to keep talking to him and learn more. Eating the last bit of her ice-cream cone, Filia walked off with a confident pace. Maybe after all her trials and tribulations, fate was finally smiling upon her. 

"Miss Filia!" A familiar voice called, originating from near the fountain with the cupid statue. Filia looked over to see Amelia waiving one hand towards her, the other arm linked with Zelgadis'. 

She walked over to them, "did you two have a nice lunch?" Filia asked cheerfully. 

"Oh yes," Amelia blushed. 

"It was... good," Zelgadis commented with a similar reaction, though it wasn't clear if he referred to the food or the experience as a whole, probably the latter. 

"I'm glad," Filia smiled, she was feeling rather cheerful all of a sudden. She wasn't sure where her shyness came from before. "Lina and Gourry are eating at a restaurant near here. They were ordering desert when I went for a walk, so they should be done by now." 

As if on cue, a well fed and thus cheerful looking Lina and Gourry approached the fountain. "Hey everyone, any ideas on where to go next? There are a lot of tourist attractions around here, but not the roller coaster since we just ate. Besides, it probably still has an impossible line anyway." 

"I don't know about right now, but how about attending the masquerade ball tonight?" Filia suggested. "It will be held at the north dome." 

"Oh, that sounds like fun!" Amelia instantly cheered. "Let's go!" 

"A ball..." Zelgadis voiced unsure, though the masquerade part was something he could normally use to his benefit, no one seemed to be bothered by his appearance at the resort, though they sometimes mistook him for a hired entertainer. 

"Let's go, please Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia gave Zelgadis her best cute pleading expression, her big blue eyes appearing to be even bigger and shinier, accentuated by her long lashes. 

"Um... okay..." Zelgadis finally managed to agree. 

Lina nodded, "it might be fun, what do you say, Gourry?" 

"Jellyfish!" Everyone stared at Gourry, he could be random at times, but this was too random. 

"What?" Lina slowly asked. 

"When you asked if anyone had any ideas where to go next I tried to remember an idea I had a while ago," Gourry explained. "I remember walking past some place that I wanted to visit, but I couldn't remember what it was. I just remembered it was a place with jellyfish!" He smiled an accomplished smile. 

"You mean an aquarium?" Lina inquired with a bit of annoyance twitching in her eyes. "Did you hear anything that was said after that question? Did you hear anything about the ball?" 

"Ball?" Gourry tilted his head to the side in confusion. "What ball? A round ball? Oh wait, all balls are around, aren't they?" 

Lina brought her palm to her face. "Not that kind of ball, we were talking about the kind of ball where there's music dancing and food!" 

"Oh!" Gourry didn't see the logic in calling a party, a ball, why didn't they just say party? That's what it sounded like it was. "That sounds like fun too. Can we do both?" 

Lina let out a hopeless breath. "The ball isn't until tonight, so I guess we could check out the aquarium now." With a plan decided upon, the group went on its merry way towards the aquarium so Gourry could befriend the local jellyfish. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 011: The Nerve! Of Fish And Flirting

Thankfully, the line to enter the aquarium wasn't particularly long and the group, consisting of Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis and Filia, was able to go in fairly quickly. They made their way through the hallways, slowly examining the large tanks all around. Gourry tapped on the glass of a tank that took up an entire wall and made funny faces at the jellyfish swimming behind it. A particularly large jellyfish approached and waved its tentacles along with several other small ones more shyly waiving from behind the first. Gourry waved back and continued his jellyfish bonding. 

Lina looked into another tank, a bit smaller than the jellyfish one taking up only half of the adjacent wall. It was a good thing she just ate, or else she would be fireball frying all the fish in the tank. She made a mental note just in case, that if she was starving and no restaurant took mercy on her, she should go to the aquarium. She tapped on the glass with half interest and noticed that a yellow fish followed her finger. Amused, she spun her finger around until the fish was dizzy, spiraling away in the water and crashing into an orange fish. The orange fish looked angry and slapped the yellow fish with its fins. Maybe the aquarium was also an amusing place for people who, unlike Gourry, didn't have a fixation with jellyfish. 

"Look at this Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia cheerfully announced as she pointed out a sign propped up on a sort of easel. The sign depicted a dolphin with an anonymous young couple at the edge of the pool playing with it. "I want to go see the dolphins; I heard they're really smart." 

Despite not finding a single tiny clue about his cure, for once Zelgadis thought it was alright to let it go and simply enjoy his time with Amelia. "Let's go see if it's true." The pair walked off happily, not even realizing that though they were all at the aquarium, the group had split apart again. 

Filia sighed and observed the swimming fish. Admittedly she was a bit bored. Lina looked happy enough picking on some poor fish and Gourry had his jellyfish fascination. Amelia and Zelgadis had walked off somewhere, but they were probably having a great time in whatever part of the aquarium they were in. As for Filia, she was almost ready to admit that she missed Xellos, almost being the key word. It's just that she had no one else to hang around with and sometimes silence got so long it wasn't relaxing anymore. Wait a minute.... Who said she had no one to hang out with? What about her new friend... um... Phythan was it? Yes, Phythan! After Filia saw him at the ball tonight she would invite him to hang out the next day, then she wouldn't suffer from the delirious desire to see Xellos. 

"You look bored," Filia turned around from her position staring into a fish tank. "Xellos," she meant to sound furious, because his mere presence was infuriating, but she didn't. 

"Miss me?" It looked like Xellos was back to being his cool, calm, collected, cheerful and overall impossible self. At least, it looked like it to those who didn't know him well enough, apparently Filia did. 

Filia gave him a half curious and half disappointed look. "What's up with that half-hearted 'missed me?' Not that monsters have a heart anyway, but you know what I mean. What are you plotting?" She glared. "You don't sound as smug and annoyingly cheerful as usual." 

Xellos' reply was a simple and utterly disappointing "I don't?" He was taken off guard by Filia's powers of observation. He was indeed not feeling quite in the mood to be as mocking as he usually was. That fact consisted largely on the reason of being unable to find any useful clues about the mysterious power that was at work in trying to end his existence. It was a power such as that of the monster lords, but he had no reason to suspect them. It was extremely odd that not even the smallest clue would slip up. Regardless, he couldn't very well have Filia thinking he was losing his touch. "The truth of the matter is..." he began seriously. 

Filia was alertly paying attention with a suspicious look during the beginning of his long pause. Then an uncomfortable look invaded Xellos' face and he shifted, finally staring at the floor. Filia's mouth was hanging open by this point because Xellos simply didn't act like that. "What's wrong?" She tried to snap at him, she knew he was just acting, yet her voice came up with the flatness of opposing emotions that canceled each other out, with just a hint of concern. 

Xellos looked up with a big grin, "that is a secret!" Filia wanted to punch him, which was normal. At least the order of the world was restored to what it should be with Xellos once again acting like a smug trickster, which he was. 

"Idiot raw garbage!" Filia growled and walked past him. She glanced over at Lina, who had stopped picking on the poor stupid fish and was looking at them. Filia seemed to say 'what?' with her eyes. 

If Lina was a telepath she would have replied, 'I know you were flirting.' But she didn't need telepathy because the look on her face spoke volumes. It was enough to make Filia blush and look away before promptly continuing the process of storming off with Xellos annoyingly following her. It seemed that Lina, from the perspective of an outsider noticed things that Filia did not. Those things included how close Xellos leaned in and how Filia didn't back away, although her back would have met with the glass of the tank behind her anyway. Filia had to sidestep around Xellos to get out of the position, that even after breaking from it she didn't seem to notice, much less be bothered by it. 

Lina chuckled to herself and looked towards Gourry, freezing in place upon doing so. Gourry was right where she left him in front of the jellyfish tank, but he wasn't alone. He was talking animatedly to a... jellyfish person? She was different from the fish people, yes she, because if her sweet feminine voice and the yellow bows on each tentacle were any indication this jellyfish person was a girl, and she was flirting. 

"You're so nice to the jellyfish; I really can't say it enough. How talented you are to be able to communicate with them." The jellyfish woman, aside from having a good number of tentacles, had a pair of human-like shapely legs that allowed her to easily walk on land; she was wearing yellow high heels that Lina would probably trip on. 

Gourry was laughing sheepishly with a hand behind his head. "You really think so, Miss Medusa?" 

"Oh yes," Medusa blushed and just about swooned. She giggled and batted her eyelashes, which were too long for a jellyfish, but accentuated her big blue eyes nicely, as if they didn't already stand out on her pink body. "It would be wonderful if I could get to know you better. Are you attending the masquerade party tonight?" 

"Masque... Party? Sure, I guess," he obviously didn't know what it was and it looked like Miss Medusa was more interested in getting a date than in educating Gourry in the correct use of the word 'masquerade'. 

Lina was fuming, but she didn't know why. She told herself she was being stupid. If Gourry wanted to go to the masquerade with some slimy jellyfish girl with too many bows, then that was none of her business. Throwing her head back in defiance, Lina bravely marched away from the scene, refusing to look back. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia made her way angrily through the halls of the aquarium, lined with tanks containing different kinds of sea life. She stopped to look back and realized that Xellos wasn't following her. She approached a large tank ahead and tapped gently on the glass. A silvery colored fish swam near the glass. Filia smiled at it and tapped her finger on the glass again, then a shark came from behind and closed its deadly jaws on the fish. 

Filia gasped startled and jumped back. She bumped into someone whom she didn't notice had been standing behind her and was surprised a second time. "I know dragons are naturally cowards, but don't worry, Filia, I'll protect you from the big bad shark that's completely harmless behind glass anyway." Xellos whispered in her ear. Why did he have to be so irritating? 

"Get away from me!" Filia snapped and squirmed out of her entrapment between Xellos and the shark tank. This time she wasn't thinking about missing him so she actually noticed his proximity. She walked over to a stand which held several copies of the same book being sold as a souvenir. Filia picked up one of the picture books and examined the cover. There was a man dressed in royal looking attire facing towards the left of the page. He looked rather sad just standing there at a sandy beach, his back turned towards the other character on the cover. With her tail still touching the water, though deep enough into the shore to be easily seen, a mermaid looked longingly at the human prince. 

Filia opened the book and began to read it to calm down. "Once upon a time, there was a prince who lived near the ocean." The page was illustrated beautifully in full color, depicting a castle near the beach. "A mermaid who liked to swim near the area had fallen in love with the prince." The next page depicted the mermaid, watching the prince from the beach as he went for a luxurious stroll at the shore. Filia turned to the other page, each one only had a short sentence and beautiful picture. "One day, the prince organized a ball and invited all the ladies in the land, in hopes of finding true love." The castle was drawn in detail on the page, its lovely crystal decorations standing out with elegance. "The mermaid desperately wanted to go to the ball, but she could not walk on land." There was a picture of the sad mermaid at the beach. 

Filia felt that she was calming down as she focused on the story, keeping her thoughts away from Xellos. "A kind fairy saw that the mermaid's love was sincere and granted her a wish." The picture of the fairy was mostly made of light with a faint silhouette in the middle and the wings more noticeably originating from the light. She turned to the next page, which held a picture of the mermaid with human legs, wearing a beautiful dress. "The fairy transformed the mermaid into a human; however, the spell would only last until midnight." 

Filia felt that the story was very similar to two other stories she had read before. One was about a mermaid and a prince and the other about a peasant and a prince. It seemed that the stories were combined to form a new tale. "The mermaid was able to attend the ball and had a wonderful time with the prince, who couldn't help it but to fall in love with her." The page depicted the prince and the mermaid, for the time being human, dancing at the castle with elegance and splendor. Filia had to admit that though the story wasn't exactly original, the artist was very talented. She was already smiling thinking that despite the cover, the ending would be happy. 

Filia focused on finishing the story, all annoying thoughts about Xellos gone for the time being. "At the stroke of midnight, the mermaid ran out of the castle, regretfully telling the prince that she had no choice but to leave him." The human mermaid was depicted running down some stairs, which Filia mused must be quite tricky in her high heels, especially for someone who's used to swimming rather than walking. "The love-struck prince followed the mermaid and, refusing to lose sight of her, he ran all the way to the beach." The prince stood at the beach, his hand outstretched to a doubtful looking still-human mermaid. 

"When the twelfth bell echoed loudly from the palace clock tower, the mermaid regained her original fish tail form." The astonished prince was drawn staring at the fish woman that was before him in place of his human love. "Angry, the prince accused the mermaid of being a deceiver and would not hear her plight, refusing to spend another minute in her presence." The prince was angrily walking away as the mermaid was left crying at the beach. "Neither the prince nor the mermaid ever fell in love again, for their love was a destined one that their foolishness kept them from enjoying... the end." Filia sighed and sniffled, "such a tragic story." 

Xellos rolled his eyes; he had been looking at the book over Filia's shoulder the entire time. "Such a melodramatic dragon." 

Filia closed the book. This time she didn't jump at Xellos' presence because in the back of her mind, even if she was blocking him out, she felt he was there. "I think it's a lovely story, in a bittersweet kind of way and I'm buying this book." 

"So being specist and deceptive is romantic?" Xellos mocked, referring to the prince who wasn't fond of mermaids and the mermaid who went to see the prince in disguise. "Here I thought those human-made fairy tales were all about the perfect woman meeting the perfect man, not that I have ever wasted my precious time in reading them anyway." 

Filia hugged the book to her chest as if it were a very precious treasure. "It goes to show how much you know. No one is perfect in the world, even if they might think they are," that last part was obviously directed specifically at Xellos. "It's about finding someone who is pleasant to be with and trust worthy. Of course, you wouldn't understand that or the fine lesson this story teaches." 

"Enlighten me," there was something unnerving about the way Xellos could request to be 'enlightened' with a tone that screamed 'you're so stupid!' 

Filia frowned as her glare intensified. "The prince lost his chance in love because he was too focused on the fact that the lady was a mermaid, rather than seeing her for who she was on the inside. It means that people should look on the inside because that's what counts. Of course, I wouldn't expect you to understand any of this, because monsters only have pure evil on the inside!" 

"Specist aren't we?" Xellos mocked with the same smug grin that characterized him. Whatever sour mood he was in before was slowly taking a turn for the better, despite his continual lack of information. 

"Shut up!" Filia reprimanded and walked off again with Xellos still following her. She did her best to ignore him, which sometimes worked, but mostly didn't. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Some time later, the group met up at the exit of the aquarium where all the souvenir items picked up through the experience were tallied up and paid for. Amelia and Zelgadis were in exceptionally good spirits, Filia was kind of annoyed, but surprisingly not too badly and Xellos was amused. 

Lina looked dangerously grumpy as she made her way out of the aquarium with the group. She was determined not to look at Gourry even if he kept trying to get her attention by tapping her shoulder repeatedly. "Lina, Lina, Lina..." 

"Stop that, Gourry!" Lina slapped his hand away, no one in the group understood what her problem was and they dared not ask. 

"But Lina, don't you want it?" Curiosity won her over and Lina glanced at the item Gourry was holding out to her. He gave her a big smile, "It's a marshmallow on a stick, I got it for you." Without waiting for any further reply, He placed the stick between her reluctant fingers. 

Lina glared at the large marshmallow, which was at least three times the size of a fist. The sweet treat was shaped like a jellyfish and it reminded her of that flirty jellyfish girl, Medusa. Lina glared angrily at the marshmallow before devouring it with malice. Tossing the bare stick in a pink trash can decorated with red hearts, she took a deep breath. Gourry got her candy; maybe this was a sort of apology from him, which she should accept. With her best forgiving smile, she finally said, "thanks." 

Gourry cheered up instantly, "I'm glad you liked it." The tension that Lina projected into the group was gone and the atmosphere felt much easier to breathe in. "You know, Miss Medusa said there was a party going on tonight." The atmosphere darkened again. "She said I should go and I told her I would. It's a marque... masquee... ma-something party." 

"Masquerade!" Lina angrily supplied, while no one else in the group dared to say anything, after all Lina was glaring at them not to. "By the way, Gourry, doesn't that remind you of something you might have forgotten?" 

Gourry thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it, did we have plans for tonight? I keep feeling like I've forgotten something I was going to do, but I can't remember what it was. Oh well, maybe we can do that and still have time to go to the party. I promised Miss Medusa I would be there." 

Lina was fuming again. If she got her hands on that sly wicked little jellyfish witch she would... she would... She wouldn't do anything; after all, it wasn't like she was jealous, it wasn't like Gourry was her boyfriend. "Do whatever you want!" Lina growled and began to walk at a faster pace. "I'm going to the masquerade ball tonight in a pretty dress and I'm sure I'll meet a mysterious prince from a distant land!" 

"Oh, that's right," Amelia nervously commented; the tension in the air could be cut with a knife. "We need to go dress shopping and the guys need tuxedos." 

"Tuxedos?" Zelgadis nervously asked; he wasn't sure he liked the sound of that. Uneasiness invaded him, how would he look in the middle of an elegant ball? He had not really allowed it to fully sink in until now. But it was a masquerade ball, so his chimera condition wouldn't be too noticeable. He held on to that ray of hope and nodded, "I guess we should go to the stores if we're going to be ready on time." 

"We're not going to have time to visit all the shops," Lina stated as a matter of fact as she stopped in front of a poster containing a map of the resort. "Look, here are the fancy clothing shops; that's a pretty far walk. Puffy dresses and beach clothes is all they sell around here, no middle ground what so ever. These all look like they're boutiques for women's clothes and there are jewelry shops next to them," Lina pointed them out on the map. "They take up most of the streets. The tuxedos stores are over here," she pointed them out on the map as well. There were definitely many more stores dedicated to female attire. 

"Then the girls and guys should split up for shopping," Filia caught where Lina's logic was going. "It might be best that way anyway." Then she could go dress shopping without Xellos and still charge it to his account, since he was the one who made the initial vacation reservation. 

"Then our dresses can be a surprise," Amelia seemed to be the only one who saw the positive side of splitting up with no ulterior motives. Lina and Filia just wanted to get away from Gourry and Xellos respectively. With that plan agreed upon, men and women went their separate ways off to shop for ball worthy attire. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 012: Get Ready! Preparations For The Ball

Given the limited time available until that night's ball began, the men and women of the group decided to take their separate ways in shopping, so that they wouldn't have to wait for each other, as there would not be enough time for that. As expected, the men finished their tuxedo shopping swiftly. There were only so many variations of the classic suits and all they really needed to do was find some in the appropriate sizes. 

"This is a masquerade ball," Zelgadis reminded as if it was a vital fact and it was. 

"Indeed," Xellos agreed in his usual annoying overly friendly tone. "Well, it's been fun shopping with you, friends," he added for the purpose of annoying Zelgadis, who would not so freely use the term of friend, especially when referring to Xellos. "Now if you'll excuse me, I will embark on the journey to purchase an appropriate mask on my own, farewell." He did a mock bow like an actor in a theater thanking the audience for their thundering applause, then he faded away. 

"Good riddance," Zelgadis muttered under his breath. Gourry, as expected, just looked confused. If he showed up short of a mask at the masquerade ball, surely Zelgadis would get blamed for not reminding him. It wasn't so bad really, Zelgadis was annoyed by Xellos, a lot of people were, but Gourry, jellyfish brain aside, was an okay traveling companion and thus shopping companion. Besides, Zelgadis wouldn't admit it, but he would get terribly bored on his own, after all, hunting down vague clues that might lead to his cure and pillaging, without burning, random temples and museums of magical artifacts, was much more entertaining than plain and simple shopping. Shopping was an activity best endured with some form of company. "Let's go get ourselves some masks." 

"Masks?" Gourry asked in puzzlement, which came as no surprise to Zelgadis. "Why do we need masks?" 

"It's a... a mask party," it was a simple small word translation to the oh so complicated term of masquerade ball. 

"Oh!" Gourry exclaimed in understanding. Then smiling in more amusement than the realization was due, he followed Zelgadis out of the store with their purchases neatly folded in bags. They went hunting for a mask shop and were able to find several down the street. They went in and started to browse, observing the vast assortment of masks available. 

"Cats, rabbits, birds..." Zelgadis didn't seem too fond of any of the masks right away, but he knew he couldn't reject them all. 

"How about this one?" Gourry picked up a mask and handed it to Zelgadis. 

"A peacock?" Zelgadis didn't think it fit him at all. He looked back at Gourry, trying to discern if the blond was joking or not. "Really?" 

Gourry nodded, sticking to his suggestion. "It has nice feathers and the colors stand out and kind of match." 

It was true that the colors of this particular peacock mask did match him in a sense. They weren't exactly the same colors as one would find in a peacock, perhaps feathers of different birds were mixed in. The blue was a more intense shade than Zelgadis' skin and lavender details that matched his hair along with glittery traces of silver adorned it. The rest of the masks were just as colorful and glittery, so he couldn't reject it on those reasons alone, or he would reject all of them and remain mask-less, which would be unacceptable for a masquerade. 

"I think it's cool," Gourry commented. 

"I suppose I'm never going to find one that I actually like." He stroked the soft feathers, it honestly wasn't so bad and it wasn't as elaborate as some of the other masks which bordered being full hats. He tried it on and felt oddly empowered. Zelgadis, though he would deny it if anyone pointed it out, had a fair amount of shyness. The feeling of hiding his face without having to look away was subconsciously comforting. The mask wouldn't hide his chimeraism as he had the silly notion to think for a wishful moment, but it didn't matter. Maybe this odd sensation that he felt upon wearing the mask was part of the mystique of the masquerade, regardless of how cheesy that might sound. "Actually, I think I might like this one after all." 

"I thought you would," Gourry grinned, happy that his suggestion had been useful. He picked up a few different masks and tried them on. "What do you think?" Gourry tried on a white rabbit mask with ears that were so long that gravity pulled them in front of his vision. He pushed the ears back, but if he tilted his head forward, they would fall in front of his eyes again. 

Considering how Lina was noticeably shorter than Gourry, if he intended to dance with her, and Zelgadis wasn't sure why he assumed he did, then the ears might be an obstacle. "Troublesome," was Zelgadis' summarized verdict. 

Without being discouraged, Gourry put the rabbit mask back in its place and tried on a calico cat mask, then sneezed. The mask' synthetic material was exceptionally fuzzy. "This one makes me sneeze," Gourry took off the mask and put it back on its previous place on the shop shelves without even waiting for Zelgadis' judgment on it. It was a troublesome mask too. 

Zelgadis spotted a peculiar mask and picked it up, not sure if he would seriously suggest it or not. It at least fit Gourry. "What about this one," he passed the mask over to Gourry. 

The blonde swordsman's face lit up as he received the mask. "It's perfect!" He put it on and grinned big. The glitter covered plastic accessory was shaped like a jellyfish, it's decorative tentacles enforced to defy gravity with wires, while still being arranged nicely and out of the way left and right on the sides of his face rather than falling in front of his nose and mouth, which would have also been troublesome. "It feels so natural to wear it, I'm buying it. Tonight's party is going to be so much fun!" Gourry held what might appear to be too much joy over such a small achievement, but his general optimism was welcomed by his shopping partner. 

Things had been going very well between Amelia and Zelgadis. He was taking a break from everything and though ever so often he would feel a bit of self inflicted guilt over the time he wasn't spending looking for a cure, he told himself that it was okay to take a break and that he should just take that piece of advice Amelia had given him while they were sharing a meal at a restaurant. Sometimes it really was best to live the moment. Zelgadis let go of a considerable amount of his usual gloomy mood over the course of the day. "I think it will be," he agreed. 

With their masks chosen and purchased, and no sign of Xellos, Gourry and Zelgadis walked along the street looking for something to do to pass the time. They both knew that the girls couldn't possibly be done with their shopping already. Women tended to take much longer than men to shop, which wasn't all that surprising when one took into consideration that there seemed to be more attire related products out there marketed towards women than what was marketed towards men. They had more to choose from and thus more to examine before making a choice, unless they simply choose the first thing they liked... But Lina wasn't like that; she would want to make the best purchase she could possibly make, even if she got away with charging it to Xellos. 

The two passed by in front of a casino and eyed it curiously. "This place looks fun," Gourry pointed out with the innocence one came to expect from him. He proceeded to walk inside, or at least tried to. 

"Gourry, no!" Zelgadis desperately pulled Gourry back. "You can't go in there, it's a trap. You'll lose all your money and be forced to make a hasty escape when you become buried in debt." 

Gourry blinked, Zelgadis certainly looked serious about this. "It's that bad?" 

"Yes," Zelgadis gravely nodded. He was remembering an experience he had regarding a casino and the rumors of a mysterious price. Some said it was a rare and powerful magical artifact and that was enough to drive Zelgadis to gamble away his last coin like a moth to a flame. In the end he lost all his money and fled from the establishment, only to return later that night to sneak into the vaults and steal the mysterious magic item. 

The item in question turned out to be an ordinary playing card. The ace of spades was apparently the lucky charm of a legendary gambler that never lost a single game... until he got caught cheating with that same card. It wasn't even a magically powered lucky charm, just a card that used to belong to a casino celebrity that ended up broke after his underhanded tactics were discovered. The venture was a frustrating waste of time and money for Zelgadis and he decided there and then that he did not like casinos. 

"Um... okay, thanks for the warning." Gourry replied good naturedly, though he would probably forget about Zelgadis' advice in the not so distant future. "How about we go get flowers instead? We're going to need them anyway, aren't we?" 

"Flowers?" Zelgadis questioned, wondering where the seemingly random suggestion came from. 

"My grandmother once told me that if I was going to a party with a girl, I should bring her a corset." Gourry recalled, almost accurately, but not quite. 

Zelgadis blinked, "A corset?" That seemed like a rather personal thing to gift a girl just because they were going to a party together. Besides, that had nothing to do with flowers. 

"Yeah," Gourry nodded, "it's like a flower bracelet," he explained, assuming that Zelgadis' confusion was due to not knowing what the word meant. That happened to Gourry a lot. 

"You mean a corsage," Zelgadis corrected. That made a lot more sense than getting a corset and it explained why there would be flowers involved. "I suppose we might as well get some." Though they had no idea what the girls' dresses looked like, they might be able to find some nice, match-anything, corsages. "I'm sure there are some shops selling them near here, since all the fancy party themed stuff is in this area." 

The thought of giving the corsage to Amelia made Zelgadis blush. He could almost picture himself stammering as he attempted to put it on her wrist if she asked him to. At least Gourry would be doing the same, Zelgadis assumed with Lina, so he might not be so embarrassed by comparison. Everyone knew that Lina had a shy side to her, but no one was suicidal enough to say it to her face. If she turned as red as her hair, Zelgadis might be encouraged to face his own corsage related trials. Everyone knows there's nothing like someone suffering a misery greater than your own to make you feel better. 

The two men were indeed able to find a store that sold corsages. With some advice from the clerk they were able to choose some nice ones that would match regardless of the color of the girls' dresses and that officially finalized their ball preparation journey. They still had some time to spare, and were still pretty sure that the girls weren't done with their shopping yet. 

From lack of something better to do, Gourry and Zelgadis decided to idly walk around the resort. The place was huge and they haven't really explored it fully yet. Besides, this way they could get ideas about where they wanted to go later even if they might not have enough time to visit right away. There were certainly a lot of rides, though the lines were huge, so those were events to be tackled with a lot of time on their hands if they decided it was worth it later. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, Lina, Amelia and Filia were indeed taking their sweet time trying on dresses for the night's main event. Lina came out of the dressing room in a bright red dress with a slit on the side that made her feel uncomfortable and a cut that made her feel the vexing need to tug the fabric up her chest constantly. She looked at the poster of a red haired woman wearing that same style of dress on the wall. She didn't know what made her think that because she and the model both had red hair she should try on that dress. It simply wasn't her style and it wouldn't be any more her style even if she put on a pair of elbow length purple gloves like the ones the model on the poster was wearing. 

Lina shook her head vigorously, being joined in the motion by her judges, Amelia and Filia, who were providing Lina with shopping support instead of making good use of their time by shopping for themselves. Determined to correct her mistake, Lina grabbed the next dress from the bunch she had picked out to try on and entered the changing room again. A few seconds later, a few obscene words were heard directed at a particularly evil zipper. A few minutes later, Lina emerged wearing a new dress. This one was pink with big puffy sleeves that looked more so silly than elegant. "I kind of like the color, but I don't know about the sleeves..." 

"It's kind of cute," Amelia commented with the tone one would use when referring to a little girl playing princess. 

Filia gave her prospective comments some thought. She didn't want to say the dress looked ridiculous and anger Lina. How could she explain that she was disagreeing with the dress and not with Lina? "Maybe you should try on something else?" Filia gently suggested. 

"I guess it wouldn't hurt," Lina returned into the dressing room and the rustling of fabric was heard as she fought with the big puffy gown in the enclosed space that was certainly not large enough to properly try on this sort of space consuming attire. She tossed the mess of pink fabric over the dressing room's door, which thankfully didn't reach all the way to the ceiling or else more than a few unfortunate women might have suffocated while battling their potential dresses. A few more minutes passed and Lina finally emerged wearing a different dress. 

The two judges looked at Lina, at each other and finally nodded in agreement. It seemed that the third try was the charm. The dress Lina was wearing was made of a shimmering white fabric that a poet would describe as being crafted from melted pearls and that's exactly what it looked like, if such a thing was possible outside of a metaphor. The white fabric was glossy enough to bring attention to the dress, without the look as a whole being too visually loud given Lina's vibrant hair color. The dress had an elegantly folded line of fabric that went below the shoulders and wrapped itself around the gown above the chest, accentuated with a line of pearls round about. Though Lina would never admit it, and she would kill anyone who pointed it out, it did a good job of making her look... well, not flat. 

Lina's dress had another line of pearls around the waist hiding the seams of the secondary layer of fabric that lay on top of the first. That extra layer was see-through and additionally glittery, but not overly so. Lina entertained the notion of wearing high heels, but remembering how difficult it was to walk in them, she decided to discard the possibility. Besides, she would have to wear ridiculously high platform shoes if she was going to be anywhere near as tall as Gourry. Lina's thoughts had unconsciously wandered away from him as she focused on choosing her attire for the night. Then her thoughts had, without her authorization, unconsciously wandered back to Gourry as she considered what he would say when he saw her in that dress. Then she remembered that rotten jellyfish girl, Miss Medusa and her blood instantly boiled with anger. 

A sour look invaded Lina's face, which made Amelia and Filia glance at each other in nervous confusion. Wasn't Lina happy to have found a pretty dress to wear that fit her so well? 

Just as quickly as the fearsome look appeared on Lina's face, it faded away and her expression turned plotting. Sure, this facial feature was less menacing, but considering the fact that this was Lina Inverse, the Lina Inverse, it was perhaps more dangerous than the first. Lina threw her head back determined. If Gourry wanted to dance with some ditzy jellyfish girl, let him! She would find some other charming, nice, amusing, handsome and all around pleasant guy to spend the ball with... Not that she thought Gourry was any of those things anyway. Oh no he wasn't, certainly not when she was mad at him and especially not when he was too stupid to realize why she was mad at him, or that she was mad at him at all. Lina twirled around, showing off for the judges one last time before looking at her reflection in a conveniently placed full length mirror. "This is the one." 

Even if they didn't know what came over Lina in the past few seconds, Amelia and Filia remained optimistic. "You look lovely, Miss Lina!" Amelia complimented. 

"Yes," Filia agreed with a smile, "this dress definitely fits you beautifully." 

With a triumphant smile Lina gave herself one last look in the mirror before declaring, "I'm going to have all the guys staring at me at the ball." She laughed evilly as she imagined herself being the center of attention of many imaginary ultra handsome men, while Gourry sulked jealously in a corner. She retreated into the dressing room and changed back into her vacation clothes, carrying the dress out with care. She treated the chosen dress a lot more nicely then the rejects, after all it didn't really mattered if those got wrinkled. Who would want to wear them anyway, if not even the beautiful Lina inverse could make them look good? "Who's next?" 

"Me! Me!" Amelia raised her hand, waiving like a student desperate to be chosen by a favorite teacher, to answer a very easy question worth a good deal of bonus points on the next test. Then she calmed down and looked at Filia with a bit of sudden shyness as it wouldn't be just to be selfish. "That is if Miss Filia doesn't mind." 

Filia laughed in good humor, "not at all. Lina and I will help you choose a dress, then you and Lina can help me choose too." 

"Right!" Amelia cheered and brought forth her own selection of dresses, taking the first one in the pile to the dressing room. 

To be Continued


	5. Chapter 5

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 013: Beautiful! Princess Parade

The first dress Amelia tried on was yellow, with the skirt arranged in a way that made it look like curtains. The top part was cut similarly to Lina's dress, without the line of pearls. Amelia looked cute in the dress, but with a lack of a point of comparison it felt too soon to decide. "What do you think?" 

"Not many people can pull off yellow like that," Lina nodded in approval. 

"That's true, it looks good, but it would be nice to see the others too." Filia had a feeling that the choice might be a closer race in this case than how it was for Lina, who ended up with two not so great dresses and a gorgeous one, making the choice obvious. 

"Okay! Here comes the next one!" Amelia cheerfully went to change into the next dress. The second dress was light blue with a different cut, small semi-puffy thin sleeves around the shoulders and decorative fabric over the skirt on the sides in a lighter blue than the dress. Sure, the first skirt looked like curtains, but it looked better than this one with the two round pieces of puffed up fabric on the sides. 

"I think this color brings out your eyes more," Filia truthfully declared. 

"Yeah, but I liked the style of the other one better," Lina finished. 

Filia nodded, "I guess they both have their positive points. Maybe the style of the other dress with this one's color," Filia suggested. 

"I wonder if they have it," Amelia mused, "before I go ask about it, I'll try on the last one from the three I picked out." Amelia repeated the changing process swiftly. Being a princess, she had more experience with gowns then Lina, thus she didn't get into any fights with any stubborn zippers. "Here's the third one, it's mostly light blue too, what do you think?" 

The judges' silent faces adorned with awed expressions spoke volumes. The dress had a simple and classic heart shaped cut on top with a heart shaped pale sapphire in the middle. It started out almost cerulean, quickly fading into a shade of sky blue until the end of the skirt finished in white. A thin see-through layer of fabric was over the dress with abundant silver glitters, parting at the sapphire heart like a thing cape around the dress, falling over the figure hugging skirt that turned flowing past the hips. Amelia looked even more beautiful than a princess was expected to look in a ball gown, she looked like an angel. 

"How beautiful, I think this is the one!" Filia finally spoke, voicing her approval. 

"Definitely!" Lina immediately agreed, "Forget asking about that other dress in a different color, you should get this one! Zel won't be able to keep his eyes off you!" She teased. 

Amelia blushed, "I hope he likes it," she whispered shyly. 

With Amelia's dress chosen, Filia was the last one who needed to pick a gown to attend the ball. "Okay, it's my turn," she drew in a deep breath. She hoped that one of her chosen dresses made her look a stunning as the effect the proper gowns had on Lina and Amelia. When that annoying Xellos saw her he would be speechless and his expression would be absolutely priceless. Then she could tease him about it and throw it in his face over and over. Wait a minute, why was she even thinking of Xellos? She was supposed to be thinking about impressing her date, that golden dragon guy... Phythan, yes, Phythan, she was dressing up all pretty for him, not for Xellos! 

Filia emerged from the dressing room in a pink dress with round sleeves and an oval shaped sapphire brooch on the chest. The skirt faded into a deeper shade of pink at the bottom. Filia liked pink and it did look nice on her, but the truth was that during their travels, everyone had gotten used to seeing Filia in pink, so the color didn't present much in the way of novelty. 

"It's pretty," Amelia sincerely commented with a smile, "it fits you nicely." 

"But it doesn't stand out," Lina finished for her with more directness. "It's definitely your style and maybe that's just it. You need something different. Something that Xellos isn't expecting you to wear." 

"Xellos?" Filia's glare landed dangerously on Lina and she growled in a warning tone. "I'm not going to the ball with Xellos. I have a date, there's no reason for me to get stuck hanging out with him. Besides, Phythan hasn't really seen me in pink, so it will be new to him. I'm trying on the other dresses anyway, but not because I want to impress Xellos!" 

Before Filia could retreat into the changing room, Lina stopped her with an interrogation. "Phythan? Who is this Phythan? Your new boyfriend?" Lina realized sourly that if Amelia was with Zelgadis, Gourry was with Medusa and Filia was with that Phythan guy, then she would be the one to get stuck with Xellos. 

"He's not my boyfriend!" Filia blushed. "He's my date," she corrected. "I met him at the resort and he gave me ice-cream. He's very nice and he's a golden dragon too." 

"How wonderful, Miss Filia," Amelia congratulated. "I'm happy that you found a nice date for the ball. Introduce him to us later, okay?" 

"Sure," Filia's agreement came up somewhat nervous. She appreciated her friends, she really did, they were just a little eccentric. She finally retreated into the dressing room, leaving Lina to contemplate her woes. Filia emerged a few minutes later with a new dress on. This one was yellow in a style very similar to the first. It also had a brooch, this time an emerald, with its frame shaped like a flower. It had orange puffy oval shaped decorations on the sides and an orange line at the end of the long yellow skirt. "What do you think of this one? Is yellow enough of a novelty for you?" As in not for Xellos? 

Amelia and Lina looked thoughtful, "this one is pretty too," Amelia finally said, "but I think I liked the first one better," she admitted. 

"Yeah," Lina agreed, "we're used to seeing you in pink, but I guess it does bring out your hair." 

"I knew pink was the right choice," Filia nodded to herself. She was still a little disappointed because her impression on the judges didn't measure up to the judges' impressions on her. Maybe she was simply one of those people who didn't look all that different than usual in a dress. Both Amelia and Lina could be tomboys, Filia rationalized, so even if Amelia was a princess, given that the group wasn't used to seeing her in full princess gear all the time, they both looked very different in dresses. Plus they usually wore pants and the group was used to seeing Filia in a long skirt, so the long skirts of the dresses, though much fancier and puffier, didn't seem all that different. It wasn't that she looked bad; Amelia and Lina had assured her she looked good, she simply wasn't a novelty, she wasn't impressive... 

"Aren't you going to try on another one?" Lina inquired. It was true that the past two dresses both looked nice on Filia. Sure, the pink one was appropriate and pretty, but it wasn't her ideal dress. 

"What for?" Filia inquired as she emerged from the changing room in her vacation clothes. "I already picked the pink one. We don't have that much time anyway and we still need shoes, accessories and masks. Not to mention that we need to do our hair and makeup." If the dress alone didn't make her look amazing, she would go all out with every other aspect of the outfit. 

"You might find a dress that you like even more," Amelia scanned the boutique, her eyes landing on emerald fabric. "What about that one?" 

Lina joined in the effort to find the perfect dress for Filia, pointing at a black dress, "or that one." 

Before Filia could protest, Lina and Amelia had bolted towards the dresses and were bringing them over for Filia to try on. The golden dragon shook her head, "I don't think this is really necessary," Filia insisted, though a part of her wanted to keep trying to find the right dress to impress Xe... Phythan. 

Lina and Amelia held the dresses out to Filia. "Come on, try these on, you might like them." Lina insisted as she took Filia's pink dress out of her hands and gave her the black one. 

"Okay..." Filia finally agreed and once again retreated into the changing room with the black dress on hand. She emerged soon after wearing the black dress Lina suggested and looking embarrassed. The dress was certainly form fitting, but the part that bothered Filia the most was how it opened in the middle of the chest in a long diamond shape. The two pieces of black fabric were held at the neck by a silver choker, and at the waist by a matching belt, the back left bare. Filia adjusted the dress on her chest, knowing that she wouldn't be able to take her hands off it, for fear that it might slip out of place, leaving her in a very embarrassing situation. "I can't wear this," she definitely decided. 

Lina tilted her head to the side and considered the matter. "I guess you're right, the black does make you look a little pale. Maybe if they had this same style in a different color..." 

"No," Filia insisted, her tone of voice leaving no further room for doubts. At this point, Filia had given up and only took the green dress Amelia was offering her for the sake of humoring her, since she had already humored Lina. She didn't expect to like the dress, but after she put it on, her mind changed. Filia emerged from the dressing room receiving the approving looks of her insistent advisers. The dress was a vibrant emerald green accentuated with golden lines. The heart shape cut of the top wasn't too prominent, with gold lines swirling from the chest to the waste, fading as if they were drops of water on the flowing green skirt. The end of the skirt had a few drops of gold for an artistic and elegant look. 

"You look beautiful, Miss Filia!" Amelia gave her approval and Filia knew that she wasn't saying it just to be nice or simply because this was the dress she suggested. 

"Amelia's right, it looks like you've found the perfect dress for the ball!" Lina completely agreed, never mind that it wasn't her own suggestion that was picked. She couldn't deny that the green dress suited Filia better than all the others she had tried on so far. 

Filia smile triumphantly, yes, this was exactly the kind of dress she was looking for. She couldn't wait for the ball; she couldn't wait to see the look on Xe- er... Phythan's face when he saw her in that dress. Then her world fell apart on her head as her jaw dropped and she pointed at a figure behind Lina and Amelia whom the other two couldn't see before. 

Lina and Amelia turned around to see a woman who looked very much like Filia, wearing the exact same dress as Filia. They had to look back and forth between the two women for a moment before it sunk in that they weren't seeing double. The other woman had, not only the same dress, but also long blond hair that was almost the exact same style as Filia's. There were some differences in their facial features, mostly the color and shape of their eyes, but they had the same style of pointed ears. "Your long lost twin sister?" Lina couldn't help it but to ask. 

"No," Filia managed to push the word out with disappointment. 

It looked like the woman was too focused on modeling the dress for her boyfriend, a brown haired human with a knightly look to him, to even notice that she was in the presence of a look alike wearing the same dress as her. The man was in turn too focused on his girlfriend to notice either. All in all, only Filia, Lina and Amelia seemed to be aware of the predicament that Filia and the woman were facing. 

"She's not even a dragon," Filia observed, focusing in sensing her energy, looking for answers. Sure, energy could be hidden, but in this case, the woman wasn't trying to. If she had been a dragon, even if Filia had never met her, she would consider going over to talk to her not about the dress, but about the possibility of them being relatives and having been unaware of it their whole lives, but the woman wasn't a golden dragon. "She's an elf," Filia informed, catching a trace of their rare but unmistakable energy. 

Elves were rare in today's world, few were left alive and even fewer decided to live among humans. Yet the elf woman seemed quite happy as she emerged from the changing room in her normal clothes with the dress in hand and, linking her arm with her boyfriend, they merrily strode over to pay for the dress. The happy couple was saying something about the masquerade ball from what they could hear. Filia thought she overheard their names as being Deedlit and Parn. 

"She's buying it? The nerve of her!" Lina was ready to defend Filia's dress, but Filia's hand on her shoulder stopped her. 

"It's okay," Filia insisted, trying to make Lina calm down. "She didn't even see us, it's not her fault. Besides, she already bought the dress and look how happy they are about the ball. Let's not bother them." 

Lina pouted, "you can't show up in the same dress as your look alike! If not for the difference in species, I would seriously suspect that she's your twin, or at least your sister." 

"I'll pick another dress," Filia concluded. She could have simply settled for the pink dress that she had intended to choose at first, but it didn't feel good enough anymore. Letting out a deep breath, she changed back into her vacation clothes, discarded all the dresses she had tried on so far and went in search of a new one. 

As Lina, Amelia and Filia browsed around the boutique, a few suggestions came up on Filia's possible dresses, but none of them seemed right to Filia. "Maybe this one..." it was kind of flashy, not in an elaborate sense, but in the sense that the fabric was golden and very shiny, the light bouncing off every inch of the dress. Filia went to try it on while Amelia and Lina looked around some more. "What do you think?" 

The judges shook their heads almost instantly with Amelia focusing on finding a polite way to express her disapproval and Lina holding her hand over her eyes. "You're blinding us with that, it's too shiny!" Lina found an eloquent way to express their mutual concern and Amelia was left to nod in inevitable agreement. 

Sighing at her prolonged dress dilemma, Filia changed back into her vacation clothes and continued browsing. She spotted some pretty purple fabric and reached out to have a better look at the dress. She instantly withdrew her hand as if it had been burned. It was the same color as Xellos' hair and that made it automatically hideous. She glared at the dress as if it had personally offended her, then examined the one next to it. It had that same deep shade of violet found on Xellos' hair, but that was only on the details, as the majority of the fabric was instead a softer shade of lilac. Filia's hand tentatively reached out for the dress, wondering if she should excuse those bits of Xellos purple on it... not that 'Xellos purple' was a real color name. 

The lilac dress with the Xellos purple, I mean purple, details, was snatched away by the hands of Lina Inverse, who eyed it critically before holding it up for Filia to take, "what about this one?" 

Filia paused uncertain until Amelia suggested, "you should try it on, Miss Filia." That's when Filia noticed she was being silly. She took the dress with determination and more courage than the activity of trying on a dress should normally require. It's not like Xellos owned the color purple anyway. 

After a few minutes in the changing room, Filia emerged in the suggested dress. Thin straps of fabric surrounded her shoulders culminating in a V shaped cut on the top of the dress. The gown hugged her waist with an elegant fold of fabric accentuated with a small amethyst flower brooch over the right hip, the thin folds of the lilac skirt showing hints of the purple layer underneath. This time Filia didn't look like a beautiful elf from a magical forest, she looked like the princess of all beautiful elves; except of course for the fact that she was in reality a dragon, not that anyone could tell just by looking, unless they knew what to look for. 

"This is it, Miss Filia!" Amelia cheered, clapping her hands together in admiration. "This dress looks even better than the other one!" 

"Amelia's right, this one's more elegant. You should definitely wear it." Lina proudly declared, since it was she who found the dress, never mind that Filia was already eyeing it when she picked it up. 

Filia smiled in satisfaction, "alright, it's been decided." With that said, the girls took a moment to examine the price tags on the dresses. 

Amelia might have been the best accustomed to having a closet full of expensive gowns, even if she preferred not to wear them if she could help it, and even she thought the dresses were pricey. "They're of very fine quality though, so it's not all that surprising and they all have jewels as part of the dress so that really adds to their value." 

"Let's not forget, Amelia's actually a princess," Lina reminded as if it was easy to forget about that detail, which it was, though they were clearly reminded a short while ago when Amelia was all dressed up. "That means that she knows about dresses, so if she says these are high quality products, that's because they are. Besides," Lina grinned greedily, "we're charging all of this to Xellos' reservation, remember?" Never mind that she might still have some store credit left, it was her store credit for her souvenirs, which would consist mostly of overpriced gourmet candy. 

Amelia was the only one that looked a bit doubtful at Lina's suggested plan, with just a hint of guilt, but she was quickly persuaded into partaking of it by the determined and satisfied looks that Lina and Filia had on their faces. Sure, she could attempt to use the Seyruun royal family crest and allow the bill to be forwarded to her father, but he probably wouldn't appreciate the gesture as much as he would appreciate a nice little souvenir when she got back from her vacation. So it was settled, they would just charge everything to Xellos. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 014: Charmed! Enchanted and Mesmerized

"It's getting dark," Zelgadis observed. He and Gourry were passing the time looking around the resort until it was time to go to the ball. They had gotten a few looks, some of scorn and some of understanding, that Gourry didn't understand and Zelgadis decided he didn't want to understand. A girls' night out in a somewhat romantic place was fine, because people expected normal girl bonding to occur in such a place, as they played make over and plotted against man kind, but a guys night out in the same place? Zelgadis wasn't sure if people were assuming they had been dumped or... Or maybe it was time to stop thinking at all. "We should head back and get changed, then go to the north dome for the ball." 

"Right, the girls won't like it if we're late," a few curious eavesdroppers gained a look of realization upon the mention of girls that were apparently waiting for them. The two men walking down the street in a resort crowded with couples were suddenly a whole lot less interesting. "We walked a lot," Gourry absentmindedly commented, his flip-flops making the continual flip-flopping sound that characterized such a type of comfortable footwear when dragged with equal amounts of laziness and energy along the street. 

Flip... flop... flip... flop... "Shoes!" Zelgadis suddenly exclaimed, "Gourry, we completely forgot about the shoes! We got the suits, the masks and even the corsets," cue the odd looks. "I mean corsages," un-cue the odd looks. "But we didn't get shoes. We can't show up in these," he gestured towards their feet, "and our traveling shoes are too worn out for this sort of thing." 

Gourry blinked, clearly not understanding the predicament. "So.... we should get new shoes!" He felt rather smart for figuring that out. 

"Yes, but the shops that sell formal shoes are all the way in the other side of the resort, we'll have to run." Without further ado, Zelgadis wrapped his arms securely around the bag containing the parcels with the suit, mask and corsage, and broke into a run. Gourry followed him, both men nearly falling and actually falling on several occasions along the way, enforcing the theory that men are incapable of running in flip-flops. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Hurry, we're late!" Filia urged as she made a mad dash towards the north dome, with her skirt bunched up to her knees, clutched in her hands, her high heels making fast tap-tap noises on the street. 

"Wait for me!" Lina tripped for what felt like the millionth time. As it had happened in several occasions before, kind Amelia tried to catch her, but this time both girls toppled to the ground. 

"Miss Lina," Amelia complained from under Lina. "Why do you wear high heels if you know you can't walk in them?" Let alone run. 

Amelia's lack of her usual characteristic encouragement was not helping Lina feel any better about her choice in shoes. It didn't help that she had purchased a dress that was too long for her height thinking that the flowing skirt that touched the floor was pretty. It was indeed pretty, but not convenient. She had decided to correct the miscalculation at the last minute by wearing high heels, but it wasn't working out. "That's it! Levitation!" Floating in the air only a foot or two above the ground, Lina discarded her uncomfortable white pearl decorated heels and resolved to simply levitate for the rest of the night. There should be enough food at the ball to keep her energy sufficiently replenished. 

"Great idea," Filia had trailed back to her fallen companions, extending a helping hand towards Amelia, who was finally able to get up after Lina got off her. Filia took both girls' hands and shouted, "levitation!" springing forward in mid air with all her might. She slowed down as she reached the top of the long staircase were two familiar people seemed to be engrossed in the task of catching their breath. 

"Do you think we made it on time?" Gourry breathed, he and Zelgadis had gone back to the shoe store, bought some appropriate shoes, went to the hotel for some quick showering and changing and hurried to the north dome. 

"At least we're not too late," at least Zelgadis hoped they weren't. He adjusted his mask on his face, though the half of his face that was visible made his identity easy to guess for anyone who knew him. He looked up and saw a most awe inspiring sight. Three girls floated up the stairs like gorgeous angels, drawing quite a few spectators to look at them. 

"Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia's mask looked more like a tiara than a mask. After she found such a nice dress that matched her eyes, Filia and Lina insisted that she should not hide them. The main part of the mask was on her forehead in the shape of an eagle of pale blue feathers with royal blue accents and silver glitters. The tiara-like mask had two lines of feathers framing the face giving it a more mask-like appearance, without getting in the way of Zelgadis staring into Amelia's eyes and blushing like a ripe tomato. 

The Seyruun princess had blue eye shadow with a silvery outline that matched her dress perfectly, her long eyelashes standing out elegantly. Her lips were a slightly more vibrant shade of natural pink than usual with a noticeable gloss to them, that a romance novel might describe as irresistibly kissable. Though such thoughts did fly through Zelgadis' brain, he seemed over all too paralyzed to say or do anything. She had sapphire heart earrings that matched the heart shaped sapphire brooch on her dress and a single bracelet with small heart shaped sapphires on her left wrist. Her hair was more relaxed than usual, giving the impression that it was longer, touching her shoulders in glossy dark strands. 

"A..." Zelgadis opened his mouth with a great deal of effort as the girls landed. "Me..." He continued trying to articulate the name which seemed to consume all the strength he had in him. "Amelia..." 

Amelia smiled brightly, that encouraging smile that he so loved, and took a few steps forward towards Zelgadis. Deciding that she should be the one to break the ice and ease the atmosphere she blushed and complimented sincerely, "you look very handsome Mr. Zelgadis." 

If it was at all possible, Zelgadis blushed even more as he made a bigger effort to recover the capability of speech. "You're beautiful," he finally stated. Remembering the corsage, he held it towards Amelia. It was less match-anything than he had initially hoped for, as it held a lovely blue flower. He thought that regardless of what Amelia was wearing it would at least match her eyes and that had been close enough to match-anything for him when he got it. Now it turned out that it matched the blue of her accessories perfectly. "I... um... for you..." 

Amelia's eyes lit up with pure joy. "Thank you, Mr. Zelgadis!" With all the happiness her voice carried anyone would think she had just been given the entire world as a gift. Yet any gift from Zelgadis meant the world to her. She extended her right hand happily, her smile making her glow with joy. "Help me put it on?" Her nails were sky blue with sapphire glitters at the tips. 

Zelgadis nodded and after several hand trembling failed attempts, he relaxed sufficiently to manage the task of putting the corsage around Amelia's wrist, not letting go of her hand after the task was done. Amelia in turn linked arms with Zelgadis, her fingers laced with his as they entered the large dome in their own fantasy world. 

It was clear that Amelia and Zelgadis were not about to notice the rest of the universe any time soon. Filia stepped aside and wondered if she would witness a similar scene from Gourry and Lina. 

Lina floated at the top of the stairs, her long white skirt flowing in the light breeze, more so since she was levitating. Her hair was pulled into a half ponytail held together with pearls that matched the dress and earrings, the rest flowing down her back. Pearls also went from the side of her head, the line of precious jewels reaching the half-ponytail in a decorative hairstyle. She wore a bracelet that consisted of three lines of pearls and light flattering makeup that gave her eyes a silvery pink glow with her lips standing out in a nice shade of glossy pink. The renowned bandit killer reached out a hand to innocently stroke her hair, secretly trying her best to be irresistible. Her nails were pink with a pearly glow that made them appear both white and pink depending on how the light reached them. 

Gourry was looking at her, he seemed interested. Lina was burning with rage at the jellyfish mask he was wearing, but she was willing to let it go if he sincerely begged for her forgiveness. He took a step forward, he was about to speak. Lina waited, she wouldn't say anything first, let him be the one to realize his grave error in ignoring her over some flirty jellyfish girl. Then the interruption came... 

"There you are, Gourry! I was waiting for you!" Miss Medusa emerged from the white marble walls of the dome and latched onto Gourry's arm immediately. She was wearing a white dress or more so a skirt since those sea creature people were more like a head with limbs than anything resembling a torso. Her white skirt became semi-transparent just above the knees and down, showing off her shapely legs. Her heels were white, adorned with pearls, very similar to the ones that Lina decided she wasn't willing to put up with. On each tentacle Miss Medusa wore a lovely pearl bracelet and her mask was a butterfly. 

That was crossing the line. Medusa had stolen Gourry, she had stolen the general concept of her outfit being white and pearls and she was wearing a mask quite similar to hers too. Lina glared behind the beautiful white butterfly that hid half her face with a few pink glitters adorning its wings. Medusa had a larger version of that same mask on her face. 

"Hi, Miss Medusa," Gourry greeted with a friendly smile. "I just got here and-" 

"And you couldn't wait to dance with me? How sweet!" Medusa cut him off and dragged him away by the arm. "I love your mask!" 

Gourry smiled sheepishly, "thanks, I'm glad you like it." He glanced back at Lina as he was dragged off inside. "Lina, Filia, do you want to come hang out with us?" 

"No!" Lina snapped angrily. She floated past Gourry eradiating hot anger into the atmosphere around her. Inside the dome, she didn't even take a moment to notice anything or anyone and made a bee line for the biggest buffet table. 

"Oh, okay, I guess we'll hang out later, Lina." Gourry looked disappointed, but accepted the event with his usual patience for Lina. He glanced at Filia, who seemed to want to glare a hole through his skull, and concluded that perhaps she didn't want to hang out with him and Miss Medusa either. Seriously, girls were so confusing sometimes. "Um... see you later," he went inside the white marble dome, finally allowing Medusa to completely drag him away. 

Filia was left standing on top of the long marble stairs at the northern end of the main street, muttering something about men. For a fleeting moment she wondered if Xellos, rather than teleporting, would walk up those stairs and find her standing there. She had found some nice lilac heels with amethyst decorations. Her earrings were small but exquisitely detailed amethyst flowers. A portion of her hair was braded on the sides of her face, the braids twirling around her head like a golden crown, the rest falling down the back of her head, held in place by another amethyst flower. Tiny amethysts like miniscule flower petals adorned her hair, making its beauty truly stand out. 

Her eyes were adorned in purple eye shadow that faded into lilac, her lips a pink-ish shade of lilac with shiny gloss. Her mask was small with thin wings extending over the eyes originating from a round amethyst in the lower middle of her forehead. It was a fairy, a representation of an orb of light with wings originating from the barely perceptible silhouette in the center of the light. 

The flowers and chosen mask made Filia look more so like a magical elf, a mythical creature whose beauty could only be born of legends. But she was real and she was waiting, yet no one was coming for her. Filia caught herself thinking of Xellos again and pushed the thoughts away. She would be fine as soon as she was with Phythan, she would be able to focus on him then. Maybe he was already inside waiting for her. She entered the dome to find him. 

The rounded structure of the north dome with its impeccable white marble walls and long dramatic, though tiring, stairs, looked far more impressive and beautiful from the outside than Filia had imagined. The look was accentuated by the fact that it was on a hill, holding it above the rest of the resort on a backdrop of clear starry skies. 

Yet the inside of the dome was far more amazing. Everything was made of white marble, with several decorative paintings hanging from the walls, depicting a variety of romantic scenes. Sunrises, sunsets, fields of flowers, ocean views, her eyes traveled from one painting to another as if she was in a museum filled with precious art. Tables with appetizing abundant food were scattered about all around the circular structure of the dome with lovely carved columns forming an inner circle at the center within which the dance floor was. Smaller column-like stands adorned the area with beautifully crafted flower vases holding red and white roses. 

She paused and looked up; admiring the crystal chandeliers, then realized that the round ceiling of the elegant dome was made of glass. The chandeliers were literally floating, their gems infused with a long lasting levitation spell. The night sky was amazing, the stars shining like diamonds. Forget having balls in a castle, this place was so much better! The entire ambiance was further enhanced by the music played by a live orchestra, completing the magical feel of the location. 

While Filia was admiring the atmosphere and decorations, one of the vases caught her eye, filled with white roses. She approached the vase and gently touched it with her fingers, nails delicately painted with lilac and purple water marble lines. Feeling the smooth surface of the vase, Filia realized that her thought was unmistakable. This was her vase, one she had crafted from scratch with her own hands and painted with care... Or at least that's how her fluttering heart re-colored the picture in her memories at first, albeit the truth resurfaced as she remembered. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

It had been a rough day for Filia. She attempted to craft a vase to relax, then Xellos snuck up on her and caused her to ruin the almost finished product. As a result the vase had an asymmetrical diagonally lopsided look to it. 

After an argument with Xellos and the creative use of art supplies as tools of attempted, yet failed, murder, Filia decided not to throw away the vase after all. It wasn't perfect, but its accidental deformation had a certain rare artistic quality to it. She was trying to paint the vase when Xellos returned far too soon for her liking, though she would assure that if he never returned it would have been too soon anyway. He made a mess of things again, the paint splashing all over her workspace, clothes and the work in progress of the vase. She was using purple and white, colors that she had subconsciously picked without giving them much thought. 

Subsequent to chasing Xellos out of her home once again, Filia looked at the mess that was the vase. The paint had splashed all over it, dying it in shades of purple and white, the two colors mixing together in several patches of lilac and lavender. Filia wasn't in the mood to clean the mess; she was too tired and left it for the next day. When she got around to cleaning up on the following morning, she begrudgingly noticed that the vase really didn't look so bad. The splashes of paint looked somewhat elegant, with unique artistic passion. The thought was roughly pushed away as soon as it was formed and Filia set out to rid herself of the offending vase. 

As the trashcans in her work space were full, Filia angrily carried the vase to the front of the shop seeking to dump it in the smaller trashcan next to the front counter of the store. It was there just in case clients came in with half finished sodas and candy bars that they finished while still browsing the store. Then they would have no excuse to stuff the wrappers and containers in random vases because they didn't have the patience to wait until they came across a trashcan, there would be one readily available and clearly visible right there. 

"What a beautiful vase!" An old lady whom Filia didn't recognize exclaimed as soon as she saw the vase. The lady had the appearance of an old tourist who had all the time in the world to roam all over creation and the economical resources to back it up. 

"Ah, you like this one, my dear?" The old gentleman standing next to the lady smiled. "Then we shall purchase it for our collection." 

"This?" Filia voiced in disbelief. She couldn't let such a vase exist in the world and be linked to her. Some may see it as elegant and original and with a little polishing it could be, but it was a product of Xellos causing trouble and that made it a terrible artifact. "Oh, you don't want this old thing, I'm sure there are far better vases to choose from at the shop. This one is all crooked; I was just about to throw it away." 

"Don't," the lady strode forward, her aged hands taking the vase away from Filia and cradling it. "It's smoothly curved, asymmetrical but elegant. Uneven in an artistic way, yet perfectly balanced." She demonstrated the fact by setting the vase down gently on the front counter. "It takes a lot of skill to make original shapes like this, more skill than what it takes to make the classic styles of the others. Please, sell me this vase; I must have it for our collection!" 

Before Filia could find her voice in the face of such a strong yet pleading argument, the lady's husband stepped forward and set a large bag of golden coins on the counter. Jillas, who had been minding the store standing behind the counter throughout the entire scene was left in shock as the elderly man inquired, "will this be enough to purchase the vase?" 

"Sold!" Jillas cheered and happily wrapped the newly purchased item for the generous happy customers. Filia would give him an earful about it later. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The truth about the vase's origin resurfaced in Filia's mind and she withdrew her hand away from it before she got the irresistible urge to break it. She didn't know how the vase got there, but she was certain it was the same one; artists knew their own work. Filia walked away from the vase not pleased that she kept finding reminders about Xellos all around. She needed to find Phythan and the sooner the better. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 015: Bells! At The Stroke of Midnight

Filia made her way through the spacious setting of the masquerade ball. She had not set a specific time to meet with Phythan, but there was a possibility that he was already there. The ball was going on full force at the height of the party with music, dancing and a lot of food that was constantly replenished, only to have to be replenished again, because the redhead in the white dress kept devouring everything. 

Filia sighed, what if Phythan wasn't coming? The place was big, but they couldn't have missed each other all this time. She had tried walking around, she had tried staying still, she had tried standing by the main entrance, she had tried hanging out by the buffet table, that is one that Lina wasn't assaulting, but nothing worked. She had been there for over two hours and there was no sign of her date. Maybe he only intended to be there for the later part of the ball near the end or maybe he just forgot. 

Filia contemplated the floor for several minutes until she felt someone approaching. He was wearing a tuxedo like all the men there were, and a rather large mask in comparison to her small one. His mask was in the shape of a golden dragon, but instead of scales it had feathers like a phoenix, a combination of fire bird and dragon. The mask covered the entire area above his nose, his eyes unseen behind it, the feathers cascading to his shoulders. He took her hand, the light bouncing off her delicate petal shaped amethyst bracelets, he kissed her hand and examined her expression. 

All the pent up frustration Filia was feeling melted away. So what if her date was late? He was there and he was even more charming than she remembered, though he was certainly on the quiet side. He seemed to be leading her towards the dance floor and she happily went along. He still had not said a single word and neither had she. They could talk later, for the time being just enjoying each other's presence as they moved to the sound of the music was enough. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

While Filia's mood improved, Lina's got worse. She ate and ate not only for the sake of replenishing the energy she used up from constantly levitating, but also to calm her temper and stop herself from Dragon Slaving the entire dome, leaving nothing but a crater on the ground. 

"How could you!" Miss Medusa's shrill voice pierced the air as Lina finished all the food on one of the tables and moved to the next. The noise caught her attention and she watched as Gourry placed a hand behind his head in confusion, with an expression that clearly showed he had no idea what he had done wrong. "I hate you!" Miss Medusa ran away with tears in her eyes. Gourry initially followed Medusa, but she screamed, "don't follow me!" 

Gourry stopped running and replied, "okay," with abundantly present confusion. If Medusa said she didn't want to be followed, it would just make her angrier for her request to be ignored, right? Such was Gourry's literal line of thinking in his effort to understand the female species. He spotted Lina looking in his direction, though the redhead quickly turned her attention back to the food. He approached her with a friendly smile and picked up a sandwich casually, "hey Lina, having fun?" 

Lina snatched away the sandwich and swallowed it in one gulp. "This is my table," she declared with the fury of a territorial wild beast. "I see Miss Medusa left you alone, well you had it coming!" 

"I did?" Gourry sighed in confusion. "I really don't understand girls. "I mean it was simple enough when we were just friends, but this dating thing is complicated and the confusion spreads to everyone around. I guess this is what my grandmother meant when she used to tell me that things change when you start dating someone." 

"Dating?" Lina growled, "so this was an official date with that jellyfish girl!" It had been her assumption from the start, but to hear the sour truth being so casually declared made Lina's anger rise to unprecedented intensities. 

"No, I mean with you," Gourry laughed as if it was no big deal. 

Lina's face suddenly turned as red as her hair, her anger unexpectedly disarmed. "What?" 

"I mean, Amelia and Zelgadis looked like they were on a date. Who can tell with Filia and Xellos?" Gourry began his explanation. "I thought that since the others were doing it, then you wouldn't be shy about it. That's why I got you candy, my grandmother said that candy was a good thing to give a girl on a first date." 

"That was a date?" Lina realized that Gourry was talking about the candy he gave her after they went to the aquarium. "What about Medusa?" 

"She's my friend," Gourry stated as if it were obvious. "I thought we could all hang out together and have fun. I danced with her because she really wanted to and well... that's what friends are for, right? Doing stuff that their friends want to do so that they have fun. Then I told her that I was getting hungry, plus I haven't danced with my date yet or given her the corset." 

"Corset?" Lina questioned with a weirded out expression. 

Gourry continued as if the interruption had never occurred. "She asked what I meant and I said that I haven't danced with you yet, then she got all mad. I guess I didn't follow my grandmother's advice as well as I thought. She said that if I didn't treat my date properly then I would be in trouble. But you looked like you needed some space, so I thought I was doing the right thing by giving it to you." He reached into his pocket where a square shape was protuberant in the fabric. Miss Medusa thought it was an engagement bracelet for her, as she had no real fingers to put on a ring, since she had tentacles. She hinted that she would say yes as they danced, but Gourry didn't catch any of the allusions. The square space was actually a box containing a white lily corsage with a light pink tint to it. "This is the corset I got for you." 

Lina looked at the item that was obviously not a corset. "It's called a corsage!" She corrected, then the reality finally sunk in that Gourry was only spending time with Medusa as a friend and that, though he failed to properly inform either of them, he viewed this as a date with Lina. Lina's face turned an even brighter shade of red than her hair and she nervously extended her hand for Gourry to put on the corsage, an activity that he accomplished with a good amount of ease. Then the romantic moment was ruined by Gourry's loud stomach. "I guess you're hungry," it should come as no surprise since he spent the entire time he was there dancing with Miss Medusa, unlike Lina, who was eating. "Let's clean out all the tables in this place, it's not every day that we can feast on fancy food like this!" 

"Alright!" Gourry cheered. The awkwardness of the situation melted away into the familiarity of each others appetites as the gluttonous couple bonded lovingly in their own special way. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, Filia had been led away from the crowd approaching the small, ignored, back door of the dome. They went out through there finding themselves in a dark garden consisting of natural flowers, not particularly arranged in any shape. The hill that was smooth and grassy on the opposite side where the main entrance was, turned rocky and treacherous on that side. On the edge of a small forest that one may assume would eventually fall to the expansion of the already large resort. But for the time being, it was dark and thick. 

The place wasn't as well groomed as what was clearly visible for the tourists, but it had a certain wild romantic charm to it. Filia sighed contently, allowing her date to wrap his arms around her, tilting her face towards his, closer... closer... then she stopped and looked towards the skies. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" Filia mentally kicked herself for the interruption, Phythan wanted to kiss her and she wanted to kiss him, so what was stopping her? Maybe it was too soon or perhaps it was his silence that had her on edge. "How come you're so quiet today?" 

He shrugged and finally spoke, "you're always telling me to shut up, so I thought I would humor you, just this once. I must say it's been terribly boring. I bet you missed our quarrels, even if you deny it, you admire my cunning intellect to prove you wrong on every argument." That unmistakable mocking smugness... 

"Xellos!" She didn't have to see him without the mask he still wore to know it was him. No wonder something felt off. The illusion of a wonderful romantic ball was nothing but wishful thinking on her part. She had not seen Phythan anywhere. Either he stood her up, which filled Filia with anger, or he saw her dancing with another man, felt cheated and left, which filled Filia with dread. Then again, she was sure she would rather be dumped than seen with Xellos. 

"Yes?" Xellos grinned with false innocence and real amused cheer. 

Clenching her fists on her sides and mentally threatening the tears forming in her eyes not to dare to come out, Filia strongly wished she had her mace. "You tricked me," she stated with venom in her voice. 

"And you made it oh so difficult," Xellos sarcastically teased with a satisfied grin that Filia desperately wanted to forcefully wipe off his face. Although, he knew that her accusation meant she thought he was someone else, he didn't realize that the someone else had a specific expected identity. 

Filia was furious. Xellos tricked her and he almost weaseled another kiss out of her. What was wrong with him? It's not that he liked her, because monsters couldn't like anyone, he was just trying to annoy her. This was crossing the line, it was going too far. Filia raised her hands and curled them into fists for a physical attack, her lips slightly parted to accompany the onslaught with a verbal assault, but she was interrupted. Every hour on the hour, the sound of bells echoed from outside near the dome, reminding the guests of what time it was. 

The sound could be heard in the area outside louder than inside as it echoed in the northern border of the resort. Yet it didn't originate from any of the tourist attractions in the resort. Instead it came from a clock tower shrouded in mist in the center of the thick dark forest behind the dome. The terrain was undeveloped and looked abandoned, so why the clock tower still function with such precise accuracy was anyone's guess. This time there was no music as it barely filtered out of the dome and there were no noisy crowds as no one thought to go back there. There was nothing but the forest between Xellos, Filia and the clock tower that stretched out high above the trees. The bells were easy to miss in other parts of the resort, nothing but a faint distant echo, but from their current location they were loud, as if demanding attention. 

When the first bell rung out, Filia was startled. The second bell was expected and she tried to ignore it. When the third bell came, she wondered why she even paused. The forth bell echoed and Filia had not yet punched or insulted Xellos. With the fifth bell Filia began to relax her clenched fists. The sixth bell made her lower her hands slightly and the seventh made her lower her hands all the way. With the eight bell her mouth closed, insults unspoken. With the ninth bell she drew in a big breath of fresh air and with the tenth bell she exhaled her tensions. It was like counting to ten to ease her anger, except the clock was doing it for her. 

With the echo of the eleventh bell hanging in the air, Xellos grinned and approached the edge of the cliff. He jumped with the twelfth bell and before the echo was done fading away, he was gone, he disappeared before he hit the ground below, teleporting in mid air. A golden feather that had fallen off his mask as he vanished was carried towards Filia by the gentle breeze. She caught the feather and examined it, noticing that a purple hair had gotten caught on it. 

Filia looked towards the mist covered shadow of the clock tower in the center of the forest, then approached the cliff and looked down, even if she knew she would not find any signs of Xellos. Then she held up her open palm and let the breeze carry away the golden feather with the purple hair. Filia turned around and entered the dome, she was hungry. If she was lucky maybe Lina had left a little food for the other ball attendees. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos discarded his mask, carelessly throwing it in the forest. While he was out looking for a mask before the ball and pondering the general situation, Zangulus had approached him. "There you are," he voiced upon seeing Xellos at the mask shop. 

"Why hello, Zangulus," Xellos smiled, following his usual friendly act. "Have they assigned you another task to perform instead of taking care of the restaurant?" 

"Yes," Zangulus revealed, "I'm actually supposed to be on break right now, but the boss asked me to do something else and is paying me extra for the service, so I don't mind." Now wearing his normal clothes instead of his waiter uniform, Zangulus retrieved an envelope from under his hat. "I was asked to deliver this letter to you. It's from Mr. Metallium himself." 

The name caught Xellos' interest right away; though he didn't think there was actually a connection between the mysterious boss of Amor Resort and his own boss and mother, Zelas Metallium. Humans sometimes adopt the names of powerful creatures in hopes of giving out the illusion that they are powerful themselves. Nevertheless, Xellos was curious as to why the resort's boss wanted to send him correspondence. "Interesting," Xellos accepted the enveloped curiously. "Might you have an idea of what this is about?" He pried for any additional information that was not written in the letter. 

Zangulus shrugged, "I have no idea," he sounded sincere. "Did you send in a job application or something?" 

"Not that I recall," Xellos realized that Zangulus had no significant information about this letter. He was only the delivery boy and he had done his part. "I thank you for bringing me this message," he smiled putting on a nice act, despite all past deeds that Zangulus might be aware of. Even if Xellos was a monster, even if people learned that truth, even with all that, his nature was easy to ignore for most, he made it that way for his convenience. "Take this for your time," he handed Zangulus a few coins for him to add to the Zoana Kingdom restoration fund. 

"Thanks!" Zangulus went merrily on his way, glad with the lucrative results of his overtime venture. 

Xellos wasted no time in fading away to a more private area to read the letter. Inside the enveloped addressed simply to 'Mr. Xellos' there was a single white sheet of ordinary paper carrying a message consisting of ordinary letters, written with ordinary black ink. Yet those ordinary letters with their ordinary yet neat penmanship, arranged in such a way, held a message that was anything but ordinary. 

The rarity of the latter began with the very first line where the receiver was greeted as "General Xellos Metallium," a line and an indentation later there was a simple request. "Should you find yourself with the time and in the mood to do so, I would be honored if you could meet me in the clock tower in the center of the forest behind the north dome tonight at midnight." The short request was the entirety of the message, with nothing more than a parting word and a signature below it. "Respectfully, Celo Metallium." 

Xellos' purple eyes had opened completely automatically, as he scanned the letter with growing curiosity. He considered showing up at the appointed location immediately, but decided to wait, just to see what would happen if he followed the letter's request. Besides, the sender addressing him as general meant that he knew who Xellos was and he had been careful to sound respectful when writing the letter. Xellos folded the letter and placed it back in its ordinary envelope. The surprise was fading fast and so was Xellos' curiosity as he came up with likely theories that could explain the message. 

So what if that so called Mr. Metallium knew that Xellos was a monster general? There was a number of ways about how the knowledge could have reached him. Maybe it had only been a rumor that the man was stupid enough to believe though it turned out to b true in the end. Celo was probably another foolish human who wanted to gain the power of the monsters. Maybe he was a worshiper of Zelas and was hoping that Xellos would introduce him to her, as if that would ever happen. This Celo person was probably insignificant, he had to be. He couldn't be related to the murderous force after Xellos' life because that powered rivaled that of the monster lords and a mere human, especially one so desperately seeking power, couldn't already possess such a power. 

Yet the fact remained that the strange occurrences were taking place in Celo's resort, in the place that he administrated and by the looks of it also owned. Maybe he knew something after all, though Xellos thought it was highly unlikely that the man he assumed to be a human would know anything if he who was a monster general had not been able to find any significant information. Nonetheless, his curiosity was just enough to attend to the requested meeting at midnight. 

Thus there he stood hours later, in front of the clock tower, still in his suit from the ball, minus the mask that had been carelessly tossed away. Xellos could simply teleport inside, but he chose not to, instead pulling the old rope that was attached to a bell that hung from a small pole on the wall beside the door. The bells' sound seemed louder in the absolute silence of the dark misty forest than its size dictated it should have been. 

To be Continued


	6. Chapter 6

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 016: Unbelievable! Secrets and Surprises

Not even a full second had passed since Xellos rung the bell when the door to the clock tower was opened, revealing the dim interior. A few torches of unusual blue fire projected a dim, yet sufficient light inside the entrance room. The structure itself was made of wood, clearly old and worn as every floor board creaked and the top of the building threatened to fall apart every time it was visited by the soft breeze that managed to pass above the trees. 

The man at the door was wearing formal attire, an elegant tuxedo that didn't stand out, but was still fancy in its simple way. He had gray hair with a few white strands and the average face of an average aging human, save for his eyes. His eyes were the color of deep amethyst with a certain sharpness to them that resembled Xellos' own perceptive eyes. "I, Celo Metallium, am honored by your arrival, General Xellos Metallium, please, come in." The elderly man stepped aside and bowed politely, beckoning Xellos inside. 

Xellos stepped through the door and waited for the man to close it before, with a grin on his face he voiced, "let us not be so formal." His tone was friendly as it was his usual act. "After all, if your surname is true, then that would make us brothers." There was a certain hint of mockery in his voice. 

Celo chuckled lightly, "I wonder if a mere middle level monster should dare to call a monster general brother, what with the implications of equality and all." 

So Celo was supposed to be a middle level monster? Yeah, right, his energy felt distinctly human. Maybe he was hinting at what he hoped to achieve. "Let's cut to the chase," Xellos encouraged with a barely perceptible impatient undertone. 

"Yes," Celo agreed. "Let us speak in the tea room, I'm sure you will be more comfortable there, general Xellos." Celo led the way to one of the many rooms of the clock tower. The room was just as rustic and simple as the rest of the building, with creaking wooden floor boards and simple wooden furniture with dark red cushions. They sat at a table with tea and cookies already set out. "As I'm sure you already noticed, someone is out to take your life," Celo stated with a careful voice. 

"Indeed, it's hard not to notice someone trying to kill you," Xellos tentatively eyed the snacks on the table, wondering if he should rise to the challenge and eat some. "I don't suppose you have information about those incidents?" 

"From what I gather, the culprit is the Green Alchemist. Of course, his very existence is doubtful in itself," Celo picked up his teacup and drank casually. 

"Do continue," Xellos took a drink from his tea. 

"The Green Alchemist is or was a human who specialized in healing potions. It is said he hated monsters very much and longed to exterminate them all," Celo explained. "Apparently, his plan was to pit the monster lords against each other by causing a tempting lack of balance in their power, which would hopefully drive the others to attack the exposed party. However, all his attempts failed, for even if he focused his efforts in exterminating monsters serving the same monster lord, it was never enough to make a difference, as they were only low ranked monsters." 

"So, this Green Alchemist is now after me, a monster general, in hopes that my extermination will affect lord Beast Master in such a way that the remaining lords will covet her territory and try to take it in the absence of her general priest." Xellos concluded, taking a cookie and eating it. It was sweet and delicious with rich chocolate chips. 

"Exactly," Celo confirmed. "Although, I'm sure his attempts have been merely an annoyance at best, the Green Alchemist, or whoever is claiming to be the Green Alchemist is usually not foolish enough to attack high level monsters, let alone a monster general. This brings me to believe a plot is in the works. The rumors of the truths and dares of the monsters travel fast, even to the lower ranks that are not allowed to participate. It is not unthinkable that even humans would hear something about it, especially if they're keeping an ear out for news. I believe the Green Alchemist knows of the circumstances." 

Xellos raised an eyebrow questioningly, his tone the slightest bit defensive among his friendly act. "Filia..." 

"Ah yes, the cure," Celo paused in thought for a moment. "I believe the Green Alchemist is not likely to target her. He does not believe the curse can be broken." 

Xellos' purple eyes were now open in a glare. To speak so casually of the curse not being broken... the tone of absolute respect behind Celo's voice made it far more infuriating. It was as if he was saying, you are far more powerful than me, but you still can't do anything. You can kill me, but you can't solve your problem. "Who are you?" 

Celo smiled respectfully, "I am Celo Metallium, a servant of Beast Master Zelas Metallium, though some monsters know me simply as Zelas' suicidal researcher." 

Realization reached Xellos, "how is it that you're human?" He looked at the being before him with suspicion. 

"I'm a chimera," Celo revealed. "I'm a monster and a human. I was once of the high ranks among the monster race, but my fusion with a human lowered me to the middle rank. None the less, I thought at the time it was needed, because it was the only way I could stay alive and serve lord Beast Master." 

"Ah yes," Xellos' mocking smile was back in place. "I remember you now. Your mission was to research the weakness of monsters, positive emotions. But the emotions would kill you without the human side to keep you barely alive, even if it diminished your monster powers. The sacrifice was supposed to be worth it if you were able to train full monsters to be able to resist positive emotions. This place is full of such feelings. Ironically I've seen weak monsters that appear to be unaffected; I suppose their tiny astral bodies are too small, they are already insignificant enough so there's not much left to weaken. Then there's the one that was fused with a building; buildings are not affected by emotions so that added some resistance." 

Celo only partially agreed, "it is true that positive emotions weaken monsters, but contrary to what many believe, they don't kill. A weak monster is slain by another monster, a human, a dragon, there's always someone trying to kill a monster, though for you, it may not seem so because most attempts would fail before they begin. In this chimera state of mine I've grown to enjoy the taste of feelings I should be repulsed by. Thus I have made no efforts to change back into a full monster, if it is even possible, which I doubt." 

Xellos chuckled, "to disassemble a chimera... I know someone who would be interested in that." He guided the conversation back into the main topic, "so while you continue your research here, the Green Alchemist might have found something that makes him think he can beat me? If he believes the curse cannot be broken, though it certainly can be," Xellos emphasized, "then why not just let the curse take my life?" 

"The results of the curse the Green Alchemist believes will overtake you offend him," Celo explained. "Though the curse is considered a death sentence, you are aware of what will really happen." 

"I'll be transformed into a human," Xellos sourly revealed, "not that I'm going to let that happen. Besides, it is as good as a death sentence given the fact that humans are such fragile creatures. I take it the Green Alchemist is a human extremist that can't stand the thought of a monster receiving the honor," heavy sarcasm was poured into the word, "of becoming a human." 

"Exactly," Celo nodded, "the Green Alchemist thinks that you'll become human, but he doesn't believe that will be the end. He expects a general priest to be a cunning survivor. He expects you to further corrupt the human race as one of their own. At least, that is the information that has reached me. As for the rumored secret plot, that mysterious something that makes the Green Alchemist believe he has the upper hand, I do not know. I heard he has some sort of weapon, but I cannot be sure of what it may be." 

Xellos pondered what he had heard, one thing still bothered him. Underneath his respectful words, which were very much an act, just as Xellos' friendly cheer was, Celo sounded as if he too did not believe that the curse could be broken. "Is there a reason for you to think the Green Alchemist is correct in assuming the curse cannot be broken?" 

Celo paused, then smiled, "my apologies if I sound disrespectful, but it is quite a difficult task, even for one of your power. The cure will bring you to your weakest state before freeing you from the curse, even a monster general is weakened by positive emotions, though they don't kill. However, after experiencing the curse and overcoming it, you will be stronger by the power of evolution." 

"What does that mean?" Xellos demanded. 

"You may kill me if you are dissatisfied with my silence." Celo's voice was just as respectful as ever, his expression serene. 

"I think I'll keep you around for now." The way Xellos voiced his choice, 'for now' could be over in mere seconds if he so felt like it. 

"I thank you," Celo bowed his head respectfully. "I should let you know though, the meaning of the antidote, least you push the cure away with trickery, for it is in lord Beast Master's, and therefore my, best interest that you succeed. The curse does indeed have a cure, but the words spoken must be thought upon carefully." 

"That's quite enough," Xellos grinned, "continue and I will kill you now." Celo remained silent. So there was apparently a hidden meaning to the curse's cure. The willing kiss of a golden dragon, was that supposed to be some kind of metaphor? It was true that Celo was a servant of Zelas, the real reason why Xellos wouldn't kill him. He was a researcher though his research had remained fruitless for a long time. None the less, as a monster on a special mission, it was up to Zelas and Zelas alone to decide when his mission would end. Xellos knew that, Celo, the all but forgotten researcher, knew it as well, yet neither brought to the surface the fact that it was not in Xellos' best interest to kill him without Zelas' permission. 

After a long silence, Celo finally nodded, "my apologies," he spoke in his extremely respectful and humble voice, which was getting on Xellos' nerves. "I will not cause any interference." 

"You'd best not," Xellos got up. Tiny monsters with puny astral bodies that couldn't be weakened beyond their pitiful state and monsters fused with beings or things that gave them a certain level of resistance towards the positive emotions of Amor Resort allowing them to keep some of their power... those possible interruptions didn't sound like much. High level monsters wouldn't be so high level anymore if they spent too much time in the love filled atmosphere, but Xellos was strong enough to withstand it. The only other annoyance left would be the mysterious plot and possible secret weapon of the Green Alchemist. Xellos didn't think it was worth his time; perhaps he should simply focus on figuring out his cure for the time being. He didn't need or want help; he could figure this out on his own. Perhaps some golden dragon research was in order. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"There you are!" A waiter, uniformed as such, approached Lina and Gourry at the buffet table they were cleaning out. 

"Zangulus?" The two looked up with curiosity. 

"It looks like I'm never going to get a break, but hey, all this overtime is good for Zoana." Zangulus laughed off his exhaustion. Still, I have to say, I never thought that vague description was talking about you. A girl in white with a butterfly mask, she will be in the company of a blond man, I can't believe the ball staff didn't bother asking for a name before processing the request. Ball preparations are hectic, but still... Anyway, I'm glad I found you." He looked at Lina with a congratulatory smile, "everything has been set up exactly as you requested." 

"What?" Lina tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What exactly are you talking about?" 

"Oh you know," Zangulus gave a sly smile and began to lead the two towards the center of the dance floor. "Here you are, as per your request. Good luck, not that you need it and congratulations in advance!" Zangulus disappeared in the crowd, leaving a very confused Lina and Gourry at the center of the dome. 

Gourry looked at Lina quizzically, "what's going on? Are we going to dance?" 

"I don't know..." Lina had a bad feeling about the entire thing, then the realization hit her. A girl in white with a butterfly mask, in the company of a blond man... Could that have been meant to be Medusa and Gourry? Was Medusa planning something for him? But the jellyfish girl had already left and the poorly informed last minute staff was left to assume that the first girl in white with a butterfly mask who was with a blond man by her side was the one to make the mysterious request. Well, whatever that jellyfish girl had planned for Gourry and herself, it would be Lina and Gourry that would be enjoying it. It was probably a special song or something. "I guess we'll dance." 

Though Lina was expecting some kind of cheesy love song to play, there was instead silence as a man dressed in the robes of a priest approached the center of the dome. He carried a book in one hand and a fluffy white pillow with a simple golden band the appropriate size to be worn by a man on his ring finger and a more decorated golden bracelet with rubies, the appropriate size to be worn by a woman on her wrist... or tentacle. The priest cleared his throat. "We are gathered here today to witness the union of..." He looked at the couple waiting for them to state their names as he too was another poorly informed employee. 

Lina's jaw dropped, her face turning scarlet. Miss Medusa intended to trick Gourry into marrying her all along! "Lina?" Gourry asked unsure of what was happening or what he should do. 

"Gourry..." Lina gulped, unable to come up with a minimal embarrassment escape route as she stood frozen in place. 

"Mr. Lina and Miss Gourry," the priest repeated, incorrectly assuming that they had each stated their own name. Name changing and baby name blessing was also part of his job and he saw his fair share of odd names, so he knew not to judge. "In holy matrimony, if anyone has any reason to prevent this union, please write a letter to the Amor Resort customer service department and your complaint will be addressed as quickly as possible." 

Gourry stood there struck dumb, or dumber than usual, while Lina struggled to protest through her embarrassment. "Now wait just a minute!" 

The priest was tired after a long day of work and certainly not in the mood to wait a second, let alone a minute, thus he finished. "By the power bestowed on me by the Official International Tourism Guild, recognized on both the inner and outer world, I hereby declare you husband and wife! May you keep these souvenirs as a reminder of your union." He handed the pillow with the ring and bracelet to Gourry. "Okay, we're done, thank you for choosing Amor Resort as your marriage option. Amor Resort, marriages, honeymoons, anniversaries, vacations and controversial romantic flings, we have it all." With those final parting words of advertisement, the priest left, disappearing among the balls' crowd. 

"I guess we're supposed to wear these, aren't we?" Gourry put the bracelet on Lina's left wrist and the ring on his own left ring finger. "There, that's how it's done, right?" 

Lina was frozen in a red faced, open mouthed expression that didn't move as the people around them clapped and whistled at the happy scene. Amelia, Zelgadis and Filia pushed through the crowd until they reached them. "Congratulations!" Amelia cheered. 

Zelgadis was the most surprised of all, "I wasn't expecting you two to get married now, even if everyone knew it would happen eventually, congratulations." 

Filia's state of deep thought and heartache was temporarily pushed aside in her attempt to sincerely be happy for her friends. It looked like they didn't need her matchmaking help after all, perhaps she would concentrate her well intended efforts on Amelia and Zelgadis in the future, since her own love life was so lacking as Phythan had never showed up and she had instead gotten stuck with Xellos. "I'm very happy for you both, congratulations!" 

Gourry laughed sheepishly, not fully aware of the severity of the situation. Everyone was congratulating them, so he replied with the polite answer to such an expression by saying, "thanks," with a cheerful smile. 

Zangulus cut through the crowd with a paper in his hand. "Here's your marriage certificate, good thing I was there, or that priest would have messed up your names on the document too. Don't worry; I made sure the names were correct so that it's fully valid. A courier pigeon has already been sent to the main office of the Official International Tourist Guild with a copy of the certificate, this one is for the two of you to keep." 

Lina's eye twitched as she stared at the paper Zangulus was holding up. It was an ordinary white paper, with ordinary letters, written in ordinary black ink, which carried an extraordinary meaning. "Amor Resort hereby certifies by the authority of the Official International Tourism Guild, recognized on both the inner and outer world, that Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev are officially united in legally recognized marriage." The date time and place was written below the initial message, followed by another line asserting, "this statement is certified by" and the signature of the distracted, though very much official priest. 

"Wow Lina, I thought we kind of liked each other, but I didn't know you wanted to marry me." The easy and carefree tone with which Gourry made such a critical statement threw Lina over the edge. 

With her embarrassment consuming her, she began to chant. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows." Life is so much easier when you can Dragon Slave anything that stands in your way, from bandits to embarrassing situations involving crowds of staring people. "Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows." 

"Miss Lina!" Amelia exclaimed with worry. "You're getting a little too excited!" 

"I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand..." Lina continued her spell, blocking out any other sounds beyond her own voice. 

"Gourry, get her out of here before she blows up this whole place!" Zelgadis urged. He had noticed that the tourists assumed that every unusual occurrence was part of the show and would be too busy being entertained to have the time or willingness to run for their lives. 

"Okay!" Gourry agreed, blissfully unaware of the seriousness of the situation and peacefully accepting his new life as Lina's husband. 

"Before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hands-ah!" Lina stopped chanting as Gourry picked her up bridal style, following Zelgadis' advice to get her out of there. Her face was a red brighter than flames as her mind went blank and the energy she had gathered for the spell evaporated into nothing, her concentration gone. 

"Let's get some fresh air; your face is all red." Gourry ran out of the dome via the main entrance and dashed down the stairs with his blushing bride in his arms. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 017: Move Along! A Small Step Forward

"Why do I get the feeling that this might be troublesome?" Zelgadis' worry about Lina and Gourry's unexpected marriage was quickly disregarded by Amelia. 

"Oh, don't worry about them," the Seyruun princess smiled with a starry eyed expression. "As long as there's love, that's all that matters." She sighed deeply, her expression gaining a clearer hint of hope. "One day I want to be a bride too." 

Zelgadis blushed, but mentally told himself that Amelia couldn't possibly be hinting at anything. She was just talking about the far away future and not thinking about any specific prospective groom. 

Seeing as Zelgadis wasn't going to say anything, Amelia scanned the area for a table that was being replenished with food that would hopefully last longer, since the gluttonous newlyweds were gone. "How about a snack?" 

"Yes, that sounds good," Zelgadis happily followed Amelia towards the table, occupied mostly in his own thoughts. 

Amelia paused and looked back at Filia, who was alone. "Miss Filia, are you hungry?" Trained to be a tactful diplomat, Amelia knew this wasn't the time to ask Filia about that guy she was waiting for, Phythan. She mentioned him when the girls were getting ready for the ball, but he was apparently not around. 

Filia shook her head gently, "no, I just ate. I'm a bit tired, so maybe I'll just go back to the hotel and get some sleep." 

"Oh," Amelia frowned, emphatic as she could be, she noticed Filia's saddened expression regardless of how the blond tried to hide it. "What about the fireworks? I heard the party will end at two with a bright display of fireworks that we can watch from inside the dome, since the roof is made of glass. It won't be long now, why don't you stay and watch? I'm sure it will be beautiful." 

Filia sighed, her so called romantic night had turned into a disaster, but she didn't want to create a gloomy atmosphere for her happy friends. "Okay, go on and have a snack, I'll just take a walk around the dome and... look at the vases, you know, for inspiration." 

Amelia nodded, though she deduced that Filia must have already made a detailed examination of every vase in the premises. "Okay," trying to stay positive, Amelia left towards the table with Zelgadis. Filia could get her breather now, but after a good night's sleep, the next day Amelia would make sure to ask her what was wrong if she didn't come out and say it herself. 

Filia walked around to pass the time, then resolved to simply stand in a corner where her gloom wouldn't contaminate anyone's cheer. "Did you miss me?" Filia wasn't sure if she should glare furiously, ignore the question or be somewhat glad that Xellos was back. On second thought, she was sure she didn't want to take that last option. 

Finally settling for the alternative of a furious glare, Filia angrily stated the obvious, "no." 

"I'm sure you did," Xellos smiled as usual. He was wearing a different mask now, smaller than the previous one, covering only his eyes. The mask depicted the shape of a winged wolf and did little to hide Xellos' identity, as his peculiar purple hair was clearly visible. "It looks like the party's about to end, are you interested in one last dance?" 

"You have some nerve to ask!" Filia tried to look away from Xellos and on doing so, she caught Amelia discretely looking in her direction while she ate next to Zelgadis. If she didn't at least pretend to be having fun, she would worry Amelia, who was clearly already worried about her. That would most likely lead to a well intended, though somewhat saddening and embarrassing interrogation about what was wrong. "Alright," she turned to face Xellos and tried to hide her angry twitching. "I'm still angry at you though." 

Xellos didn't expect Filia to agree, let alone so easily, "fair enough..." The pair began to dance as the orchestra played the last song of the night before finally retiring to a well earned rest. "Just out of curiosity," Xellos asked while they danced. "When you didn't know who I was, what did you imagine me to be like?" Xellos knew that it was not favorable to bring that up, but he was curious. When Filia didn't say anything, instead making an effort to look nonchalant, Xellos prompted. "Anything at all? Hair color? Eyes? Was there any purple in your imagination?" 

Golden blond hair, wine colored eyes... Amelia was already aware of the fact that her date never showed up. Lina would be focused on her own business, but Amelia might try to console her and Filia simply didn't want to talk about it. She certainly didn't need Xellos rubbing it in her face. She closed her eyes and tried to conjure a fictional image in her mind, just to spite him. "No, there was no purple," Filia let her imagination come up with something, any random description that didn't include purple. "Green eyes, light brown hair, I guess I must have seen that man and subconsciously remembered him. What an insult to him to be compared with you." 

Xellos gave Filia a victorious grin, she had taken too long to answer and she seemed unsure. She wasn't remembering, she was thinking. "You just made that up." 

She glared behind her fairy mask in such an intense way that it was still noticeable. "How would you know? I happen to like men like that, men that don't have anything purple on them." 

"Is that what you occupy your time in doing? Fantasizing about men that don't have any purple on them?" Xellos teased, purposely being annoying for his own amusement. He would never admit it but he could use the relaxation that pestering Filia gave him. 

"I don't see you with a date," Filia countered, trying to throw Xellos into the spotlight of their little argument so as to get herself out of it. Never mind that he was a monster and monsters generally don't go on dates. 

Xellos winked, "rest assured Filia, I'm all yours." 

Filia's face turned scarlet, she could feel the heat eradiating from it and it infuriated her. "I don't want you," she snapped. 

Xellos replied with a look that screamed he was convinced she did. "Well, you certainly don't want someone else, or you would have found someone else by now," he teased. "Don't even try to point out that the one you want is your green eyed, light brown haired mystery man because I know for a fact he doesn't exist." Then another thought occurred to him, there was recognition in her eyes when he approached her hiding his identity, but she clearly didn't know who he was. Even if the man she described was fictional, there could be someone else. "Did your real date dump you?" He prodded curiously with far more cheer than the question should entail. 

Filia's expression was invaded by sadness for a split second so small that that an observer any less keen than Xellos would have missed it. "No, I have no date," Filia lied. "I don't care; it's perfectly alright for people to go to balls on their own." As if to further validate her point she added, "you shouldn't argue with that, since you came by yourself too." 

"You're lying," there was a sing-song tone to his accusation, but also real curiosity. Not that it mattered, Filia got dumped anyway. "You're a very bad liar, what really happened?" 

Filia glared with the most intensity she could manage as their dance slowed to a stop and the music concluded. The light of the crystals floating near the glass ceiling of the dome was dimmed and the sky started to light up in brilliant colors. The firework spectacle was taking place right above the dome, with fluorescent rainbow sparks raining upon the structure that was protected from catching on fire by a magical barrier. 

The crowds were in awe with the beauty of the light show and all those present watched it with fascinated amazement. Filia pushed Xellos away; they weren't dancing anymore so there was no reason to stand so close. She stepped back and turned around. Amelia wouldn't see her if she left now; she wouldn't worry about her missing a great show. Filia started walking towards the dome's exit without a word. 

Xellos watched Filia leave, giving her a few seconds to gain the advantage of a few steps, before following her from a few feet behind, intending to catch up to her outside. He had to break the curse, if he became a fragile human without any monster energy to fuel his magic, he was as good as dead. He wouldn't let that happen, yet that wasn't the most prominent thought on his mind at the time. Something was going on with Filia that she was hiding. There were some broken expectations clinging to her that she chose not to speak of. He wanted to know what that was about. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, Gourry had taken Lina all the way back to the rooftop of the hotel, carrying her the whole way while she blushed and protested. He finally set her on her feet when they arrived. "There's a nice breeze here, this should help you feel better. Do you want me to get you a cool drink?" 

Lina leaned on the balcony railing and allowed the breeze to caress her warm face. "Yes," she replied simply, if only to get rid of Gourry for a few seconds so she could sort out her thoughts. Besides, this was Lina Inverse, she didn't reject anything edible. "Bring me a snack too," she added as she massaged her temples and tried to think without blushing intensely. 

"Okay, I'll be right back," Gourry smiled and ventured downstairs to fulfill Lina's request. 

"Take your time," Lina waved her hand dismissively and let out a breath of exasperation. What was she going to do now? She was married, though she had not planned it. She looked at her wedding bracelet. She couldn't believe Gourry so easily played along with the improvised wedding. What if it had been Miss Medusa in her place? What if she had not run off upset and tricked Gourry into marriage. She wouldn't be the first sea creature that tried to steal Gourry away, but Lina had a feeling that this time no conveniently timed gigantic waves would show up to take the flirtatious sea creature away. In a sense, she was glad she was the one to go through the marriage instead of Medusa. 

Gourry's footsteps announced his return. He was carrying a tray with a bottle of soda and a chocolate cake. "Here you go!" He smiled cheerfully as if nothing was going on. 

Lina occupied herself in eating while she continued thinking about the situation. She could get a divorce and hopefully things would go back to normal. Then again, she could simply ignore the marriage and keep on living as usual. Gourry was probably too much in his own little world to notice the difference between the life of a traveling companion and the life of a husband. Who was to say that anything had to change between them? So what if they were married, they could simply never speak of it again. Yet the nagging possibility of the 'what if' kept poking Lina on the back of the head with insisting annoyance. "Gourry," she finally asked, she wasn't going to stop thinking about it until she did. "What if Miss Medusa had tried to marry you?" 

"She's my friend," Gourry stated simply as if that short explanation alone was enough. 

Lina looked annoyed, "and?" 

Gourry tilted his head to the side in confusion and blinked, echoing, "and?" 

"And you would have married her?" Lina questioned with anger rising into her voice. 

"Oh," Gourry expressed his realization upon understanding the question. "I don't think I know her well enough to think about that. I mean, she's my friend, but you've been my friend for a lot longer." 

Gourry's logic seemed severely flawed to Lina. "Amelia has been your friend for a long time too," she pointed out. 

"Yes," Gourry agreed and before Lina could shoot another exasperated impatient glare his way, he added, "but Amelia is in love with Zelgadis." The way he said it was as if it was the most obvious thing. 

Lina paused and took in his words, "I guess she is..." she admitted, it was indeed very clear. "Zelgadis is obviously in love with Amelia too, but I wonder how he'll act as soon as this vacation is over. Amelia will have to return to Seyruun eventually and Zel is still stuck on finding his cure." 

"A long distance relationship?" Gourry inquired. "I guess that could work, Zelgadis could go visit and stuff." 

"I suppose," Lina agreed, "and Amelia is patient enough to wait for him." She realized then that they were getting severely off topic. "Wait a minute; this wasn't what we were talking about!" 

Cue Gourry's short term memory, "it wasn't?" 

"No it wasn't!" Lina snapped. "We were talking about you," 'and your possible brides,' she decided to add the last part only mentally. "What about Sylphiel?" Before Gourry could cluelessly ask 'what about her,' Lina elaborated. "You've known Sylphiel for longer than me, would you marry her?" 

Gourry blinked in confusion, "aren't we already married? No one in my family has gotten married with two people at the same time." 

Lina's face turned scarlet in a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance. "That's not the point!" She took in long ragged breaths as she tried to fight with herself to explain her question. "If we weren't married-" 

Gourry interrupted with a worried expression, "you want to get a divorce already? Did I make you mad? Am I a bad husband?" 

Lina stared at the floor, her whole body shaking in embarrassed anger. She pushed herself to continue, "if Sylphiel had asked you to marry her before you met me, would you have?" 

Gourry appeared to give it some serious thought and finally replied, "I don't know. I guess I can't really imagine what things would be like if we haven't met. Back then, I was in the middle of a journey to improve my swordsmanship. I think it might have been too soon to think of marriage." 

"So..." Lina focused on her breathing as she tried to get her voice to function. "Do you... do you love... Sylphiel?" 

"Of course I do," Gourry smiled innocently. 

"What?" Lina had to look up from the floor and stare at Gourry with an indescribable expression that was a mix of many contradicting emotions. 

"I care about all my friends," Gourry's smile never faltered. 

Lina sighed in exasperation, "of course you do." This conversation was clearly going in circles. Maybe Gourry had no idea what he was getting into, thus pretending it never happened would be easier than she thought. Unless Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia, or worse yet, Xellos, decided to bring it up. Then Lina would be mortified. 

"You know," Gourry started randomly, with a blank look that hinted that he wasn't going to say anything intelligent, yet that look could be deceiving. "I'm glad it was you I ended up getting married to." 

"What do you mean by that?" Lina stammered red faced. 

"Well, we're always together anyway and I'm your protector, right?" Gourry tried to logically explain his train of thought, which seldom followed logic anyway. "I was already planning to travel with you for the rest of my life, unless you went and kicked me out of the group or something. So why not? We make a good pair, don't you think?" There was a moment of silence. "Lina?" He looked at her curiously; it appeared that steam was coming from her ears as her face glowed like flames. Gourry gently placed his hand on Lina's forehead and quickly drew it back. "Whoa, you have a high fever!" He tried to use the now empty tray, which carried Lina's snack before, as a fan to compliment the natural soft breeze before Lina over-heated and collapsed. 

"Gourry," Lina finally managed to make her voice work. "I... I don't think... I mean... It's so soon... It's so sudden... I'm... I'm not... I'm not ready for marriage," she finally pushed the words out. 

"Oh," Gourry looked as if he would ask 'if you weren't ready for marriage, then why did you marry me?' but he didn't. Lina was known to change her mind at a seemingly random pace and Gourry could be patient with her. "That's okay, we can just go back to the way things were." 

Yes, they could, Lina had thought of that. She felt a wave of relief when Gourry agreed to let that happen, yet she wasn't satisfied with his easy agreement. Didn't he start asking for an explanation when he thought she wanted a divorce not long ago? "About the marriage..." 

Gourry shrugged, "we can just leave it as it is. You know, stay married but live like we always do, until you feel like living like married people." 

Gourry's suggested plan of action caused Lina's blood to rush to her face yet again. If that kept on happening, she feared that her face would forever be a glowing red flame while the rest of her body was pale. She pushed away any thoughts concerning the life of married people and tried to focus on the fact that things could go back to normal. Yet one detail stood out to her, "so... you're okay with being married to me? You don't want to get a divorce?" 

Gourry frowned, showing that he wasn't too fond of the idea of getting a divorce, but was willing to accept Lina's choice nonetheless. "Not unless you want to." 

"It's okay," Lina finally agreed, her eyes once again gazing at the floor. "I guess we could just stay married and continued living normally for an undisclosed period of time." 

"Undisclosed?" Gourry looked confused. 

Lina tried to explain it without blushing, this had nothing to do with the situation, it was just another instance of Gourry's limited vocabulary. "I mean that I don't know for how long we'll be... engaged, before we... act married." She wasn't sure if she could even call it an engagement, but it seemed like the term that could most closely describe their agreement to remain married without living the life most would expect from a married couple. 

"Okay," Gourry smiled, satisfied with the final choice on the matter. 

"Right," Lina tried to calm her wildly beating heart. It had not yet fully sunk in that she was engaged, even if the point was for things to go back to normal. "I'm kind of tired so-" her sentence was interrupted by fireworks in the distance, they were painting the skies in abundant shining colors right above the north dome. She glanced at Gourry from the corner of her eyes and saw that his attention had been captivated by the far away lights. This was the typical Gourry getting easily distracted and maintaining a carefree attitude about everything. 

Lina smiled despite all the embarrassment she had to endure that night. She could bear to stay awake for a while longer. They could watch the fireworks and afterwards go their separate ways to get some rest in their respective rooms. If in the morning any of their roommates dared to say anything about their apparent lack of honeymoon activities in their wedding night, Lina would shove a fireball in their face and that should keep any further comments at bay. Life isn't so hard once one has a plan to face the possible upcoming problems. Life is even easier when that plan is as simple as decimating your troubles with fireballs. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 018: Indirect! Going In Circles

Filia hurried down the stairs outside of the north dome. In her haste, she tripped over her own feet, her eyes catching sight of something or someone at the base of the stairs before her attention went to the arm that was suddenly around her waist. She looked back at Xellos, who was standing behind her, stopping her from falling head first down the stairs. "You tripped me," she accused with little energy. 

The once crowded area in front of the north dome was deserted. All those who wished to go to the ball were inside and those who wished to leave early were gone. The ones that stayed until the end would not leave in the middle of the fireworks display, thus Xellos and Filia were alone, except for that suspicious person on the bottom of the stairs slowly making his way up leaving a rather nasty trail of blood on each step. It didn't look like he had fallen down the stairs though. 

"No I didn't," Xellos stated simply as a delayed response to Filia's accusation. His eyes trailed from the suspicious person back to Filia, his arm still around her waist. "I saved you from falling down the stairs and cracking your skull like a clumsy dragon," he added an extra dose of cheer into the part about cracking her skull. 

"You can let go now," Filia took his arm, roughly removing it from her waist. She couldn't wait for the disastrous night to end. Amelia and Zelgadis were having a great time, Lina and Gourry got married, she was the only miserable one and Xellos must be really enjoying her misery. She faced forward and saw a most disturbing yet oddly reassuring sight. "It's him..." She let out a breath that could almost be described as dreamy, relieved and guilty all at once. Then she tore herself away from her momentarily frozen position and dashed down the stairs kneeling beside the man that Xellos identified as suspicious. "Phythan!" 

He didn't say anything, he didn't even look up, he was trying to drag himself up the stairs as if in a trance. Filia wrapped her arms around the injured golden dragon. His eyes landed on her for a second and there was the shadow of recognition, he looked past her at the dome and the fireworks, then back at her. His eyes were clouded, "Fi... lia..." then he passed out from his injuries. 

Xellos was standing beside Filia before she even knew it. "Who's that?" He peeked curiously over her shoulder. "Is he an old friend from your previous occupation, maybe? He looks like he was beaten quite badly. He's bleeding all over your dress too, how rude, not that I'm surprised that a golden dragon would have so little consideration." 

"You monster!" As Phythan lost consciousness, Filia sat on the stairs with Phythan half on her lap and desperately casted a healing spell. "You did this!" Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she pushed all her healing energy out. 

"How could I have done this if I was with you the whole time?" Xellos innocently pointed out, showing a noticeable amount of nonchalance towards the dilemma. 

"You did it when you left; it's all your fault!" Filia continued pushing her healing powers to the limit. Something was off, Phythan was absorbing the healing energy, but at the same time becoming weaker as he did. The physical wounds were closing, but his life energy was diminishing with each pulsation of healing energy. At the same time, his life force wasn't completely giving up, it was clinging to something to stay alive, but it wasn't the spell. 

"If I wanted to kill a golden dragon, I would be far neater than this," Xellos pointed out with a smile. "I'm not such a mediocre killer," he chirped. 

"Get Amelia!" Filia felt her anger for Xellos becoming deeper. He was the one who killed many of her race during the war of the monster's fall. Even so, she somehow knew that he was telling the truth about not being responsible for this particular incidence. She was mostly accusing him out of frustration, worry, and because it felt natural to throw the blame at Xellos. 

"Why should I?" Xellos was annoyingly unresponsive to the urgency of the matter, instead savoring the desperation. He focused on Filia, mostly ignoring the dying golden dragon. 

"Get Amelia now!" Filia insisted, she couldn't move from her position and she couldn't finish the healing process alone, not with such a deep bleeding wound. "Please Xellos, just get her." 

Filia's attention was focused on the injured golden dragon even when she was yelling at him. Feeling somewhat ignored, Xellos disappeared with a huff, "get her yourself." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Amelia and Zelgadis stood next to each other at the dome. They watched the sparks of multicolor lights through the glass ceiling and enjoyed the show. Amelia linked her arm with Zelgadis, her head lightly resting on his shoulder. He noticed of course, and dared not move an inch, though he very much enjoyed the moment. Then that annoying voice interrupted, "excuse me, Miss Amelia." 

Amelia looked at the grinning Xellos, while Zelgadis, in contrast, glared at the grinning Xellos. "Yes?" Amelia wondered what this was about and where Filia had gone off to, since she and Xellos were together when Amelia last saw them. 

"It seems Filia has run into an old compatriot of hers who happens to be mortally wounded." Xellos smiled brightly, his voice coated with delight. "He's doing a fine job of ruining her pretty dress with his blood; I must say that's quite rude of him. But alas, Filia insist on saving his worthless life and is asking for your assistance in healing him. Of course, I'm sure you'd rather not go. The fireworks are so lovely to look at from here." 

The size of Amelia's wide eyed gaze grew with every word Xellos spoke. "Where are they?" She demanded, close to taking Xellos by the shoulders and shaking him for information. 

"Just outside on the stairs, but I don't think it's worth your time." Before Xellos had finished his sentence, Amelia was already dashing past him, pushing her way through the crowd, ignoring the complaints of those she hurriedly shoved aside. 

"If you're lying..." Zelgadis didn't bother finishing his threat, his glare said it all. He followed Amelia through the crowd. 

"Why is everyone having such rotten luck today?" Xellos stated more so to himself than anyone else, as Zelgadis disappeared through the crowd in the same way Amelia did seconds prior. He hated to admit it, but he had to include himself in that statement. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Miss Filia!" Amelia hurried down the stairs, nearly falling, "levitation!" She went the rest of the way to meet Filia in the middle of the stairs and wasted no time in joining the recovery spell. 

"Amelia, I'm so glad you're here, it works but it doesn't. The wound is too deep, even recovery spells are too harsh, I don't understand," Filia cried. 

"We can do this, don't give up! Think positive!" Amelia tried to remain optimistic. 

Phythan's eyes opened for a moment, they were blood red, almost glowing, "helplessness... desperation... sorrow..." He gasped as if being choked, closing his eyes tightly. When he opened them again they were brown. He looked at Filia and Amelia, staring at each of them for a long moment. There wasn't even the smallest hint of recognition in his eyes before they closed. 

Filia didn't know what to make of Phythan's words, she was so focused that she didn't even notice the change in his eyes and neither did Amelia. The two could only feel their own energy flowing out of their bodies. 

"Amelia! Filia!" Zelgadis caught up to them, kneeling beside the group. He casted a healing spell, just as Amelia had explained it to him during their travels. 

"We're making progress!" Amelia noticed. She attributed it to the combined strength of their healing spells. 

Finally, a few excruciatingly long seconds later, the wounds were completely healed and Phythan's breathing and heart rate stabilized considerably. "You're going to be okay." Filia breathed, she didn't know if Phythan could hear her or not, as he was left in a deep slumber after recovering, but she was in part saying those things to assure herself. 

"Of course he will," Amelia caught the hint of doubt in Filia's voice, hiding behind the heavy curtain of exhaustion. "He's alright now," she emphasized, "everything will be alright." 

Zelgadis felt the need to interrupt the talk of positivism in order to ask a very valid and important question. "Who is he and who did this to him?" 

Filia brushed Phythan's golden hair with her tired fingers. "His name is Phythan; he's a golden dragon like myself, though he comes from a different temple. I met him at the resort." 

Realization donned on Amelia as she took a closer look at Filia's date. She thought that if she ever came across him she would have to give him a piece of her mind for leaving poor Filia waiting for him at the ball. Yet sustaining a mortal wound and being dragged back to life after being an inch away from death was a relatively good excuse for missing a date. "Mr. Phythan..." Amelia examined his now still expression, wondering what kind of person he was. 

Zelgadis simply looked confused. "Who exactly is Phythan? I mean aside from being a golden dragon." 

"He's a special someone to Miss Filia!" Amelia answered for her with a dreamy expression suddenly invading her face despite the morbid state of affairs they appeared to be in. 

"I see..." Zelgadis wisely decided not to further inquire about that line of thought. 

Filia blushed and didn't confirm or deny anything, instead following Zelgadis' visual prompt to provide more information, specifically in relation to his second question. "I don't know who hurt him, but strange things have been going on in this resort. I've ran into a few monsters and I mean other than Xellos." 

"I do think it's strange that Xellos would invite us on vacation. I was suspicious from the start," Zelgadis adamantly pointed out. 

Amelia looked disappointed, "then Mr. Xellos isn't trying to be friendly? There's another plot from the monster race going on?" 

"Most likely," Zelgadis agreed. "I mean, why would Xellos bring us here? There must be something he needs us to do. There might be an enemy hiding here, someone that he needs Lina to help him exterminate. It wouldn't be the first time something like that happens." 

"I guess you're right," Amelia sighed, accepting the likely theory. "Let's be on our guard. For now, we should take Mr. Phythan somewhere to rest. We still have that extra room they gave us at the hotel and he'll be next door to us just in case." 

"Yes..." Filia accepted the suggestion. "I suppose that's all we can do for now. When Phythan wakes up, he should be able to tell us something." 

Thus Filia, Amelia, Zelgadis and the unconscious Phythan, whom Zelgadis ended up having to carry, made their way back to the hotel. They would have to inform Lina and Gourry about the recent happenings and their suspicions, even if it was a pity to interrupt their honeymoon. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The night time hotel receptionist looked up from her desk at the sound of footsteps. She was very bored since people hardly came and went after a certain hour, though there were many attractions at the resort that were available twenty-four hours a day, such as the casino. Unlike most nights, one semi-interesting thing had happened tonight. A rather handsome blond man was carrying a red haired woman who kept throwing a hissy fit. It was a funny scene, as usually when a bride is carried away by her very attractive husband, she doesn't complain like that. 

Now another highlight was added to her shift as her eyes glanced curiously at the quartet of guests. The hotel receptionist blinked, wondering if the dress the blond lady was wearing was supposed to have such a big red stain on it or not. Either way, the most amusing part was the man who was carrying that other man on his back. Maybe they were drunken buddies. They didn't say anything to her and she didn't say anything to them. After they were gone, she let out a bored breath and continued waiting out her shift. 

Once they had gotten up the stairs, Filia, Amelia, Zelgadis and his unconscious passenger, Phythan, stopped in front of the door to the apparently unoccupied room. "Wait..." Amelia started unsure, her face taking a rosy red tint. "What if Miss Lina and Mr. Gourry have decided to move out of their current rooms and use this one instead? I mean, they're married so there's no reason for them to do the girls in one room and guys in another thing... right?" 

A moment of silence paused as Zelgadis blushed. He couldn't imagine it and he didn't want to. "Do you... hear anything?" He finally inquired doubtfully. 

Another moment of silence passed until Filia drew in a deep breath of courage and placed her pointy ear against the door. "I don't hear anything..." 

Then the sound of an amused conversation was heard, but it wasn't coming from the vacant room. Lina and Gourry made their way through the hall, coming from the stairs that let to the roof. Amidst the occasional yawn, they were talking about how much the fireworks reminded them of kompeito. They stopped and looked at their friends. Lina shifted uncomfortably because she thought they were going to say something about her unexpected wedding. "Um... hey, everyone!" She tried to act natural and failed miserably. "Nice party, huh? Good food..." 

"Miss Lina," Amelia began as gently as possible, "I'm afraid there's a most pressing matter that might cause you the need to postpone your honeymoon with Mr. Gourry." 

Lina's face turned scarlet, "honeymoon..." was all she could say. Even if she expected this to be difficult and even if she had a plan, Lina was simply too restless to pull through with it. She took a deep breath and tried to focus on the plan. "Fireball... fireball..." she chanted under her breath as if giving herself a pep talk. Then she took a deep breath and decided to give her traveling companions a clear warning. "If anyone decides to tease me about my marriage I'm going to throw a fireball in their face no matter who it is!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, making Filia, Amelia and Zelgadis back away cautiously. 

Gourry laughed nervously and decided to rescue Lina. She was shy sometimes, but he was okay with that and could be more perceptive on certain occasions than he was given credit for. "What Lina means is that we're not married, we're engaged and we're going to keep living as usual until an un-this-closed thing..." 

Trying to keep her temper in check and the flow of her blood visiting parts of her besides her face, Lina did a super fast mental count to ten. "What he means is that everything is normal and nothing is out of the ordinary. In other words there's nothing to discuss and no reason why we should discuss it." 

Amelia opened her mouth to point out that an engagement, even if it wasn't a marriage, was something to discuss in itself, but thought better of it and promptly closed her mouth before any sounds escaped. Instead she nodded quietly along with Zelgadis and Filia. 

"Good," Lina nodded back, "well, it's been a busy day, so I'm going to get some rest." She paused noticing the fact that Zelgadis was carrying a man on his back. "Who's your friend, Zel?" 

"Filia's boyfriend," Zelgadis replied on automatic, his brain not having yet recovered from the notion of danger in the face of a furious Lina, to the realization of relief in the knowledge that as long as she wasn't teased, she wouldn't get violent, or at least not more so than usual. 

Filia blushed and slightly shook her head, "not quite," she corrected with relative calm. "This is Phythan, we were supposed to go to the masquerade ball together, but he couldn't attend because he was mortally wounded. Amelia and Zelgadis helped me heal him. Now we need a place for him to rest. We can ask him about what happened after he wakes up." 

"So this is Phythan," Lina curiously went over to have a better look. She was at least glad that the topic of their conversation had shifted away from her, but she was already dreading the interruption to her vacation. It sounded like trouble was near. 

"Can I put him down in the spare room?" Zelgadis inquired. Honestly, he just wanted to put his slumbering cargo down anywhere. 

"Sure," Lina shrugged and watched as Amelia opened the door and Zelgadis carried the unconscious golden dragon inside. 

Once Phythan was on the bed, Filia fluffed up his pillow and placed the covers over him. "Xellos might know what's going on. In fact, it's almost a given that he knows. Strange things have been happening around here and Xellos keeps coming and going." Filia frowned, glaring at the walls as if she was glaring at Xellos. 

Lina nodded in agreement with the theory. "We'll have to ask Xellos about it tomorrow," then she shook her head. "What am I saying? All that we can possibly get out of asking Xellos for information is a lame 'that's a secret' excuse. I suppose if Phythan has some useful information for us, we can use that to figure out what's going on and maybe we'll even be able to help him with his problem and get a reward." It was expected of Lina to want a reward, so the statement was met with no surprise from anyone. "On the other hand, if Phythan doesn't have enough information for us, our best option would be to carry on as if this never happened." 

"We can't do that!" Filia exclaimed with frustrated indignation. She couldn't pull the Luna card on Lina anymore as this wasn't an official mission. 

"Mr. Phythan is in need of our help to defend against the forces of evil. Any agent of justice would be happy to assist him!" Amelia valiantly declared, with the particular heroic tone of her justice speeches, raising her fist into the air. 

"I'm not saying we should abandon him," Lina defended. "I'm just saying that if we have no leads, then we'll be wasting our time going in circles about what we should do. If there really is a plot at hand, it will be revealed in due time and whoever is behind it will learn the hard way not to mess with Lina Inverse!" 

Lina's declaration didn't leave any room for argument from the rest of the group as they exchanged glances and nods. Somehow, their adventures always began as a series of inevitable incidents that they tried to ignore as they went about their business, only to eventually be sucked into some kind of secret conspiracy, a plot for vengeance, world domination or something to that effect. For the time being, they retired to their respective rooms to get some much needed sleep. They would give the situation some further thought the next day. 

To be Continued


	7. Chapter 7

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 019: Avoidance! Dancing Around The Issues

Filia, Lina and Amelia retreated to their room and Zelgadis and Gourry to theirs. Gourry slept soundly as he was too dense to worry about anything. Zelgadis stared at the dark ceiling for a while, but soon allowed sleep to overtake him while listening to the sounds of Gourry's snoring. It was business as usual, Zelgadis mused, when was he not in the middle of something troublesome? There was no need to make a fuss over such an almost common occurrence. 

Amelia stayed positive and allowed sleep to fall upon her, attracting pleasant dreams with the power of positive thinking. Lina was too tired to have any encounters with insomnia, thus she was out like a light as soon as her head hit the pillow. Filia was the first to have changed out of her ruined dress, gotten cleaned up and into her comfy night gown, but she was by far the last to fall asleep. She tossed and turned in worry, until finally, exhaustion led to a restless slumber. 

The sun came up, morning invading the resort lacking its usual brightness. Heavy rain fell upon the land even if the streets were just as busy with a rainbow of umbrellas all around. The rain made the atmosphere cold and further zapped away the motivation from those who were already lacking the desire to get up. 

It wasn't until mid-day when Amelia got out of bed and started singing loudly and cheerfully to balance out the gloomy mood in the air. The action woke Lina, who was positively starving, and Filia, who was plagued by tiredness and bloodshot eyes. With Amelia ready to face a new day with the power of justice on her side, Lina rushed to get ready and hurried downstairs for brunch, a meal that would combined the breakfast she missed with the lunch which was about time to eat, no way was she skipping on either one. 

Filia was the last of the women to drag herself out of bed like a zombie and get herself somewhat ready to face a new day. She peeked into Phythan's room and found that he was still fast asleep, then headed downstairs. She hoped some food would give her a little much needed energy. 

As usual, Lina and Gourry were stuffing their faces at their own table that no one dared to invade for fear of losing a limb. That left Amelia and Zelgadis at the next table beside them, with Amelia giving a cheerful speech to lighten the mood, while Zelgadis and Filia half listened. 

After the rather normal and uneventful brunch, during the entirety of which Xellos didn't show up, the group went to check on Phythan again, with an extra set of footsteps joining them as they went up the stairs. They turned to see a familiar purple haired man, who returned their gazes with a squinty eyes smile. 

There was a collective pause until Lina, who was walking at the front of the group, turned her head forward and continued towards Phythan's room without a word. It would be a waste of time to try to get information out of Xellos anyway. Once the group was back at Phythan's room with a collective silence upon them, they stood around him and peeked over him as if he were a very strange sight. 

A few seconds passed and the group ceased their collective staring with Lina adopting a pose that hinted that she was about to explain her plan of action to the group, or rather remind them about the plan of inaction that she had suggested the previous night. However, before she could say anything, Phythan's eyes opened and he looked curiously at the people around him with chocolate brown eyes. 

"Phythan?" Filia stared at his face perplexed, she noticed now the change in his eye color, but couldn't explain it. He was the same person, she had no doubts. Maybe she had been distracted before, maybe it had been a trick of the light. 

"You know my name," his voice was the same but his words made no sense. "Who are you? What happened to me? This room..." He sat up slowly on the bed and tried to look beyond the group at the room he was in. "Where am I?" 

Another collective pause passed until Lina loudly declared in a voice full of frustration, "you have got to be kidding me!" Her palm met her face, running down from her forehead to her chin. "So he finally wakes up and now he has amnesia?" 

"How inconvenient," Xellos chirped, hiding any hint of annoyance very well. "I was curious about what happened too." 

"You're going to tell us you don't know?" Zelgadis stated a rhetorical question. It didn't matter what Xellos answered to it, a conclusion about that had already been reached. 

"It is the truth this time," Xellos' smile never faltered even if he knew they didn't believe him. It wouldn't actually make a difference if they did. 

Phythan examined each person's face with curiosity; he looked at Filia who lacked her hat. Her ears were clearly visible, but for a golden dragon, she could not be mixed up with an elf, for they could recognize their own kind. "You're a golden dragon," he stated simply, as if grasping the obvious facts would help him understand what was going on. "You know my name," he continued, making a pause and watching for any reactions from the golden dragon lady. 

Filia nodded, "I found you injured last night. Amelia, Zelgadis and I healed you," she motioned towards each person as she spoke their names. "Then we brought you here, Lina and Gourry are also part of our group." Lina clearing her throat interrupted Filia's introductions. "Lina is the leader," she clarified, which seemed to satisfy the redhead. She skipped over Xellos' introduction on purpose. "Before you passed out last night you said my name, Filia." 

"I did?" Phythan looked confused. He didn't want to question his saviors, but he didn't recognize Filia or any of the others. "I'm sorry, I don't remember you. I apologize for that and I thank you for helping me." 

"Do you remember anything at all about how you got injured?" Lina tried one more time. Maybe his amnesia wasn't total, maybe he could remember a tiny image of the events that took place which would serve as a clue. 

"Yes," the certainty in Phythan's voice took everyone by surprise. "A monster snuck into the temple to steal the treasure we were tasked with guarding. I fought the monster and..." Phythan tried hard to focus but all he got for his efforts was a headache. "That's all I remember." He took a look around the room again. "This place doesn't look like a golden dragon temple. Is this in one of the nearby towns close to the Fire Dragon temple?" 

"The Fire Dragon temple?" Filia repeated in confusion. The followers of the fire Dragon had been exterminated some time ago. Furthermore, she didn't know what that treasure he mentioned was. He was clearly confused, his words made no sense. "I think... I think your memories might be a bit jumbled up." Filia tried to explain it as gently as she could. 

Phythan looked genuinely confused. "What do you mean?" 

Xellos chose that moment to speak up and deliver a direct explanation, decorated with a cheerful tone. "The dragons of that temple were mass murdered some time ago." 

Phythan stared in shock for a few seconds as if an invisible time bomb was ticking, as his face became red with anger. "You're lying," he stated flatly with a glare that some would call worthy of the biggest righteous fury and others would describe as the look of murderous intent. It was all in the contrast of perspectives really. 

Xellos smiled, his expression screaming 'you poor ignorant dragon' as he shook his head lightly. "Filia, would you care to accept or deny my claim? Maybe this poor fool will understand if he hears it from a member of his own flawed hypocritical species." 

Filia couldn't say anything. The errors of her people were being thrown in her face in the middle of her confusion. Phythan wasn't from the Fire Dragon temple; Filia had never met him before he ran into her at the resort. Was he lying or just confused? She was already too worried, disturbed and lost to articulate a single word before Xellos added old guilt and bitterness into the mix. She just froze, expressionless, like a statue. 

"Nothing to say?" Xellos prodded with the raise of an eyebrow, one eye open, the other remaining in its usual squinting fashion. 

"Who are you?" Phythan demanded with an angry glare. 

"Oh, that's right, rude Filia didn't introduce me before." Xellos criticized her in hopes of getting some form of reaction out of her. Her temperamental side was familiar and enjoyable, but her frozen state bothered him for reasons he could not explain. "My name is Xellos, I'm a monster allied to the great Beast Master Zelas, pleased to meet you." He stuck out his hand in a business-like manner, knowing full well that his words didn't exactly set the mood for a friendly handshake. 

Phythan looked positively horrified as he predictably slapped Xellos' hand away. "You're a monster!" He loudly declared, standing on the bed and pointing at Xellos. "I'm not exactly sure what's going on, but I know it's your fault you fiend!" 

"Spoken like a true golden dragon," Xellos rolled his eyes dismissively. This was much more fun when Filia did it. "Are you a relative of Filia or something?" 

He wasn't, but Phythan's automatic response was, "there's no reason why I should reveal that to you!" He didn't stop pointing at Xellos the whole time. "Terrible fiend, justice will prevail over you by my hand, in the name of the Water Dragon!" Those who, unlike Filia, were not in a catatonic state, noticed a bit of a contradiction in relation to the fire and water dragons, which one did he serve anyway? Additionally, Amelia was smiling with admiration, inspired by the declaration of justice. "Vile creature, you will be defeated!" With that final declaration of war against Xellos, Phythan was surrounded by a golden glow and began his transformation into dragon form. 

Amelia's jaw dropped, her face red in embarrassment. She had been so transfixed by the justice speech that she had no time to respectfully look away. Zelgadis covered her eyes while scolding Phythan. "You can't transform like that when there are people watching!" But the angry golden dragon was not listening. 

Lina opened her mouth to say something along the lines of pointing out the trouble that had just started full force, but her throat produced no sound waves. "Um... Lina, maybe we should look away." Gourry pointed out while tapping her on the shoulder with continual insistence. 

"Maybe we should run away!" Lina screamed, regaining her ability to move. 

The catatonic Filia seemed to wake up, looking in every direction frantically before resolving to join the others in levitating out the window. Phythan grew to his full size, which was smaller than Filia's dragon form, but still too large to fit in the room, thus he effectively destroyed a good portion of the hotel. Guests ran around like ants in the streets below, pointing at the commotion atop the remains of the structure. Some were slightly alarmed, but most thought it was part of the show. In that strange resort everything was part of the show, unless otherwise stated and no one had specified that this was real danger yet. 

"Oh my, if I didn't know any better, I would think you were picking a fight." Xellos grinned maliciously, both eyes open now. "I'm sure that's a silly thought, after all, I am Xellos, as in the one who massacred countless of your race and you can never hope to defeat. Ah well, what's one more?" 

Phythan looked very much like he was pouting and Xellos half expected him to shout, 'meanie-head' or 'you big dumb-dumb' at him or some other such playground remark. His pouting continued for several seconds as Xellos curiously waited for his last words that never came, unless the sound he made counted as a word which was along the lines of 'chomp!' Xellos was now in his mouth. 

Zelgadis' eyes were open wide, Amelia didn't know if she should cheer or not, Lina pointed in disbelief and Gourry was confused, but that was nothing new. Filia's reaction was the loudest as she screamed an agonized, "no!" and transformed into her own dragon form, ramming into Phythan from behind, causing him to spit out the purple haired monster, who looked none too pleased. 

"I have to say, that was original," Xellos felt his eye twitch in annoyance as he faded into the astral side covered in dragon spit and reappeared perfectly clean. "Creative, but terribly unpleasant, basic, yet classic, I was waiting for the laser breath after the insult, but you weren't opening your mouth to negotiate, so typical of a senseless violent creature." Xellos had his teeth clenched, his eyes glaring, he was pissed off and that meant big trouble. "I guess I should show you the same discourtesy with a painful annihilation." Xellos paused dramatically, then realized that no one was actually listening to him. 

Phythan was coughing up a storm and making what could only be described as a combination between gagging noises and growls. Filia was patting him on the back with concern, "what is it? Don't tell me you're going to spit out a purple hair ball!" 

Phythan coughed some more, "no, it's just that it was really gross." 

"Well, that's what you get for trying to eat a monster." Filia raised her index claw and waved it back and forth. "You can't go around putting such filthy things in your mouth; they have germs and can make you sick." 

"I know, but I was angry," Phythan pouted yet again and gave Filia a sad look. 

"I know you were," Filia patted him on the shoulder gently. "I was angry too, I still am in fact." 

"So am I," Phythan agreed. 

Xellos felt his eye twitching violently some more. "What part of certain doom don't you understand, you stupid dragon? Filia, get out of the way so I can decimate that idiot! Why are you babying him anyway? He's not a toddler!" 

"Don't try to boss me around you piece of raw garbage!" Filia shot back. "I'm not letting you hurt Phythan, if you want to lay one of your filthy monster fingers on him, you'll have to get through me first!" 

Phythan looked at Filia curiously before loudly declaring, "comrade!" and raising his claw into a fist in mid air. "My honorable golden dragon compatriot, let us fight for justice together!" 

At that point Amelia's eyes began to shine dreamily and she floated closer to the golden dragon. "Justice!" She blissfully declared, happy to have found someone who shared her passion for justice. 

"Yes, justice! You may also join our noble cause if you wish, my honorable human friend," Phythan gladly welcomed Amelia into the group. 

"What in the world?" Zelgadis wasn't even sure of how to voice his confusion. 

"No, no, no!" Filia shouted, her voice rising in volume with each syllable. Phythan was acting completely different from before, something was definitely amiss. "What we need to do is calm down and discuss things in an orderly fashion. People are staring at us and..." she stopped as horror crept into her face in slow motion. She looked at the ever growing crowd below. "People are staring," Filia repeated in a panic, "people are staring, people were staring, people have been staring all along!" 

Phythan looked confused as to why people staring would be a bad thing. "It's good that they are here to witness justice in action. This is a fine opportunity to inspire the masses to pursue the wonderful path of justice!" He cheered. 

"Mr. Phythan is right!" Amelia joyfully declared. 

"Ah!" Filia screamed at the top of her lungs, a blast of laser energy escaping her and tearing through the cloud filled skies, barely diminished by the falling rain. "They saw me transform!" 

"So?" Phythan tilted his head to the side in confusion, with an expression that was disturbingly similar to Gourry's. Witnessing this, Xellos twitched some more. Phythan yelled at him like Filia, gave justice speeches like Amelia and missed the point like Gourry. If he started acting like Lina too, that would be the last drop on the already overflowing glass of vexation. 

"Have you no decency?" Filia screeched, before flying away in tears that mixed with the falling rain. 

"Miss Filia!" Worried about her, Amelia flew off after the distressed dragon. 

Zelgadis looked around at a loss and finally flew off after Amelia, "wait for me!" He had no clue of how in the world things had gotten to this point, as if the level of unexpected weirdness had just hit an all time high. 

Xellos felt a vein began to protuberate on his forehead and considered killing off Phythan there and then. He clenched his teeth and glared, before flying away in the direction Filia, Amelia and Zelgadis had taken. 

Phythan watched them disappear in the distance and blinked in confusion, "Miss Lina, was it?" He looked at the red-haired levitating human girl. "Would you mind explaining to me what just happen? Did the monster retreat or something?" 

Once again, Lina's hand met her forehead and slid down her face to her chin. She looked at Phythan, she looked at Gourry and she looked at the cheering people below, most of which had discarded their multicolored umbrellas to get a better view of the show above. Finalizing her assessment of the situation, Lina concluded beyond the shadow of a doubt, "I'm surrounded by idiots." After a moment's pause, during which the two idiots in mid air, one of which, namely Gourry, was holding on to her leg to stay in mid air, Lina floated towards Phythan. She deposited Gourry on his back, then saddled in herself and pointed in the direction the others had gone in, dramatically declaring with more flare than necessary, "after them!" 

Happy to have been given direction in his confusion, Phythan gladly accepted the command, "yes, ma'am!" He flew after the group, which had faded away in the distance with the rain relentlessly beating down on him and his passengers. 

Lina glared forward. Trouble tended to come with plenty of company behind it. She had heard people say that married life is tough and though she had settled for just being engaged and this had nothing to do with her marriage, she never imagine things would be this tough. She looked to the skies that didn't appear to have the slightest intension of ceasing their downpour. Strange things were happening, their only possible clue made no sense and Xellos appeared to be rather upset, which could only mean more bad news, perhaps the worse of news. "When it rains, it pours!" Lina crossed her arms begrudgingly, shifting a little too suddenly for someone sitting atop a fast flying dragon with slippery wet scales. As a result she almost slipped off, albeit Gourry stopped her from falling. 

"We better hang on so we don't fall off," Gourry advised what was to him a genius suggestion, though it should have been common sense to anyone else. He wrapped one arm around Lina's waist, keeping the other on Phythan's back for balance. She blushed, but didn't say anything, merely hoping that the rain somehow miraculously covered her red face. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 020: Unstoppable! Allies of Justice

In the distance past the north dome, there was a dark misty forest with a small cave in the middle of it. Filia had transformed back into her human form and was huddled up in that little cave protected from the rain but not from her own conscience. Her life was a mess, a very embarrassing mess. 

It wasn't too long before Amelia caught up to Filia and landed in the spot where the golden glow had faded. She looked around, spotting a figure in the dimness of the small cave, which was not deep enough to be pitch-black, though the entire forest was a little dark due to the weather and thick trees. The princess hurried to the cave, kneeling beside the ball of self pity that was her friend. "Aw, don't cry Miss Filia," she hugged her gently and rubbed a soothing hand on her back like a mother consoling a crying child. "There, there, it's going to be alright." 

"No it's not," Filia sobbed. "There's some kind of evil plot going on and I've already embarrassed myself more during my stay in this resort than I have over the course of my whole life!" 

"It's not so bad," Amelia tried to comfort Filia, though in retrospect her chosen words might not have been the most reassuring. "It's not like this is the first time you've transformed in public. Besides, look at Phythan," Amelia blushed at the memory, "he transformed in front of all of us and didn't seem to be bothered by it." 

Filia huffed in indignation, "he has no modesty!" Having transformed in front of people wasn't her only humiliation during the time spent at the resort. At least her friends didn't know about all the incidents that had occurred concerning Xellos. He had not thrown them at her face in a public way yet, but he might be waiting for the right time, or rather, the worse time, to do so. She sighed, going back to the topic of Phythan, "he's acting so different, this isn't the Phythan I met that day, even though I'm sure it's the same person." It wasn't a long lost twin or look alike, his energy held the same essence and his scent remained unchanged, it was just something that another golden dragon could perceive beyond how a human would see it. 

"I'm sure he'll recover and be the same as ever," Amelia continued trying to stay positive. 

"There you are," Xellos' voice came from the small cave entrance as he walked in out of the rain. "Are you having a moment of bonding between girls? Should I come back later?" He teased. 

"Xellos!" Filia dried her tears so that her glare could glow in its full fury. "What in the world is going on? What are the monsters planning? What did they do to Phythan? Answer me!" She demanded. 

Xellos' eyes flickered into something akin to frustration for only a tiny moment, before he put on his painted smile and lifted his right index finger. "That is a secret," the tone of mockery was lacking the usual smugness lightly. 

Filia's eyes went wide in horror, "you don't know," her voice was a whisper of fear before her tone reached an all out panic. "You don't know!" 

Xellos frowned, he didn't want to, but his face moved on its own. "I will find out," he declared with the outmost certainty. 

Amelia looked back and forth between Xellos and Filia. If Xellos was in the dark about whatever secret plot was at hand, then things must be really complicated. She weighed her words in her mind, wondering what she could say to defuse the tension in the air. Yet she remained speechless until a thud was heard outside the cave. 

"We finally found them," Lina hopped off Phythan's back, accompanied by Gourry. It was then that Amelia noticed Zelgadis standing to the side of the cave and realized she had not seen his quiet arrival before. "Alright, I want some explanations and I want them now!" Lina stomped her way into the cave, where the entire group minus the dragon form Phythan barely fit. 

Phythan and Xellos were automatically caught in a staring contest that Filia hurried to end. "Listen up you two; I will have none of this!" She stood between them with her arms outstretched left and right, palms facing the two men, or the dragon and monster. "Phythan, I know Xellos is a horrible monster, but we don't have the strength to kill him." Filia's face was adorned with a sour look as she admitted it. "Xellos," she paused, searching for a proper excuse as to why he shouldn't kill Phythan. Finding none, she simply finished with, "just let it go." 

"No," Xellos firmly declared, his eyes open, expression predatory. 

Filia was unfazed in the fear department, though in terms of anger, she returned the glare full force, her dragon fangs peeking out of her mouth as she insisted, "let it go." A moment of silence passed while Filia and Xellos glared at each other until she stomped her feet firmly on the ground and asserted, "if you want to harm Phythan you'll have to get through me, I already told you that before and I meant it." 

Another moment of tense silence passed by until Xellos huffed and broke eye contact with Filia. "Stupid dragon, I really don't understand why you're so set on defending him, just because he's another golden dragon." The tension lessened considerably after that apparent acceptance of a truce. 

Another moment of silence passed as everyone tried to calm down a little from their guarded states. Then Phythan transformed back into his human appearance, once again changing without a warning. This time Zelgadis couldn't get to Amelia on time to cover her eyes. "For crying out loud, I told you not to do that!" The chimera snapped. 

Phythan gave him a confused look, "I honestly don't understand why it bothers you so much." Without giving Zelgadis or even Filia the chance to explain what the problem was, Phythan went on with his speech in a very Amelia-like tone. "My golden dragon comrade, I admire your amazing courage that even a monster dares not to challenge!" 

"What?" Xellos glared in indignation, "you really have a death wish, don't you?" 

Phythan ignored him and went on praising Filia. "I must say, I was very impressed by how you managed to make that monster stand down. It was almost as if you've tamed it." 

"Tamed?" Xellos questioned, that annoying little vein appearing on his forehead again as his eye twitched. 

"I have a long way to train if I am ever to become such a noble protector of justice as you are," Phythan bowed, showing his respect to Filia. 

"I... um... that was..." Filia laughed nervously. "Think nothing of it." She cleared her throat indicating a transition in topics, but was unable to bring up the next one. 

Instead a very impatient Lina stomped her feet. "Didn't anyone hear me before?" She demanded in an enraged growl. "I said I wanted answers!" 

"About that, Miss Lina," Amelia tried to calm her down before the all out confrontation they were avoiding really took place. "It seems that Mr. Xellos is truly unaware of what's going on. Given Mr. Phythan's current memory problems, we really have no reliable clues as to what's happening." 

Lina groaned, "that's just great," she sarcastically declared. She looked outside the little cave, noting that the rain was still pouring. "To top it all up, it won't stop raining. Well, I guess we'll have to follow plan B, inaction can be the best course of action sometimes, let the pieces fall by their own weight. Listen up everyone, here's the deal! We're all going back to the hotel, getting dried up and changed, then we'll grab some umbrellas and check out some indoor attractions. Since we're here, we might as well keep enjoying the resort." She then directed her commanding look towards Phythan, she looked like she was going to punch him in the face or worse yet, slay him. Despite being a dragon who was almost as tall as Gourry in his human form pitted against a petite human, Phythan instinctively took a step back without noticing. Then Lina's expression made a drastic change and she smiled sweetly. "You're more than welcome to come along with us, in fact, I insist that you do." 

Phythan nodded eagerly, "I would be happy to join your group of crusaders of justice!" 

Lina could have corrected him on the part about crusaders of justice, but chose to simply accept his reply and move on. Amelia on the other hand had her dreamy eyed expression back on her face, with a wide happy smile. "Yes, we have a new ally in the quest for justice!" She cheered. 

"Anyway," Lina felt the need to move along. "Let's head on back to the-" she paused realizing something. "Oh, that's right, the hotel was destroyed. Maybe we should just flee while we can." 

Phythan gasped and loudly declared, "an ally of justice never runs away!" He pointed at what he thought was the direction of the hotel, which was hard to determine in the thick forest. "I will personally return to the scene of the accident-" 

"You mean temper tantrum," Xellos suddenly interrupted with his correction. If Phythan annoyed him with his very existence, he had the right to annoy him back. 

"Tantrum," Phythan repeated, he paused and gave it some thought, then smiled in a disturbingly similar fashion to Xellos. "How mature of you to admit your mistake, Mr. Monster... No, Mr. Xellos, I will call you by your name acknowledging you as an individual rather than a worthless monster, because I can see your desire to change!" 

"What?" Was all Xellos could mutter, thrown for a loop. 

"You've been looking to Miss Filia for ways to change your evil nature, haven't you?" Phythan's eyes shone with support. "Don't worry Mr. Xellos, though the path of righteousness will be especially difficult for you to walk, we will help you get through it! The first step is accepting the facts! Oh, and I forgive you for your temper tantrum back there." 

Xellos felt his entire body shake with anger. After sprouting all that ridiculous nonsense, which Amelia was now agreeing with wholeheartedly, the foolish golden dragon had the audacity to give Xellos a comforting pat on the shoulder, which was far more infuriating than it could ever be comforting. Then he turned away and focused on chatting about justice and second chances with Amelia. "I'm going to kill him," Xellos spoke slowly, emphasizing every word in the most sinister tone anyone had heard him use up to date. 

Filia stepped forward and gently placed her hand on Xellos' shoulder, leaving it there. "Just let it go," there was pity mixed with confusion in her voice as she sighed hopelessly. "Poor Phythan's injuries really got to him, he wasn't this crazy before. He's not himself and I don't think it's fair to murder the clinically insane without even giving them a chance to recover." She paused and corrected herself, "actually, it's not right to murder anyone at all, not that I can easily convince a monster of that." 

Xellos huffed and crossed his arms in a rare angry posture for him. He didn't make the slightest attempt to remove Filia's hand from his shoulder, which remained there. "He really pisses me off," realizing that he was letting a golden dragon get to him far more than he should, Xellos tried to regain his composure. "It doesn't matter." His false smile returned to his face, his eyes looking far less sinister once they were squinting again and in Filia's secret thoughts, a little less alluring with the amethyst irises hidden. "He's insignificant anyway. So, how do you know him? What dragon temple is he really from?" 

A few feet ahead of Filia and Xellos, Lina looked back at them before waving her hand dismissively as if saying with her body language that those two could catch up at their own pace. Then Phythan offered to give them a ride. "That sounds fun." Gourry agreed in the name of the group though convenience was more so their motivation instead of fun, since riding on a dragon was a lot less fun in the rain than it was in nice weather. 

At that point Zelgadis calmly took Amelia's shoulders, causing her to blush, and gently turned her over so that her back was to Phythan, then he let her go. Lina stared to the side awkwardly, keeping her eyes on a random bush until the golden glow was gone and in place of the human form of Phythan, there stood the dragon version of him. "You know, Mr. Zelgadis, I was ready to close my eyes this time." Amelia softly pointed out. 

Zelgadis scratched his chin and looked slightly upward, "just making sure," he half muttered, half replied. 

The group minus Filia and Xellos, who were left several feet behind, climbed onto Phythan's back and he took off. Meanwhile, Filia was trying to figure out Phythan while talking to Xellos. "I honestly don't know. He claimed to be from the fire and water temples, but that makes no sense. I mean, the temples generally get along, so having visitors from one temple go to another isn't rare. Even so, there are too many contradictions. Maybe he's a follower of the Water Dragon and is just confused." 

"Yet the Water Dragon has already passed away," Xellos pointed out with the cheer of delivering good news, while communicating bad, albeit old, news for Filia. 

Filia was so used to it by now that she chose not to react to his tone and instead continued normally. "Yes, but there are still some golden dragons left that pledge their alliance to the Water Dragon." She let out a breath and massaged her temples. "Unless whoever is behind all the strange things that have been happening makes a move or Phythan recovers, we're in the dark." 

"Have you considered the possibility that maybe all of this is an act and that Phythan is the villain of the situation?" Xellos suggested. 

Filia shook her head, "in any case, you would be the bigger villain of the situation." She pointed out with just a little bit of relaxation starting to make its way into her voice. She was unwinding even if she shouldn't be. 

"True," Xellos accepted the claim sounding somewhat flattered. "Still, you know what I mean." 

Filia frowned and gave the possibility some real thought. "I suppose I can't discard that possibility, yet it makes no sense. If Phythan wanted to weasel his way into the group his first style of acting was much more effective than his current one. Now he's just odd." 

"His first style of acting?" Xellos questioned curiously, his voice carrying the faint scent of disapproval. 

"Yes," Filia nodded, recalling when she met Phythan and blushing, which was met with a suspicious raise of the eyebrow from Xellos, one eye open and the other still squinting at her questioningly. "He was nice and... not suspicious," charming... almost seductive, but Filia decided not to voice the last parts; she didn't know what brought about such charm anyway. Was it the wine colored eyes? His confidence? The way he looked as if he hid a dark secret? How she was reminded of Xellos? She shook her head frantically. "Anyway, let's just keep an eye on him just in case, but if he's just a poor confused dragon suffering from temporary insanity due to his previous injuries, I don't want you hurting him." 

"What makes you think I'll listen to you?" Xellos inquired in a tone that was surprisingly more teasing than mocking. 

"You will grant me this request," Filia had no idea on what she could base her certainty; there was nothing to base it on. She closed her eyes for a moment as she slowly walked next to Xellos through the misty forest. The trees served as a sort of makeshift umbrella so the rain was lighter in the forest, though the thin drops were still falling on them. She opened her eyes, her face rosy from her idea. 

"Filia?" Xellos looked at her flustered face in curiosity. "Are you catching a cold or something?" He asked hopefully. 

Filia shook her head, her blush deepening, "I'll kiss you," she finally offered, unable to explain why she would even try to entertain the notion that such a plan would work. It was absurd. 

Xellos was taken aback, his painted silly grin fading into real surprise and reemerging as a true mischievous grin. "Is the private atmosphere of the forest getting to you? I heard that there are some who enjoy kissing in the rain." 

He began to wrap his arms around her, but she stopped him and backed away. "Not now," she couldn't believe she was offering this, but it was for a noble cause. "When we find out about Phythan I'll kiss you once and only once, of my own free will, in private and no one must know. That's what you wanted wasn't it? In exchange you have to let him go." She remembered the Phythan that gave her ice-cream, the charming version of him. It wasn't technically cheating because they were not an official couple and it was for his sake anyway. 

Xellos frowned, "I'm afraid that won't work," he realized with disappointment. "Kissing me for the sake of someone else counts as a sort of blackmail or threat. My request is for you to kiss me completely out of your free will with no outside pressures or motivations. It has to be done on the sole reason that you want to do it." 

Filia gave Xellos a confused look and recalled their conversation on the bench that time. "Why?" Her voice lacked her usual anger towards Xellos and was instead filled with puzzlement, curiosity and an inexplicably strong need to know. 

"I can't really explain it," because it might endanger the cure. If Filia knew that he was in danger of turning into a human and being swiftly killed off soon after by forces that not even Lina could save him from should she actually choose to try, Filia, being Filia, might feel somewhat guilty and try to save him. She would declare he deserved a punishment worse than death and throw a number of angry remarks at him, but she would try to save him anyway. Somehow he knew it and it bothered him. Mercy felt like too much of an outside motivation. It wouldn't be Filia's free will; it would be her desire to run away from the possibility of a guilty conscience if she didn't help. Then the cure would be useless. 

"Xellos," Filia stopped walking and looked boldly into his eyes with a pleading gaze. "Please, just tell me. Are you making fun of me? Are you just trying to mock me?" Things wouldn't work out as long as Filia had those fears to hold her back. 

"There's a very good reason why I can't explain myself in full." Xellos revealed with more sincerity than Filia had ever witness him have. "It's not a trick and I can at least assure you that I will be able to tell you once it's done," able to tell her, albeit not obligated to. "I just can't tell you now. It's a secret and there's a good reason why it needs to stay that way, not necessarily forever, but at least for now." 

Filia nodded as a flurry of crazy theories flew through her mind. She should have known this was as close to a straight answer as she could get from Xellos. Yet his reply was far more perplexing than she ever imagined it would be. She sighed in defeat. "Alright then, instead of offering you the kiss, I will instead offer to keep an open mind and let things flow naturally," she couldn't believe what she was saying, but the words had already come out. It wasn't the first time she offered to keep an open mind, but this time, she felt compelled to keep her word more strongly than she could explain. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 021: Lucky! Follow The White Rabbit

"Don't get too close," Lina instructed as Phythan arrived in sight of the hotel, or what was left of it. Despite the rain, repairs were already being made, by... trolls? The green creatures appeared to be being bossed around by a human man with a big mustache, which reminded Lina of Philionel, and a yellow construction helmet. The man looked at the dragon in the distance and waived. 

"It looks like he wants us to go over there," Phythan interpreted and did so without a second thought. 

"What are you doing? Stop, this is a bad idea!" Lina protested adamantly, though her complaints fell on deaf ears. 

Phythan landed as gently as he could on the under construction surface atop the hotel building. At least the lower floors were okay. "About the mess..." he began with an apologetic tone. 

"Ah, yes, about that," the construction boss seemed rather cheerful despite the situation. "Guests are charged for the shows available to them at the resort. Since they assumed that this was all part of the show and stayed to watch, we charged all the spectators for the show. The money will be enough for the repairs and more. By the way boy, how would you like an official job at the resort?" 

Phythan seemed to be debating the situation. He wasn't sure he liked the idea about the spectators being charged, but if by chance they thought the show was actually worth it, then maybe it wasn't so bad. "I'm not really looking for a job right now, but thanks anyway," he finally answered. 

"Wait a minute!" Lina pointed at the construction boss almost accusingly. "While you and your trolls are rebuilding this place, where are we supposed to stay?" 

"Shh, Miss Lina!" Amelia uncomfortably whispered. "We're really in no position to ask for much." 

The construction supervisor appeared to consider the words and finally pulled a whistle from his pants pocket and blew it. A man in a bellhop uniform swiftly stood next to the construction boss, "sir?" 

"Take these guests to the special casino suite," the man in the yellow helmet ordered. He then turned his attention back to the trolls and started yelling at them to hurry. 

"Yes, sir!" Taking a moment to examine the guests, the bellhop exchanged a look of recognition with them. 

"It's Zangulus," Gourry smiled, "you have a lot of jobs around here, don't you?" 

Zangulus chuckled, "indeed I do." He eyed the dragon, "so, should I join you to show you to your new rooms?" 

"Sure, I can carry you too," Phythan wrapped his long golden tail around Zangulus' waist and placed him on his back. "Here we go, take off!" 

"Having a dragon to give you a ride is pretty convenient," Zangulus commented, admiring the view from above. "The casino suite is right over there," he pointed towards a colorfully decorated building with magically powered multicolor lights. 

Zelgadis frowned, "I don't like casinos," he commented hopelessly. 

"I'm sure it's not so bad," Amelia smiled gently as they headed towards the roof of the casino. "Casinos are supposed to be a lot of fun." 

"Until you lose all your money," Zelgadis grumbled. 

"But we're broke anyway," Amelia somehow tried to look at the positive light in that. She wasn't exactly broke really, Seyruun still had a healthy treasury, but Amelia's spending money for the trip was running low. 

Zelgadis let out a breath, "there's that." Not being able to lose a lot of money due to not having a lot of money wasn't exactly the best consolation in his opinion. 

Once Phythan had landed on the roof of the brightly lit building, everyone hopped off his back. When all his passengers had disembarked, he once again changed into his human form without warning. A soft "oops..." escaped Amelia. She knew Zelgadis didn't want her to watch Phythan transform, but it's not like she was doing it on purpose. 

Zelgadis clenched his teeth. 'Idiot dragon with his stupid soft skin, annoying perfectly proportioned body and infuriating well toned muscles and... and...' Zelgadis marched over to Phythan and smacked him on the head. 

"Ow!" The dragon's hands flew to the back of his head were the chimera had struck him. 

Amelia gasped and gave Zelgadis a look of disapproval with a scolding "Mr. Zelgadis!" That hurt more than Zelgadis thought it would. Pouting profusely, Amelia turned her back on Zelgadis purposefully and gently patted the affected area of Phythan's head. "It's okay, Mr. Phythan, I'm sure Mr. Zelgadis is sorry. Although, you should... ehem... cover up a bit more when you're transforming, it unnerves Mr. Zelgadis." 

"But he's a guy," Phythan pointed out the obvious, the aspect of jealousy completely flying over his head. 

"Yes," Amelia nodded, "but Lina and I are girls," she pointed out with the patient tone that was needed when explaining something utterly simple to Gourry. Honestly, it was downright strange how Phythan was displaying a variety of characteristics found in their group. 

Phythan nodded in apparent understanding, yet the concept that Amelia was trying to portray once again flew over his head. "But you're both tomboys!" 

Amelia and Lina simultaneously smacked Phythan on the head, making him fall forward at Zelgadis feet. The chimera looked pleased with the results. Zangulus decided that the safest course of action for him would be to quietly watch the scene until the shenanigans were done. 

Seemingly out of nowhere, Gourry placed his hand on Lina's shoulder, speaking a soft, "Lina..." She turned to face him and observed his half-lidded gaze and the rosy tint on his cheeks along with a rather warm atmosphere coming from him. She felt her own face start to become flustered as he took her hand in his, causing her heartbeat to speed up. Then he placed her hand on his forehead and sniffled. "I think I caught a cold..." 

Lina's countenance went from flustered to angry in a split second as she smacked Gourry on the head. "It's not like I can do anything about that!" She turned to Zangulus who had wisely remained quiet the entire time. "Show us our rooms so we can change out of our wet clothes before things get worse," she demanded. 

"Yes, right this way!" Zangulus hurried towards the stairs that led to the floor below, where the casino's suite was. "This suite is normally reserved for the very best gamblers, so it's pretty lucky that you were sent here." The group arrived at a large room with walls decorated with cards and a poker table in the middle. There were twelve doors in the circular room, one of them being the one that led to the rooftop, which seemed to be a private area for the occupants of the suite. "That door," Zangulus motioned to the door at the opposite side of the room, "leads to the stairs that will take you to the casino facilities below. My Martina works there, so make sure you drop by and say hello. As for the other ten doors, they each lead to a separate room with its own bathroom. You may distribute the ten available rooms among your group as you see fit. The traditional outfits worn by the best gamblers have already been supplied into the rooms in various sizes," Zangulus finished. "Well, I guess that's everything." He stood unmoving with a smile plastered on his face. 

Lina stepped past the group, giving Phythan a rather harsh pat on the back as she did, "give the man a tip," she commanded. 

"Yes, Miss Lina," resigned to obeying, least his poor head receive another harsh blow, Phythan gave Zangulus some gold coins. 

"Thank you very much!" Satisfied with the venture, Zangulus went off, disappearing behind the door that led to the public area downstairs. 

The group then went their separate ways, each into their chosen room. Lina took the first door right next to the stairs that led to the roof, with Gourry choosing the room next to hers. Amelia took the first door to the left next to the rooftop stairs and Zelgadis predictably chose the room next to hers. Phythan decided to take a room that was further away and settled into the one right from the door that led down to the casino. 

A few minutes later, Amelia peeked out from behind her door, "Um... everyone?" She timidly called. 

Zelgadis opened his door just enough to stick out his head and look at Amelia, of whom he too could only see the head. "Yes?" 

"About the gambler outfits..." Amelia continued shyly, but trailed into silence. 

"Yes... about that..." Zelgadis wasn't sure how to word it, then Phythan's door opened and interrupted. 

The golden dragon emerged wearing black pants and shiny matching shoes, no shirt, a black bowtie around his neck, cufflinks on his wrists and white bunny ears on his head. "Is this how humans dress when they go to a casino?" He poked at the rabbit ears. 

"I suppose we might as well get the full casino experience even if it is a bit embarrassing," Amelia concluded. Her door was closed for a moment as she adjusted her own bunny ears on her head, then she emerged wearing what looked like a black strapless one piece bathing suit, black stockings, matching high heels, a red bowtie and cufflinks and white bunny ears. 

While Zelgadis stared at Amelia and blushed, a furious Lina emerged from her room in an outfit that was the same as Amelia's. "What's the meaning of this?" 

Amelia laughed unsure, "part of the casino experience?" 

Lina crossed her arms in embarrassment. "This reminds me of when we sang that stupid song that didn't do anything useful after all." She glanced at Phythan, "at least everyone will have to suffer all the same unless they want to get pneumonia from staying in wet clothes." However, Phythan seemed amused by the bunny ears and not at all annoyed. Groaning in exasperation, Lina looked to Zelgadis for a source of consolation. "Zel..." she gave him a wolfish grin. 

Zelgadis turned an even deeper shade of scarlet and gulped, then shook his head. "C'mon Mr. Zelgadis, it'll be fun if we all wear the same style of outfits." Amelia sounded more like she was trying to convince herself more so than Zelgadis. 

Zelgadis sighed hopelessly. He knew that Amelia would eventually convince him to come out in that silly fan service rabbit outfit so he had no business in fighting it. She had more power over him that he would care to admit. "Alright..." He exited the room in an outfit that was the same as Phythan's, feeling completely mortified to be showing more skin to Amelia than what he ever wanted to show without a cure. He kept his eyes glued to the dark red carpet on the floor and didn't notice Amelia's rather interested flustered look as he fidgeted with the rabbit ears in his hands. 

Lina noticed and was giving Amelia a sly grin. Hoping that Lina would simply remain quiet, Amelia hurried to occupy herself. "Here, let me help you with that, Mr. Zelgadis." She took the rabbit ears from his fidgeting hands and raised her arms to reach up to Zelgadis head. Realizing she couldn't properly see how to correctly adjust the ears from that angle, Amelia placed a gentle hand on Zelgadis' bare shoulder. "Could you bend down a little?" Wordlessly, Zelgadis bent over so that Amelia could easily reach the top of his head, where she placed the fluffy white bunny ears, "there." 

A moment of silence invaded the atmosphere as Lina continued to smile slyly. Then Gourry emerged from his room, dressed the same as Phythan and Zelgadis, but with a sharply contrasting facial expression. He looked like a zombie. "Lina..." he whined, "I don't feel good," he sneezed. 

Lina frowned and analyzed the situation. She didn't feel like running into Martina and having to hear one of her flat-chested comments. She quickly devised a plan that would hopefully benefit everyone. "Amelia, Zelgadis, you two should go downstairs and enjoy the casino together," she emphasized the last word wiggling her eyebrows as she did. "Phythan, since you' have only recently joined our crusade of justice," Lina decided to play on his easily excitable side just as she might have done with Amelia in times past when she insisted to be trained by her. "You should meet our dear friend Martina," 'and drive her mad while you're at it,' Lina mentally added. She suspected that Phythan might have a natural talent for annoying people, or at least he did in his current state. "You should hang out with Martina while Amelia and Zelgadis go about their business, they can point her out to you." That would also serve to get Martina out of Zel and Amelia's hair, a fact for which Lina expected them to thank her with a meal later. "I'll stay here and nurse the sick Gourry back to health," 'while pigging out on room service.' 

Now it was Amelia's turn to give Lina a sly smile. "That sounds like a plan," she winked. 

"Right, a plan, a non-suspicious plan!" Lina insisted embarrassed. 

"Of course," Amelia nodded as she took Zelgadis' hand. "Let's go then." 

"Affirmative!" Phythan saluted and followed Amelia and Zelgadis out of the circular common room. 

"Uff," Lina let out a breath of relief once they were gone and stretched in relaxation. "I hope room service has a really great menu!" 

"Lina..." she looked at Gourry that had that same blushing look with his eyes half closed that made him look almost sensual. Almost, just almost, Lina's brightly blushing face didn't mean a thing... really. Then he moved forward, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, drawing himself very close to her and said, "I feel dizzy..." then promptly passed out, leaving Lina to drag his full weight back to bed where he could rest. She was tempted, very tempted... to abandon him laying on the floor. Yet she dragged him to bed anyway and somehow managed to set him down, pulling the covers over him. 

"Get some rest, Gourry..." Lina voiced sweetly, "and while you're fast asleep," she smiled, "I'll eat all the food!" Then she triumphantly marched out of Gourry's room. Lina approached the door leading downstairs, opened it and called out, "room service!" After a short while, a waitress dressed like a playing card showed up, her outfit making her limbs appear to be uncomfortably short. It was too bad for her, because she would have a lot of food to carry up those stairs. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, downstairs in the casino area Amelia and Zelgadis spotted Martina wearing a dress, or what was supposed to be a dress with a revealing heart shaped bra and a big skirt adorned with cards. Her obnoxious laughter echoed as she sat on a throne at the head of an exclusive looking poker table. "Who dares to challenge the poker queen?" She loudly called out as her previous table companions dragged themselves away broke. Apparently her job was something along the lines of making sure the customers lost all their money in the casino's favor. 

"That's Miss Martina," Amelia pointed out unsure. It was Martina alright, but what Amelia wasn't certain about was the prospect of abandoning Phythan with her. 

"I'll go say hi," having no idea of the dangers that awaited him, Phythan approached Martina's table and sat down before Amelia could change her mind and stop him. 

Seeing Amelia's regretful expression, Zelgadis tried to encourage her, "he'll be fine. We should get out of here before Martina sees us." 

"It would be mean not to at least say hello." Though she was pointing that out, Amelia was swiftly making her escape along with Zelgadis. "Of course, we could just talk to her a little later." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Some distance away from the casino, Xellos and Filia had made their way out of the misty forest in relative peace and quiet. Xellos paused with a focused look on his face. "You're thinking about leaving now, aren't you?" Filia inquired. This was the typical Xellos, coming and going as he pleased, nothing new there. 

"I need to check up on some things," Xellos grin, his usual expression was back in place perfectly. "I know you'll miss me terribly, but try not to let your repressed passion torture you too much." He winked; the nerve of him. 

Filia glared, tempted to throw her open mind promise out the window and go back to permanently labeling Xellos as a jerk. He deserved it for being so infuriating. "I don't care what kind of stupid teasing you come up with, I'm not going to let that distract me!" Filia firmly declared, raising her voice more than necessary to communicate her message. "If you're leaving, you're taking me along." 

"Forward, aren't we," Xellos grinned annoyingly. 

Filia ignored the blush on her cheeks as she clenched her teeth and fists. "I know you're going out to investigate and not share any information like the sneaky piece of raw garbage you are! Well I'm not going to let you do that," she crossed her arms and stomped her feet defiantly. "I want to know what's going on too, so I'll investigate along with you!" 

"What if I teleport away?" Xellos demonstrated the motion by fading away and reappearing right behind Filia. "What are you going to do about it then?" 

Filia jumped at the sudden voice from behind her and more so at the closeness of its owner, as Xellos whispered in her ear, his warm breath tickling her neck. She mentally scolded herself for being surprised. She should have known he would do something like this. "I'll find you," she tried to sound firm and angry, but failed to do so. 

"You seem pretty determined..." Xellos observed. What was the harm? He was only going to investigate Phythan and in the location that he planned to visit she might know her way around far better than him. Then again, there was also a good chance she had never been to that place, but that wouldn't exactly be of any harm either. He wrapped one arm around her waist, cupping her chin with the other, making her look to the side, where his head rested on her shoulder from behind. "I'll take you with me." 

There was something... peculiar about the way he spoke those words that Filia didn't want to dwell upon. She thought she should push him away. Being open minded about him didn't mean letting him hang all over her. Yet her limbs refused to respond to her rationale's call. He tightened his grip around her wais and they both faded away. 

Filia gasped as the world around her changed. She wasn't expecting Xellos to teleport when he did. After a brief view of the astral side, they reappeared at the port, the place where they had arrived at the island. "We'll have to leave the resort for a little while to conduct this investigation. We can come back once we have a look at a certain place I have in mind. Of course, making the whole trip via the astral side with a passenger won't be easy." 

With a harsh wave of motion sickness hitting her full force, Filia stumbled out of Xellos' arms. She never got sick from flying or from boats, but teleportation made her feel ill. "Ugh, forget that. Let's just fly." She looked around and found a private spot behind a mountain of crates. There she changed into her dragon form and emerged flying. "Let's go." 

"Follow me," Xellos began to levitate as he gave Filia another teasing grin. "Do try to keep up." 

"Hmp!" Filia threw her head back and retorted, "don't slow me down." 

To be Continued


	8. Chapter 8

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 022: Hidden! Legacy Of The Golden Dragons

Xellos and Filia went further away from the resort, flying at an amazing speed. Any passing boats in the ocean below would just see a golden blur and wouldn't even notice the other blur next to it. "Getting tired?" Xellos teased as he watched Filia flap her wings, her blond hair blowing in the wind. 

"Not a chance!" Filia gasped prideful. She pushed herself to go faster. The world around her was a complete blur, but at least she wasn't feeling sick anymore, she couldn't spare the energy to feel sick. The pink bow on her tail came undone and the ribbon fell off. 

Xellos disappeared from in front of Filia, reappearing soon after with the ribbon in his hand. "You dropped this." He held out the accessory. "Want me to tie it on your tail for you?" 

Filia allowed herself to slow down, coming to a soft glide. "I don't want you touching my tail," she snatched away the ribbon. "Or any part of me," she specified as an afterthought, then tied the ribbon securely back on her tail. She gasped for breath, "where are we going anyway?" 

Knowing that it would annoy her to no end, Xellos smiled raising his index finger and moving it left and right lightly. "That is a secret." 

Filia growled in vexation. "I should have known you'd say that, but I'll know where the place is when we get there anyway, so why not just tell me?" 

With his smile intact Xellos repeated, "it's a secret." 

Filia frowned, "you just like being difficult," she concluded what she had already been aware of for a long time. 

"We can try teleporting a little more, but the greater the distance the more affected you will be," Xellos warned with clear amusement. 

Filia considered her options. She didn't know how far the place Xellos wanted to investigate was, but she knew that she would get motion sickness from his teleportation. Even so, she was gasping for breath from flying for so long as it was and that wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling either. "Okay," she finally agreed. Even if she regretted it, she could at least catch her breath a little. 

Xellos hopped on Filia's back much to her annoyance and in a somewhat cowboy-like tone he loudly declared. "Giddy up, Filia!" Then they disappeared. 

When they reappeared, Filia pushed the sick sensation of her stomach aside and began making wild motions in mid air, "I'm not a horse!" 

Xellos kept one hand on Filia as if holding on to imaginary reins and raised his other arm. "No, you're a rodeo dragon." 

"You're infuriating!" Filia dove into the cloud banks below, at least it wasn't raining, just cloudy in that area. Behind the cover of the clouds, she changed into her human form in hopes of making Xellos fall off, then suddenly felt like she was being choked. "Let go of my cloak, you're choking me!" 

"You're the one who put us in this situation," Xellos pointed out with amusement. He was caught under Filia's cloak, his neck and hers tied to each other by the cloak's bow. 

"Ugh!" Filia untied the cloak and let the fabric fall gently to the approaching ground below, only to realize that she was falling none too gently towards the same brown rocky terrain of a little island. She couldn't transform in mid air, she had no cover, but she didn't want to go splat on the ground either. Her first automatic and definitely irrational instinct was to hold on to the closest thing to her, which happened to be Xellos. 

Xellos turned over in mid air so that Filia was laying on top of him and slowed his fall to gently land on his back on the ground. Filia's cloak, which was lighter and falling at a slower pace held up by the wind, landed on top of them blanketing the pair. "Comfortable?" 

Filia fought to get the cloak off herself and finally tossed it out of the way. She sat up on her knees, her hands in front of her to push herself up. "What..?" She couldn't finish voicing her half coherent question as she looked down and saw him. 

Xellos grinned seductively, "do you want me that bad?" 

Filia then realized that her hands were on his chest and she was sitting on top of him. She scrambled off him, tripping and falling backwards in the process, then drew herself to her feet, picking up her cloak angrily. "You!" She pointed at him with a scarlet face. Xellos merely winked which sent Filia into a bigger rage than any words could have. She expressed her whole repertoire of remarks, out of which, raw garbage was by far the nicest. 

"Tsk, tsk..." Xellos shook his head, waiving his index finger back and forth. "I thought a golden dragon would have more decorum than that. How many times did the dragon elders have to wash your mouth with soap when you were at the temple?" 

"Never," Filia growled, then her countenanced changed drastically as her eyes became teary. "What have I become?" She looked positively miserable. 

"Less naive?" Xellos offered. 

Filia sniffled, "what have I become?" She dramatically screamed, raising her arms to the skies. "I'm hanging out with a monster, helping him investigate and I'm using vocabulary that I shouldn't even know! Where in the world did I pick up those words anyway? It's all your fault!" She pointed angrily at Xellos. 

Calmly, Xellos pointed out with an amused smile, "I don't think I've ever called you a-" 

In a lightning fast motion, Filia slapped her hands over his mouth, "don't repeat it!" She exclaimed in embarrassment. "Maybe I heard that one in town," she realized, releasing Xellos after a few seconds to make sure he would remain silent. "Maybe I should think about moving to a new town, if people there have language like that, it can't be a good place for Val to grow up." 

"You'll find language like that everywhere," Xellos rolled his eyes at her paranoia. "Unless of course, you manage to track down a town full of mutes and move there," he paused then added with a cheerful smile, "but you'd still see writing like that." 

Filia sighed hopelessly, "is there not a single decent place left in the world?" 

"You mean a place full of uptight extremists?" It was obvious what Xellos was referring to before he even spoke the next part. "I thought you said you wouldn't go back there." 

Filia glared and placed her hands on her hips. "The golden dragons are not all uptight extremists and no I'm not thinking about going back to one of the temples." 

"Then you can't expect to shelter Val, maybe you shouldn't," Xellos suggested. "Even you had to wake up from your dream at some point and it didn't look like you were having a grant time doing it. Do you want Val to go through life thinking it's perfect only to harshly realize it's not, or would you rather him be prepared?" 

Filia opened her mouth to deliver a comeback, an insult, something, preferably a semi-civilized insult, if there was such a thing, that didn't involved vocabulary that was too sinister. She stopped, realizing that she had no negative comebacks to throw at Xellos, negative comments yes, but those were not retorts. What he said actually made sense. "I guess it's best if he's prepared. Maybe moving won't benefit us after all and when it comes down to it, the town is overall a nice place, a lot nicer than other towns I've been to." 

"Isn't life easier when you just agree with me?" Xellos grinned that infuriating grin of his. 

Filia was determined not to let him get to her and instead walked past Xellos. "Are we close to the place you wanted to investigate?" She returned the subject of conversation to the more pressing matter at hand. 

"We're here," Xellos pointed towards a rocky mountain in the center of the little island, which was severely lacking in the vegetation department. 

"There's nothing here," it was just some little island with nothing but rocks, rocks and more rocks. The place didn't even have grass. 

"Appearances can be deceiving," with a merry mocking tone, Xellos approached the mountain and pushed a loose stone in. A sliding door of stone perfectly camouflaged on the mountain side was revealed. A dark tunnel lay behind it, with no visible end to it. 

Filia looked into the dark tunnel with perplexity. "What is this place?" 

"I was hoping you would know," Xellos voiced, though his tone made it clear he wasn't. "Alas, it's too bad my possible guide failed me," he pretended to be disappointed, albeit his act didn't fool Filia for a second. "I guess the golden dragons really do work in a need to know basis after all." 

Filia raised a suspicious eyebrow. "The golden dragons?" She looked back and forth from Xellos to the dark tunnel. "Are you saying this place belonged to the golden dragons?" She knew not of the existence of such a place, whatever it was. But then again, there were many things that for most of her life she was ignorant of about her race. "It looks deserted," she pointed out, hoping that it was. If there were any dragons in there, they wouldn't take kindly to Xellos or to her, given that she arrived with Xellos. 

"It is," Xellos agreed, much to Filia's visible relief. "This place was managed by the golden dragons of the fire temple. It used to have a lot of spells to protect it, so keeping guards here wasn't a necessity. However, when the casters of those spells died, the spells were broken. There might still be traps left in there, but it's nothing we can't handle." 

"This place belonged to the golden dragons who served the Fire Dragon..." Even if she was no longer one of those servants, Filia couldn't help it but to be curious. She realized with the entire Darkstar and Val incident that she knew very little about her people and a part of her wanted to know more, even if she didn't like what she found out. "It doesn't look like a temple." 

"It was an archive," Xellos revealed. "If the golden dragons who were followers of the Fire Dragon knew anything about Phythan, then they would have recorded it here." 

Filia's eyes shone with curiosity. Technically this was trespassing. Theoretically this was a terrible unlawful act that could be classified as espionage. But she didn't care. She didn't care if she could be considered to be corrupt for her actions; she wanted to know more truths. She wanted to see history for what it really was. "Let's go." 

"You're very eager to commit an act of trespassing." Xellos grinned teasingly as he stood next to Filia, who was focusing on a light spell. "Maybe I am corrupting you." 

Filia didn't even flinch at a comment that would normally severely disturb her. "I'm trespassing, I intend to look at information I wasn't meant to know existed and I will not regret it," she was determined. "I want to know more truths even if they hurt. It's for Val, in order to protect him. If worse comes to worse, I need to have a clear idea of what I could be up against." 

"You really took my comment about naivete to heart, did you?" Filia didn't reply to Xellos' remark and they both walked on in silence through the cave tunnels. 

Eventually, the brown cavern floors faded into dark yellow bricks that formed a deep tunnel sloped downward. The slope became spiraling stairs with the bricks presenting various carvings on the walls. They appeared to be spells that were no longer active as they were linked to the life of the caster. It was a double-edged sword so to speak. Linking a spell to the caster's life would make them nearly impossible to break unless the caster was killed, but if the caster died, that would be the end of the spell. 

"There should be traps around here," Filia brought up an important point that Xellos had already mentioned before. She was prompting him for information. He knew about the location of the archives, so he might know more about them. 

"There could be," Xellos nodded nonchalant. "I might have missed a few when I first came to explore this place, but I doubt they'll give us any trouble as long as we're careful. I got rid of all the important traps anyway." 

"So you've been here before," there was an accusing edge to Filia's voice, yet it also lacked surprise. "That means you have an idea of what's down there." 

"Profiles," Xellos answered simply instead of letting the suspense hang. Before Filia could ask him, or rather order him, to elaborate, they reached the bottom of the spiraling stairs. There they found themselves in a large chamber with shelves containing scrolls as far as the eye could see. 

"Profiles?" Filia repeated as soon as she recovered the power of speech. 

"There are no war records or big secrets here," Xellos confirmed. "I doubt any of this would be all that interesting to you or to anyone for that matter. The golden dragons of the Fire Temple wrote what they thought was worth remembering. Of course, they stopped writing when they were all wiped out. I think the most recent entry in your profile was when you were sent on your mission to find Lina, or Luna as it originally was." 

"My profile..." Filia looked at the vast collection of scrolls on the tall wooden shelves. The ceiling of the chamber was quite high and levitation would be needed to reach the top of the full shelves. 

"It was boring," Xellos commented dismissively. "Of course, I didn't read all of these. I soon realized how useless this archive was and left. But we can still find a small clue about Phythan here. His profile should be around here somewhere. We can at least find out what temple he came from and a little about his past, if that's even his real name. If not, then that pretty much serves as proof that he's lying, so the search won't be in vain." 

Filia frowned as she looked at the mountains of scrolls, "this will be exceptionally tedious." 

Xellos shrugged as if he was used to it, "it has to be done. You can't expect information to just fall on your head, you lazy dragon." 

Instead of coming up with a counter argument to Xellos' jab about her laziness, albeit she was certain she was not slothful thank you very much, Filia's train of thought went towards another detail. "You must do a lot of reading and spying to get all your information," she noted. "Maybe more reading than I thought." 

"Spying needs to be conveniently timed," Xellos made no attempt to deny it. "As for reading, looking at records that I'm not supposed to be looking at can be done at just about any moment." 

Filia thought about criticizing Xellos for it, but she was doing the same thing at the moment and she didn't want him to throw a comeback at her about hypocrisy. "It looks like the scrolls are arranged in order of rank and the shelves are labeled according to each temple. You can start searching in the Water Dragon section and I'll start with the Fire Dragon section." 

"Looking to take a peek into your own record?" Xellos opened one eye, keeping it glued to Filia's face. "I bet you used to sneak into the teacher's office and look up test answers too." 

Filia stomped her feet, pouting profusely as she placed her hands on her hips. "I did no such thing!" 

"Sure you didn't," Xellos turned around dismissively, with a tone that made it clear he didn't believe her, though he actually did. 

"I didn't!" Filia screamed, her voice echoing in the large chamber. Then suddenly the many shelves sunk into the floor leaving the surface flat and empty. "What just happened?" 

Xellos looked smugly amused, "it looks like your loud voice activated one of the leftover traps." 

"Why didn't you disable it?" Filia shouted angrily while the wall on the far end of the large chamber parted to reveal a dragon statue with glowing golden eyes and a jar held in its front claws. 

"Why would I bother with a trap that only activates when one is rudely loud?" Xellos gave Filia a look of false innocence. "I'm never rudely loud; you're the one that's always yelling at me. You have terrible manners." 

"Shut up!" Filia yelled. Sure, it was true that yelling was what got them into that mess, but they were already in trouble so there was no reason to hold back anymore. 

The dragon statue looked like it would launch some sort of attack, then a voice echoed loudly, "quiet in the archives!" The roar of the recorded voice from the statue left Filia's ears ringing. The statue then made mechanical noises as the metal joints that held the stone limbs together demonstrated that they had not been properly oiled for far too long. "You must deposit a coin into the loud jar." That sentence was delivered with less malice then the request for silence, though still with a very commanding tone. 

Filia and Xellos paused, looking at the odd contraction. "Loud jar?" Xellos tilted his head curious to the side. 

Filia was surprise to find such a thing in a secret archive, but she seemed to know what it was as she fished around her pockets for a coin. "It's like a swear jar, but it's for when people yell, regardless of what they say. Of course if one were to yell a bad word, both penalties would apply." She tossed a coin into the jar and detecting it somehow, the statue went upright again and the wall slid back into place covering it, followed by the shelves reemerging from the floor. 

Xellos looked like he was laughing behind his hand, somehow trying not to be too loud because he would rather blow up the mechanical librarian than toss a coin into the jar it held. He finally composed himself under Filia's disapproving glare. "You golden dragons have stupid rules and regulations for every thing." 

Filia was tempted to blow up at Xellos again, but she didn't want to lose another coin. Instead she used a moderated but harsh tone of voice, "it's not stupid." She crossed her arms and pouted as Xellos prompted her to continue with his eyes as if waiting for her to explain why it wasn't stupid. "A monster wouldn't understand," Filia left it at that and approached the Fire section of the archives. 

"Just so you know," Xellos voiced as he headed over to the water section. "Your profile isn't here." 

Filia froze and turned around to glare at Xellos. "You stole it," she correctly concluded, pointing her accusing right index finger at him." 

"Oh, don't worry, there are plenty of other profiles left for you to steal my delinquent friend," Xellos grinned like he always did. 

Filia huffed in indignation. "I'm not a delinquent!" She turned around determined to ignore any further comments from Xellos and focused on the task of sorting through the scrolls on the shelves of the fire section. 

Xellos watched Filia go about her work and gave her just a few more seconds in case she had something more to add. When ten seconds passed and she didn't say anything about not being his friend, he shrugged and began his own search for Phythan's scroll in the shelves pertaining to the water section. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 023: Discovery! The Truth About Golden Boy

"Found it," Xellos called out just loud enough for Filia to hear her, which wasn't too loud since he was standing right behind her. 

Filia tossed the scroll she was reading into the air in a startle, then just as quickly she caught it and hid it behind her back as she swiftly turned to face him. "You found it?" She tried to look innocent. 

Xellos gave her an 'I know what you did' look, but in his case it was more so commending than scolding. "Keeping up with the gossip? How interesting can it be, this is old gossip anyway." 

Filia shook her head frantically, "these are lies," she held up a scroll. "Tiffany Ai Kant, murdered by a monster? I know for a fact that she ran away from the temple and married a human." She sighed in a bout of nostalgia, "she was a very dear childhood friend. I can't believe how mean I was to her." A layer of self loathing covered Filia's features, while Xellos watched on curiously. 

"This Tiffany was discriminated over her human lover?" Xellos inquired with false dread. "How terribly cruel." 

"Husband," Filia corrected though it didn't make a difference to the golden dragons who accused her. "Don't give me that look; I know you're only trying to guilt trip me." Tears started to fall from her eyes without her consent. 

"It looks like you're doing a fine job of guilt tripping yourself," Xellos observed. "So, your friend was killed by the golden dragons, rather than a monster?" 

"No," Filia sniffled, "she faked her death and went into hiding. I was so upset at Tiffany that when she confessed that she was in love with a non-dragon, I yelled at her and criticized her. I put her down when she needed my support. I felt so betrayed that she had been seeing him without telling even me. She told me she was sorry for her secrecy and that she feared I would disapprove. Dragons are only allowed to marry other dragons, so of course it was something to frown upon, or at least that's what I thought back then. Looking back on it, I should have supported her." 

One detail stood out to Xellos and he curiously inquired about it. "You say that you know what really happened, that she didn't die. Does that mean you helped her? You have quite the delinquent past," he teased. 

Filia shook her head, her tears flowing out even more strongly. "I didn't help her, I regret not helping her. I was out hunting her down along with a few others. I was dragged into it because we were friends, so they thought I would have a good chance to find her. I thought that convincing her to repent was the best thing I could do for her as a friend, but I was stupid. I saw her standing beside a human man, I saw the man giving commands to two monsters." Filia's abundant tears continued to flow through her sobs. Her memories of that event were blurred by the emotional scar they inflicted upon her. "There was some kind of spell in the air that hid energy. The two monster shape shifted into the forms of Tiffany and the man. The real ones escaped while I stood frozen, facing the monsters, until I managed to scream, releasing a breath of laser into the sky." 

Filia was shaking in Xellos' arms as she cried. He wasn't sure when he started holding her and he especially didn't know why she had not pushed him away. She instead leaned on his shoulder and slowly wrapped her trembling arms around him. 

"The rest of the search party interpreted what they saw as a beckon, a sort of flare of alert," Filia continued her narration. "I was too shocked to think my friend was running off with a man who made deals with monsters. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, except to say, 'don't let them escape.' The others attacked the monsters and they put on a show. Once the monsters were killed, they somehow retained their false forms, probably due to some kind of cloaking spell that would last well until after their remains were cremated. I could only keep shaking and stutter 'don't let them escape' over and over. Then I passed out." 

Filia allowed her crying to calm down a little. She felt one of Xellos' arms around her waist, his other hand caressing her back, but she didn't think about what he was. She needed the comfort and she didn't think it was so bad anyway. It was just a hug. Her past self would rather die than hug a monster, but she had changed. 

Taking a deep breath, Filia finished her story. "The golden dragons saw my reaction as extreme disapproval for Tiffany's actions. My name was completely cleared and I was fully trusted, especially since I was the one who tracked them down and alerted the others. They even commended me for doing the right thing because I was the one who reported her to the elders in the first place. I felt awful because I was too scared to say they got away. I convinced myself of a lie. I told myself that Tiffany and her husband turned themselves in and that they were resting in peace after finding redemption. My memories are a blur even now, but I know I was lying to myself. Seeing this scroll, remembering so many pieces of this..." 

Filia's crying intensified again, in desperate sobs just when it had looked like she was starting to calm down. She tightened her embrace around Xellos and he responded in the same way. A long moment passed and Filia finally let go, slowly parting from Xellos. 

"Are you done with the waterworks and drama?" He spoke as dismissively as he could, but Filia was prepared for it. 

The blond nodded gently, at least Xellos had reserved his comment for when after she was done sulking and listened to her whole story. She placed the scroll belonging to Tiffany back on the shelf where it belonged and dried her eyes. "So you found Phythan's scroll?" 

"Here it is, as usual I have to do everything," Xellos declared in a victimized tone which Filia ignored as she snatched the scroll away. That left Xellos to dramatically make an offended expression, "how rude!" 

Filia opened up the scroll and read through the basic information in it. "His name is Phythan Ai Kant..." she paused taken aback and looked at Xellos. He appeared to be interested, as if he had not messed with the scroll. There was no way he could know about Tiffany until she told him, unless something about her capture was written in Filia's profile. She gave Xellos a questioning glare. 

He shrugged, "coincidence." 

Filia decided to take his word on it for the time being and turned her attention back to the scroll, looking at the information about his family. "He was Tiffany's younger cousin; her uncle married a dragon from the Water Temple." Her eyes paused in his date of birth, "that young?" For a human, a dragon of Phythan's age would be far older than their lifespan, but from Filia and Xellos' point of view he was relatively young. "He's... he's still an adolescent! The nerve of him!" Filia's face turned red as she continued the apparently spontaneous criticism that was making a fine job of confusing Xellos. 

"Would whatever it is he's trying to do be any different if he were older?" Xellos asked with true perplexity. There were things about Filia that he couldn't understand, a lot of things, actually. 

"I thought he looked kind of small in his dragon form," Filia continued her growling and grumbling. "I was thrown off because he's tall as a human, but he's... he's..." 

"The human equivalent of let's say, late teens and you're the human equivalent of, what? Early twenties?" Xellos rolled his eyes disinterested in the conversions; they made no sense any way since their rate of development was so different. A dragon could go from baby to child in a few years, then take decades to reach adolescence and centuries to reach adulthood. Overall, a young adult was at least five hundred, such as Filia who was just a few years over the mark, but Phythan was around a century short of it. "As I was saying, what does that have to do with anything?" 

"When I was his age, I was still playing dolls with Tiffany, even though she was a few years older then me," a few years meaning over a century, "and she probably only played to humor me, but that's not the point." Filia pouted, "I almost dated an adolescent and adolescents are not allowed to date anyone, those are the rules at the temple." 

Xellos seemed to choke on air. He could have made some wisecrack about the extreme rules of the golden dragons, but he was far more interested in the part about some annoying little golden dragon trying to steal his Filia, er that is, his cure. "So the sneak was trying to seduce you?" The question came out more so as a territorial statement full of venom. 

Filia shook her head frantically, her cheeks ablaze. "No!" She clasped her hands over her mouth and looked at the wall frantically. At least her outburst wasn't loud enough to summon the mechanical librarian this time. "He bought me ice-cream and was supposed to go to the masquerade ball with me. That never actually happened, but it's not like he was being improper, he was respectful and polite, charming even. Except he's nothing like he used to be before," Filia watched as Xellos' expression shifted. 

His eyes were open showing their alluring amethyst depths. He seemed angry, dangerous. He was a monster and an extremely powerful one, but he rarely looked like such an obvious predator. 

Filia raised her hands, the scroll still held in one, fearing for Phythan's life. "That's the last thing on my mind, plus he's obviously not interested anymore." She paused and wondered why in the world she was trying to calm Xellos' jealousy if the concept of said jealousy was an impossibility in itself. Nevertheless, it was gold when it came to teasing. "Are you jealous?" 

"No," Xellos forced his face to turn back into his usual smile. "In fact, you and Phythan can get together and make all the little golden dragons you want!" 

The sound of a loud slap pierce the air as Filia's hand collided with Xellos' face. The hand shaped imprint on his cheek matched the scarlet color of her face. Then the shelves sunk into the floor again and the mechanical librarian reemerged, speaking its usual recorded lines just as before. 

Filia let out a low offended growl before fishing another coin from her pocket and tossing it into the loud jar. The scenery then returned to normal with the mechanical librarian out of sight and the shelves back in their proper place. "Don't even joke about that," she finally voiced, offense evident. 

Xellos wasn't sure if he should get angry because of Filia's daring move to slap him or feel somewhat triumphant or maybe even relieved because of her apparent disdain for the prospect of some alone time with Phythan. "To clarify, are you getting angry because of what I suggested or because of who I suggested to be involved?" 

"Both," Filia grumbled. "Honestly, if it takes that long for me to meet my destined one and he arrives when I'm twice as old as I am now, the same age as I am now, I won't mind. If the situation is reversed and I'm the younger one, I also wouldn't mind. I don't care if the man is older or younger as long as he is of adult age. The temple might not approve, but I don't live in the temple anymore. Still, the part about adolescents being too young is something to be taken into consideration. I know I certainly wasn't ready for love when I was one." 

"That's because you're especially naive," Xellos rolled his eyes. He didn't see the logic behind young adult plus near middle age being okay, but not young adult plus adolescent. Then again, monsters didn't need to be in any kind of couple regardless of how many years or centuries they've been around for. "So, you're saving him for later then?" He questioned with suspicious insistence. 

"Who? Phythan?" Filia glared, "of course not. He's sweet, but not my type, at least that's what I've realized. Anyway, I don't want you to be mean to him, I think I might grow to see him as the little brother I never had, given the right time." 

"You're only developing a soft spot for him because he's an Ai Kant," Xellos theorized. Showing kindness to beings that had things in common with beings that produced guilt served to ease the guilt of humans. If dragons were just as emotional, then it would work for them too. 

Filia looked distressed, then went back to reading the scroll, speaking as she scanned it with her eyes. "I want to be Phythan's friend regardless of who he is. He has a good heart, I just know it." She continued looking through the scroll until she found something useful. "Here we go, he was sent on a special mission to the Fire Temple to work guarding the Genie's Lamp as..." Filia's eyes grew in indignation as she frowned. "As punishment for being caught reading comic books during his Water Temple guard duty!" 

"Well it's not like the Water Dragon is around to punish him," Xellos chuckled. Maybe the current Phythan was the real Phythan after all, as opposed to whatever act he tried to show Filia. 

Filia let out an exasperated breath. "His people hold the memory of the Water Dragon; he should have been more responsible!" She continued reading, "what's this?" She raised a suspicious eyebrow at the information. "Killed by a monster who was trying to steal the Genie's Lamp?" 

"He probably slacked off again and got sentenced to death, but escaped, or maybe he was exiled," Xellos theorized. "Anyway, wasn't the Genie's Lamp just a rumor?" 

Filia nodded, "the lamp contains a ghost that is so strongly attached to it that it can't be exorcised without damaging the lamp itself. The lamp has some historical value since it originally belonged to a very illustrious golden dragon who-" 

Xellos yawned profoundly, "boring! Would you mind cutting the history lesson short?" 

Filia glared and allowed herself a small growl before she continued. "Since the lamp has a historical value, it cannot be destroyed, so no one was willing to risk breaking it with a strong exorcism. Instead the ghost was left to dwell in it and the lamp was placed behind a protective barrier in case the ghost decided to come out on his own and cause trouble. The barrier would exorcise the ghost instantly, but he never came out anyway. Stupid stubborn ghost not wanting to rest in peace." 

Xellos grinned, "annoying the golden dragons does seem like a worth purpose for haunting." 

Ignoring his comment, Filia continued her explanation. "The lamp was to be kept in different temples for a few years. When it was being transported from one to another, the dragons ran into some troublesome monsters and the lamp was lost in the battle. It turns out it wasn't destroyed and it was found by a human who thought the ghost was a wish granting genie." 

Xellos chuckled in amusement, "humans will believe any stupid myth." 

Once again ignoring the interruption, Filia went on. "The ghost made all sorts of excuses and gave warnings about regretting certain wishes, speaking of the unwanted side-effects that they might have. As a result, by the time the lamp's holder even came close to deciding upon a wish, rumors about the lamp would have already spread and the lamp soon ended up in someone else's hands. Since the wishes kept being delayed by the tricky ghost, the humans never realized that there was no genie and they kept on fighting for the lamp. Fortunately, the golden dragons eventually recovered it and kept it safe." 

"They probably burned a whole human village to get it back too," Xellos chirped cheerfully. 

Filia groaned, ignoring Xellos' vexing nature was an increasingly difficult task, especially when she was talking to him. "According to the date Phythan was in the Fire Temple while I was away, so it's no wonder we missed each other. This means that he was telling the truth according to the scroll, even if he sounded confused about it." 

"Except for the part about him being alive," Xellos pointed out with annoyance. "I could fix that." 

"No," Filia insisted. "Whatever happened, I want to help Phythan recover his memories. Unfortunately, the golden dragons were more prejudiced than I ever wanted to admit before. If not because of the fact that I was commended for my participation in the mission against Tiffany, I would have been shunned for having been her friend. The news about her must have surely reached the remaining followers of the Water Dragon and with Phythan's record being less than merit worthy, he had nothing to fall back on to prove his loyalty. He was from a different temple and was not directly involved in anything, so they couldn't just kick him out, but they must have confined him to a lower rank with no hopes of ever being promoted. That must have been hard." 

"It's just as I said, you're trying to be kind to him to ease your own guilt." Xellos didn't like the prospect. "What's next? Are you going to fly off in search of Tiffany and her monster contractor of a husband to make peace with them?" 

Filia stared at the stone floor as she rolled up the scroll absentmindedly. "I probably wouldn't be able to find them." She looked into Xellos' eyes. "You're a monster, you don't understand about guilt, kindness and mercy, but I won't let you ruin this for me. I need to make up for what my people did in anyway I can. Not just with Val, but with every opportunity that presents itself." 

Filia placed Phythan's profile scroll on the shelf nearest to her, which was in the fire section instead of the water section where it belonged. Then once again the shelves sunk beneath the floor and the walls parted to reveal the stone dragon with the metal joints, screeching in a recorded voice that was defective due to lack of maintenance. All that Filia and Xellos could understand was something about a "proper section." 

Filia's surprise had made her jump into Xellos' arms. She was more emotional than usual and thus jumpier. Her tail popped out while the rest of her body remained in human form, the tail wrapping itself around Xellos in an automatic motion. Realizing what she was doing, Filia unwrapped her tail from around Xellos blushing profusely, and tried to find another coin to pay the fee for placing a scroll in the wrong place, though apparently the mechanism couldn't detect if a scroll was stolen. 

Xellos produced a coin from his pocket and tossed it at the jar without looking, his open eyes focused on Filia who held her tail in her hands muttering something inaudible as if trying to coax it into disappearing. The shelves sprung up once the payment was received, causing Filia to stumble forward, once again in Xellos' arms, her tail automatically wrapping around him. She blushed as she tried to find something to say to defuse the peculiar tension that came from their frequent hugging and perhaps more so from the fact that they were able to have an almost civilized conversation. 

Of all the people Filia could talk to about Tiffany, Xellos just happened to be there, but there was more to it than that. The conversation they had about her keeping an open mind had rattled her more than Filia could ever admit. Her postponed research about a good, or at least decent, monster didn't seem so absurd anymore, even though most would say it was. The deeds of the golden dragons, her childhood friend, Val's future, the mysteries of Phythan, it was all too much. 

Filia felt overwhelmed and in the face of everything she couldn't get her body to properly respond and get her away from Xellos. Instead she drew closer, he didn't move, though he was inviting her with his eyes, silently telling her to take the initiative if this was what she wanted. She stopped thinking and focused only on sensations as she closed the distance between them and their lips met. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 024: Disaster! Casino Calamities

Xellos and Filia walked out of the archives in absolute silence. She kept her eyes on the dark yellow stone stairs as they made their way to the surface of the little island of brown rock. "Filia..." Xellos began, or tried to. 

"Don't say anything!" Filia snapped again. Ever since they parted from their most recent kiss, which was somewhat different from the others, though neither could precise why, she had been unwilling to communicate. 

Xellos felt his trademark grin melting off his face, he was still cursed and it made no sense. "Back there-" 

"I don't want to talk about it!" Filia snapped, refusing to look at Xellos. Couldn't he understand that she was too confused and didn't want to be bothered with anything that required thinking? 

"You don't have to say anything," he grumbled with more irritation than Filia had heard him express before. This was real annoyance and a hint of frustration. "Just listen." 

Filia stubbornly placed her hands over her ears and began her frantic loud singing of "la, la, la, I can't hear you, la, la, la, la." 

Xellos raised his voice, they were far enough from the annoying mechanical librarian anyway, not that he cared. "I told you that you didn't have to kiss me until you were willing. Don't tell me that I somehow tricked you because I didn't do anything. You were the one who hugged me, you were the one who kept rubbing my leg with your tail, you were the one who kissed me." At this point Xellos was yelling to be heard over Filia's stubborn effort to cover up his voice with her own. 

Giving in to the necessity to rest her throat, Filia stopped straining her vocal cords and took a series of deep breaths. She finally removed her hands from her ears as they reached the surface of the little island and closed the secret passage behind them. "I know," she accepted all the charges, sounding mortified. 

Xellos approached her, lifting her chin with his index finger so she was looking at him. He needed answers. Why had not her kiss cured him? "You're agreeing with me?" 

"I was... not myself so don't give it too much thought." Filia tried to excuse herself. The last thing she needed was Xellos bringing up her very confusing action. "I was just... sad." 

"Somehow, I doubt you'd throw yourself into the arms of a random man to seek consolation, even if he happens to be the only one who's conveniently around." He sounded somewhat frustrated and it puzzled Filia. How could Xellos know if she was being sincere, why would he care? Filia stared at Xellos for a long moment unable to come up with a reply, thus instead he spoke. "What would you classify as a willing kiss?" 

Filia continued her blank staring until it donned on her that the question wasn't full of mockery as she would expect it to be. There was also something about it that hinted at more than just idle curiosity. She mulled on it before replying truthfully. "A kiss full of love; one that isn't inspired by circumstance or the rush of the moment." 

Xellos was sure his eye was twitching in annoyance and his teeth were clenched but he didn't have the energy to force the automatic reaction to cease. "Love..." he repeated the dreadful word. He remembered what Celo had told him about the cure. 'The cure will bring you to your weakest state before freeing you from the curse...' A kiss full of love, full of positive emotions, such a fully charged direct hit would certainly weaken even a strong monster, more so since he would have to be exposed to all those positive feelings during the process of making it happen. "I see..." Things were far more difficult than Xellos ever expected them to be. 

Filia watched as Xellos made his way to the shore where the salty water of the sea met the brown rocks of the island. The sky was no longer full of clouds, it was clear but a long time had passed and the afternoon had gone by. The sun was setting in the horizon as Xellos levitated above the ground. He looked back for a second, "coming?" 

Filia woke up from her pensive state and nodded quickly. "Yes, of course!" She ducked behind a rock formation and changed into her dragon form, following Xellos into the horizon. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

During the time that Xellos and Filia spent on their investigation, Lina occupied herself in ordering a ton of food via room service. Gourry eventually smelled it and joined her in eating, his sickness not slowing him down one bit. In the mean time, Amelia and Zelgadis strolled around the casino, looking around as people jumped and cheered or cursed and cried with the latter reaction being far more abundant than the former. 

Simultaneously, Phythan was knocking on doom's door as Martina's elite poker table filled up with guests. "So you're in the White Rabbit rank," Martina observed curiously. She didn't recognize the blond man, but if he was wearing the clothes of a master gambler then he must be one. She would have to be on her guard. "I am the Red Queen; no one can beat me at poker!" 

"Poker..." Phythan repeated with curiosity. "A card game of human origins. I do like games. Okay, I'll challenge you Red Queen Martina!" 

Martina's mocking laughter echoed for a few seconds before she paused and inquired. "Are you a fan of mine to know my name beyond my alias of Red Queen? What is your name, White Rabbit?" She believed she was admired by many, so this wasn't a surprising development. 

"I'm Phythan and I heard about you from Miss Lina. Miss Amelia and Mr. Zelgadis are around here somewhere," he looked around, unable to spot them. "Miss Lina is nursing Mr. Gourry back to health from his terrible cold and Miss Filia and Mr. Xellos are... somewhere." What ever happened to those two anyway? 

Martina looked rather angry; her teeth were clenched as she squeezed the deck of cards in her hands. "I will win," she declared firmly without any further elaboration upon her determination. Then she held the cards to her chest and loudly called out, "give me luck Lord Zoamelgustar!" 

"Luck spells are allowed?" Phythan's question was ignored as all the players seated on the table took a moment to cast their own luck spells and brandish their charms and talismans for protection against the Red Queen's winning streak. Wasting no more time in waiting for an answer, Phythan focused his energy in a whispered chant. "Fate, destiny, chance, clock of shifting sand, commanding time's advance, heed my will, my stance, deliver triumph to my hand... Fortune Luck!" his eyes flickered violet then returned to brown as he felt a sharp pain in his head. He ignored it, attributing it to the needed strength of the spell for it to work in the current circumstances. 

"The time is now!" Martina raised her hand signaling that the interlude for prayers and luck spells was over. "Let us begin!" She dealt the cards swiftly, each person looking at their hand with unreadable focus. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Amelia kept pointing out different things to Zelgadis as they walked along the casino, though he discouraged her from betting. Finally tired of only looking, Amelia gave Zelgadis her best pleading look. "Just one little bet, one little coin. If I lose it it'll be worth it for the amusement. It's like paying a ticket to see a show." 

"Why do you even need my approval?" Zelgadis realized. "It's your money, you can bet as much as you want." 

"I don't want to bet anything if it makes you feel uncomfortable." Amelia kept giving Zelgadis her adorable pleading look, which would soon either make him beg her to bet something or cause him to melt into a blushing puddle of goop. 

"Alright, alright," Zelgadis tried to get himself to calm down. Amelia's charm was stronger than usual in that bunny costume and his eyes kept wondering even if he was trying to keep them looking ahead. "One coin won't hurt." 

With a bright smile like a child that had been promised candy, Amelia skipped over to the nearest roulette table with Zelgadis in tow. She looked at the numbers and finally decided, "one coin on lucky seven!" The others who were betting kept mumbling about how in the world someone naive enough to think the number seven was actually lucky could have possibly earned the rank of White Rabbit as her outfit suggested. Furthermore, for a master gambler her bet was sure small. 

The roulette master, a tuxedo clad red-haired young man with blue eyes, accepted the bet. Zelgadis gave him a suspicious look, though he appeared to just be doing his job. There was something about his good boy face that rubbed Zelgadis the wrong way and he could have sworn he saw some hidden mischief in his eyes. He could be the underling of someone powerful masquerading as a casino employee. The owner of the resort might have a special guest visiting the casino, some super powerful mafia lord or something. The visitor had his agents scattered all over the place keeping an eye out for their boss' enemies. Maybe it was even a trap to bring them out, thinking they could knock out the mafia boss when he was on holiday outside of his territory. Or maybe Zelgadis just had an active imagination. 

Zelgadis constructed a soap opera of a mafia drama in his head to serve as a background for the roulette master. He had been labeled as an elite spy and swordsman able to cast a few spells, partnered with a sorceress, that when provoked, or ordered, had a mean streak that rivaled Lina's, casting terrible electric spells. She had blue hair, because it would contrast his red hair while matching his eyes and style was important in the mafia. Her eyes, Zelgadis' imagination decided, would be pitch black to show her status as a sorceress and give her an extra edge since she wasn't much of a swordfighter, even if she could kick pretty hard. 

The pair would be occasionally joined by a healer who dedicated most of her time to the collection of national secrets, blackmail and other such troublesome information through the seduction of unsuspecting men. She would be blond with green eyes. Then there's the knight in training that's secretly the son of the mafia lord and... and Zelgadis was getting carried away. He realized that the whole story must have been something he read at the library while taking a break from his fruitless possible cure research. Something about family secrets, conspiracies and diamonds. He was just passing the time and not really paying all that much attention to the story anyway. 

"I won!" Amelia suddenly cheered, which brought back Zelgadis from his gangster novel induced day dreams. She smiled happily as against all odds she held up her obtained coins. "That was fun, wasn't it, Mr. Zelgadis." 

"I guess so," seeing Amelia smiling made Zelgadis happy, though he also felt silly for discouraging her bet so adamantly. Lina might get herself neck deep in debt, she constantly was in such a situation with restaurants, but Amelia was a responsible girl who wouldn't get carried away. She knew when to stop gambling. "Why don't you go ahead and try again? You got all those coins; it won't hurt to bet a few since you would leave with more than what you came anyway." 

"I did promise I would bet only once," Amelia recalled while the other gamblers grumbled about the amazing luck of those few fortunate enough to reach the rank of White Rabbit. 

"It's alright," Zelgadis looked encouraging in his own way. "One more won't hurt." 

"If you say so," Amelia smiled and tried to get him to join the fun. "Why don't you try it this time?" 

"I'm not as lucky as you," Zelgadis replied quietly, he had a bad feeling about gambling. Amelia knew when to quit, he could trust her with that, but he was stubborn about achieving what he wanted, he couldn't trust himself the same way. 

Then out of nowhere, one of the gamblers gathered around the roulette, a wolf beast-man. He pulled out a long double barreled gun and pointed it clear across the room at a fancy exclusive-looking poker table in the corner, at the head of which sat a man in an orange suit. "Die, Giovanni!" 

Before anyone could even blink, the roulette master had pulled out a conveniently pre-enchanted sword from under the table and sliced away both long barrels of the gun in half. Then a blue haired woman who was managing chip exchanges in a nearby table sent a precise shot of electricity at the offending beast-man, leaving him twitching on the floor. A blond woman in a tight revealing dress pointed at the scene and the two men previously standing left and right of her picked up the fallen wolf person and took him away. 

The red-hared roulette master smiled innocently. "It's all part of the show." Zelgadis thought the show was way too much like that novel he partially read, yet the situation fit so well, he had to wonder if the man in the orange suit really was a mafia lord. 

"Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia looked at him with a hint of worry. 

Zelgadis shook off the impression he was left with and decided to place a bet. Just one coin, only that. "One coin on lucky seven," it was unoriginal, but he fully expected to lose no matter what he picked, so it didn't matter. 

The other gamblers grumbled about how there was no way lucky seven could win twice in a row and questioned how a gambler so lacking in skill could have possibly earned the rank of White Rabbit. Then the roulette landed on seven again. 

"Congratulations Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia cheered happily. "You've won a lot of coins. This must be your lucky day!" 

"Maybe it is," Zelgadis' eyes shone with ambition. He wasn't usually greedy, but if he had a ton of money, he could post an offer for a reward for information about his cure, perhaps going as far as finding someone who would offer the cure itself given the proper incentive. "Time to raise the stakes!" 

"Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia tilted her head to the side in confused worry as Zelgadis seemed to glow with determination. 

"This table is for small bets. I'm going to the highest rank roulette table to place my next bet and I'll win!" Zelgadis bravely declared, sounding much more like a White Rabbit gambler now. "For the larger bets chips are required, so I'll need to get some chips!" Without a second thought, Zelgadis bolted towards the chip exchange stand with a worried Amelia following him. 

"Maybe we shouldn't get so excited," Amelia cautioned ineffectively. 

"It's my lucky day, Amelia!" Zelgadis insisted as he positioned his earnings plus all the traveling money he had on the chip exchange table. The blue haired sorceress gladly exchanged all his money for chips, depositing the coins in the safe under the table. Then the eager chimera ran off to gamble everything he had, with an apprehensive princess trailing behind him. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"You cheated!" Martina pointed at Phythan who had been winning one game after another. He was wiping the floor with the other unlucky gamblers; the table having switched players several times as they went broke and left. 

"No I didn't! An honorable ally of justice would never cheat!" Phythan argued back defensively. 

"It's time for a special challenge!" Martina loudly declared, raising her index finger to point at the ceiling and lowering her hand in a swift motion so she was pointing at Phythan. She then spread the deck of cards on the table like a fan face down. "It's an all or nothing special challenge and a White Rabbit should know that when the Red Queen issues a challenge, it cannot be denied. You must pick the cards I command or lose it all!" 

The other gamblers began to mutter to themselves, glad that they were not on the receiving end of Martina's challenge. White Rabbit or not, no one had been able to defeat the Red Queen's special challenge. The key to gambling is knowing when to quit and quitting is a must before the anger of the Red Queen is provoked. 

"You will choose the jack of diamonds..." Martina commanded with a fierce glare. 

Phythan had not heard of this particular game before, but it appeared to be simple enough. He was good at games though other aspects of life sometimes escaped him. From what he understood, he needed to choose the card that Martina told him to, obviously without looking. It was a very easy game of chance, since his turn was his alone without someone else's luck to push away his own. He moved his hand forward confidently; eyes closed in concentration and picked a card. It was the jack of diamonds. 

"You got lucky," Martina growled. "Alright, challenge me if you dare!" She let out a stream of obnoxious laughter. 

"Since you're the Red Queen, I'll challenge you to find the queen of hearts." Maybe picking a card that suited the challenger so well wasn't Phythan's best move, but he wanted to see how far Martina's powers over chance really went. 

"That's easy!" Another round of loud high pitched laughter from Martina followed. Then she paused and took a deep breath. "Guide me oh great Zoamelgustar!" with the outmost confidence she picked a card and it was the queen of hearts. 

The gamblers, who had been left as spectators to the showdown between the Red Queen and one of the White Rabbits marbled at their skill. When the word spread through the casino that the Red Queen had issued a direct challenge, more people gathered around her table to watch the rare occurrence. The Red Queen usually cleaned out the savings of all her challengers, even the White Rabbits of the past, without having to resort to the special challenge. In the few rare occasions when she had issued it in the past, the challenger fell to her superior luck after a mere few turns. This particular showdown was just getting started and it didn't look like it would end any time soon. 

"Seven of spades!" Martina called out defiantly. 

Phythan picked the correct card, showing it to her. "Ten of clubs!" He challenged. 

Martina chose a card without a hint of doubt and revealed it to be the ten of clubs. "Three of spades!" So it went on and on until all fifty-two cards had been chosen and the challenged ended in a draw. Of course, the great Red Queen wasn't going to take that. She shuffled the cards and set them out again as the spectators continued to marvel. The challenge was again restarted and one after another each card was correctly chosen with each combatant empowering their own stream of good luck. 

"Enough," an old man, or rather a monster chimera disguised as one, made his way through the crowd; it was Celo, the resort owner. His attention had been captured by the showdown of chance. 

To be Continued


	9. Chapter 9

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 025: Risky! Ye Who Ask For Ruin

Martina froze at the sight of her boss, Celo, the resort's owner and manager, hoping that he wasn't going to fire her for taking so long to defeat the White Rabbit. "The two of you have great skills in empowering your luck. Martina, when we met you could only tap into your abilities occasionally through your faith in Zoamelgustar, but your power of chance has been further released since then. However, this young man also possesses the ability to bend chance in his favor. You are both only empowering yourselves, merely defending. In creasing your good luck won't be enough to win, you must wield the opposing power. Martina, the power of bad luck, you also possess it, but in this young man I sense only the power of good luck. You have the advantage Red Queen, it is time!" 

Martina gasped in shock, "Master Celo... you don't mean..." when Celo trained her as the Red Queen he told her never to use the dark side of her chance bending abilities, least the horrible luck fall upon her. Was she truly prepared to control such a dangerous power? 

"Yes!" Celo threw his head back, his voice louder as he went on in a somewhat mad scientist tone. "Ye who wields both fortune and misfortune, ye who carries the unique power to shape fate!" 

"Yes!" Martina cheered determinately. "She who walks between chaos and order, she who decides the path beyond borders, she who knows no master, she will become the caster. I am she who unites fate and destiny by chance; I am she for whom all the world will dance... Lady Luck!" The atmosphere around the casino became darker as the enchanted lamps flickered, then it all returned to normal. Martina had her eyes closed, face downcast. She slowly lifted her head and opened her now golden eyes. "Doest thou challenge ye who movest fate?" Martina's speech was odd in more ways than one. She spoke in words long lost in seemingly incorrect tenses, albeit Celo understood the logic behind them. 

Phythan cringed in pain as he felt his spell being shattered, its effect gone. "May I cast my luck spell again?" 

"Thou mayst, yet thou shallt not prevail, for I am ye who movest fate." Martina's voice carried an unnatural echo to it that gave her an anonymous tone. 

Focus on the task at hand, Phythan chanted his spell again, with a few differences. "Ye who flies and never lands, ye who knows and understands, aligning fate, destiny, chance. Eternal clock of shifting sand, commanding time's advance, heed mine will, mine stance, deliver triumph to mine hand! Fortune Lock!" A tremendous strain overtook Phythan again, as his brown eyes once more flashed violet and returned to brown, only to become violet again a second later and remain that way. Phythan felt his energy being drained as his newly casted spell fought to stay active. He refused to let it break, pushing his energy to the limit. 

"The showdown is now," Celo grinned. "It's time to take back what has been stolen from the monster race, the Green Alchemist will regret his thievery!" 

Phythan's eyes went from violet to red as his countenance changed to a sinister expression, then it all went away. His eyes were brown once more as he lost consciousness. 

"Hmm..."Celo looked thoughtful. "Could it be that you do not want to be released?" He mused aloud. 

"The fate of mine challenger who lies before me doest not align with mine destiny that I walk." Martina's ominous voice echoed. "Mine fate is that of ye who seekst order within chaos. Ye shalt run towards the destiny of harmonious discord. Present thou thine challenger of mine infinity." 

"Oh-oh..." Celo whispered as the gathered audience looked at him for answers. "The Red Queen issues a challenge to all of you and you cannot refuse!" The gamblers gasped. The Red Queen's challenge was reserved for extreme cases, this was very unusual. "Rise to the challenge of the Red Queen or face great peril!" 

The gamblers knew they had no choice, thus one by one they challenged Martina and lost miserably. Celo took the distraction as an opportunity to gather more challengers for Martina. She was supposed to push the dragon boy to the limit and extract that which was contained inside of him. Yet the boy had shut himself and the creature inside of his own body without realizing it. Until another opportunity presented itself, the force possessing Martina had to be kept entertained, least it grow bored and she lost control of it completely. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"C'mon lucky seven!" The ball spun around the roulette ignoring Zelgadis' pleas as all inanimate objects tend to do. It stopped on the eight as if mocking him. "So close! Forget lucky seven, it's not lucky anymore." As the past bets were cleared, Zelgadis gave up several more chips, "Black," he simply stated. 

"Mr. Zelgadis," Amelia tugged on his arm looking quite concerned. "You've already lost all that you won before and you've lost most of your savings. I think it's time to quit." 

"Not until I recover," Zelgadis' eyes were glue to the roulette. "Just a few more bets and I'll have it all back!" The roulette landed on red, which meant another loss for Zelgadis. "Forget roulette, how about some dice? Now that's real gambling. There's a table for throwing dice over there." He made his way out of the crowd gathered around the roulette table and started walking towards the dice table. 

Amelia hurried to block his path. "I think you've had enough, Mr. Zelgadis. It's time to stop!" She insisted adamantly. 

"I know when to stop and the time is not now," Zelgadis argued. "Just one more bet, one more try," he went on almost feverishly. He tried to side-step around Amelia, but she kept moving along his path in an odd sort of dance. "Amelia stop it, you need to trust me!" 

"I trust you Mr. Zelgadis, but not everything can be entrusted to chance!" Amelia tried to reason with him. "Let's take a break, alright? We can go back upstairs, order some room service and relax." 

"We can do that after this one bet, just one more." Zelgadis continued his blockade dance with Amelia. "It's my money and I know what I'm doing!" He snapped in a harsher tone than he meant and pushed past her in a hurry. 

Amelia's face fell, Zelgadis never spoke to her and she never could imagine him shoving her aside. "Mr. Zelgadis... I've never seen you like this." She felt as if she stood in the middle of an icy field, miles away from Zelgadis as he walked into the distance. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Martina had run out of challengers and Phythan was still out cold. Celo didn't like the looks of this. He could continue to bring in more challengers, but they would eventually run out, plus Martina, or rather the force inside her, could get tired of them and refuse them. "I am ye who walk between chaos and order!" Martina's voice echoed as the entire casino trembled. "I am ye who decide the path beyond borders!" It felt as if a massive earthquake was demolishing the casino, causing most of those in it to run for their lives. The tremors lessened for a moment and the atmosphere was filled only with the sounds of the last few fleeing footsteps. Then in a silent pause, Martina spoke once more, "I am ye who knows no true master!" Her voice turned agonized as she screamed at the top of her lungs, she was losing control. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

In another area of the casino, Zelgadis held on to the edge of the table to avoid falling. His eyes were transfixed on the dice as he willed them to land on six. "C'mon... be lucky..." Most of the other gamblers had already fled. 

The dice finally stopped as the tremors lessened and the pieces of roof stopped raining upon them. "Snake eyes," the casino employee in charge of that particular table announced. "You lose, game over, I'm out of here!" The employee fled, leaving a frustrated Zelgadis behind. 

"Get back here!" Zelgadis loudly demanded as he slammed his fist into the table and broke it, that is broke the table obviously. "I'm not done betting! The house can't quit, only the gambler can!" Never mind that he couldn't. "Take my next bet!" He frantically searched for chips, but his chip bag was empty. "A bet... A bet... I need to make a bet. Amelia, let me borrow a coin, I'll pay you back tenfold as soon as I win!" 

"Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia glared defiantly. "You're out of control; don't you see that all the other gamblers have left? Even the employees ran away! This building is about to collapse, we have to get out of here!" The final tremor came so harsh that the ceiling above their heads was no longer shedding pieces, instead fully collapsing. Amelia fell back, her leg getting stuck under a pile of debris. 

"Amelia!" Zelgadis rushed to get her free, but it was too late. The falling ceiling landed upon both of them, burying them alive. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Simultaneously, Gourry and Lina's banquet had been interrupted by the same cause of the sudden evacuation of the casino building. It seemed that Gourry's defenses had put up a fight against the cold that a fool shouldn't have been able to catch in the first place and he was feeling much better after eating. "Lina, why is it shaking so much?" 

"How should I know?" The floor began to fall apart and the table was overturned, the dishes spilling the food all over the broken floor to the debris below. "My food! Whoever is causing this will be in big trouble!" Lina momentarily put aside the fact that she was wearing a ridiculous bunny outfit and rushed in, jumping into the opening on the floor, determined to find the one to blame for the tremors. 

"Wait for me!" Gourry jumped in after her, with no clue about what was going on, but following Lina into the center of it anyway, just as usual. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Martina was surrounded by a golden glow. She slowly raised her right hand, index finger outstretched and gently pointed upward. The debris started to float along with those unfortunate enough to have missed their chance to run away. "I am ye who controls the dance of fate and destiny." 

Zelgadis became free from the clutter of debris with Amelia still mostly intact in his arms. He wasn't sure what was up with the floating fragments of the once elegant construction, but his attention was more focused on Amelia. "Are you okay?" 

"Yes, I'm alright, I just scratched my leg, but I can heal it," Amelia confirmed. She began to cast the recovery spell so that she could be on her feet and ready for whatever this was as soon as possible. 

Zelgadis looked towards the source of a golden glow. The rain had finally stopped, but the black clouds were still present forming an odd swirling tunnel above them. It was a bad sign made worse by the fact that Martina was the source of the golden glow. "What is she up to?" 

"Zel!" Lina's voice called out as the redhead spotted the chimera. She saw Amelia getting up from next to Zelgadis after having healed her leg. "Amelia!" She hurried towards them while her eyes automatically went to the source of light floating near by. "Martina?!" 

"Hey guys," Gourry's greeting was rather cheerful and carefree given the situation. He noticed the glowing Martina and with a face that hinted that he was particularly unaware of the dangers that the circumstances foretold, he asked, "what's up with Martina? What's she doing?" 

"Causing trouble!" Lina assumed before anyone else could come up with a possible answer. They didn't know what was going on anyway and silently agreed with Lina. 

Amelia gasped and pointed as she noticed another significant detail. "Isn't that Mr. Phythan over there?" She referred to the still form under a pile of debris. "He's hurt!" She rushed into the impending danger in hopes of rescuing her comrade of justice. 

"Amelia, be careful!" Zelgadis went after her, leaving Lina and Gourry standing there, unsure of what to do. Gourry was leaning towards standing around with a blank look and Lina was inclined to Dragon Slave the already ruined casino. 

"Martina!" Zangulus' voice echoed beyond all other sounds as he dramatically entered the scene, still in his bellhop uniform. His wife didn't appear to recognize him as she threw a bolder of debris at him. Zangulus narrowly dodged it wishing he could cut through those kinds of obstacles instead. "I wish I had my sword!" 

"Granted," Celo held out Zangulus sword to him. 

Zangulus reluctantly received the blade. "How did you...? When did you...?" 

Celo smiled as if they weren't in the middle of a major crisis. "When one questions luck, it turns sour," he spoke in a sagely manner, with the wisdom of many years and long time observations. 

"Fine, there's no time to ask questions about my sword anyway." Zangulus moved on to another topic. "Instead I'll ask what's going on with Martina? What's wrong with her?" 

"It seems her spell has failed her," Celo kept the appearance of composed calm. "She is being plagued by the constant push and pull of humanity's subconscious. If you appeal to her own conscious strongly enough, she should be able to regain control." All the while Martina had started floating away, off to decimate the other nearby buildings. "I would prefer that you accomplish that task before Martina destroys my resort. I can overlook two or three buildings, but if this keeps up, I'm afraid I'll have to charge the Kingdom of Zoana for the damages." 

"No way!" Zangulus was about to argue, but he realized he was better off taking action to stop Martina from further burying them in debt. He dashed forward once more, calling out dramatically, "Martina!" 

"Hey, old man!" Lina marched over to Celo glaring fiercely. "I saw you! Don't pretend like you have no idea what I'm talking about because I saw you!" She pointed at him accusingly. "Zangulus was distracted by that bolder and Gourry was distracted by being Gourry, but I was looking and I saw you! You disappeared, then reappeared with Zangulus sword. Only monsters can move through the astral plane like that!" 

"Indeed," Celo calmly nodded. "However, I am not lying when I say I'm also human." By that point, Amelia and Zelgadis had recovered the unconscious Phythan and were rejoining Lina and Gourry. Amelia heard something about a monster, which meant she should probably start preparing a speech. She scouted for a place to climb up to, but it looked like none of the ruins and piles of debris were appropriate. 

The argument continued, along with Lina's pointing. "That's impossible!" 

"Is it?" Celo looked at Zelgadis, who was stuck with the task of carrying the unconscious Phythan. He had very bad luck, he was certain of it, as if his losing streak didn't make it obvious enough. The chimera cringed upon remembering how he treated Amelia. Apologies were certainly not his forte. It looked like she had already forgiven him, but he still felt bad about it. "What about your friend?" Celo decided that he was not going to point at Zelgadis, because Lina was clearly hogging the pointing spot light. Instead, Celo merely gave the chimera a glance and that was enough of an indication about who he meant. 

Zelgadis looked offended and hurt, "I'm not a monster!" He would have ran away dramatically if not for the fact that he was carrying Phythan and no one can properly run away dramatically while carrying another person, regardless of how inspired to do so they are. 

"I never said you were," Celo continued calmly. "I was merely expressing that you are a combination of human and something else. If that is possible, then why not a combination of monster and something else, with that something else being human?" 

"Are you trying to tell me that you're a monster and human chimera?" Lina continued her relentless pointing, which by that point was becoming downright rude. 

"Precisely," Celo's tone was ever so respectful and serene it was starting to get on everyone's nerves. It still wasn't as annoying as Xellos' constant cheer though. "Either way, I mean you no harm; after all you are allies of general Xellos, who is my superior." 

"Xellos!" Lina spat out the name like poison, and yes, she was still pointing at Celo. "I knew there had to be something going on! Alright, what's the mission that Xellos' boss sent him to trick me into doing for him?" 

"I believe that general Xellos is here to tend to some business of his own," Celo explained in partial revelations that left out the most important details. It was annoying. "However, he glanced in the general direction of Zelgadis and Phythan. "It seems that you have gotten mixed up in some business that I intended to clean up myself, so perhaps you wouldn't mind assisting me?" 

"We don't make deals with monsters!" Amelia suddenly shouted with dramatic flare. She too was pointing at Celo along with the still pointing Lina. 

"Unless they're rich monsters," Lina corrected, finally ceasing her pointing to instead cross her arms and nod her head. 

Amelia stopped pointing as well because she nearly fell over, though she knew she should have expected something like that from Lina. "Miss Lina!" 

Before Amelia could finish scolding Lina, Zelgadis interjected with an important inquiry of his own. "Since you're a chimera, and probably a very rare kind of chimera since I've never heard of a monster human chimera before," humans becoming monsters by a contract was something else entirely. "Can I assume that you're fairly knowledgeable about chimeras?" 

"You may..." Celo remembered what Xellos had mentioned about someone being interested in a way to take chimeras apart. Celo wasn't well informed in that particular area of chimeraism, as it wasn't his main interest, but he wasn't about to point that out. 

Zelgadis' eyes shone at the prospect of a new clue that could lead him to his cure. "Why don't you tell me all about your problem, I might be able to help." 

That time Amelia really did fall over, albeit once again, she thought she should have known. "Mr. Zelgadis!" 

Amelia's scolding was interrupted anew, this time by Celo. "I have gold coins, I have information and it seems I have an open door towards negotiation. That's good to know, but right now I need to tend to the possibility of my resort being reduced to nothing. Let us further discuss our prospective deals after Miss Martina subsides from her rampage. Mr. Zangulus should be able to bring her back to her senses." 

"Should be?" Amelia didn't really like the sound of that. 

Lina looked determined, "if he doesn't, I'll gladly knock some sense into her!" Amelia decided that she liked the sound of that even less. As if Martina wasn't causing enough destruction already, she didn't need Lina to add to it. 

"Let us observe," Celo proposed, as he calmly made his way towards Martina, who seemed entertained by hurling pieces of scrap that were once part of elegant buildings at Zangulus. 

Lina shrugged, Gourry looked clueless, Amelia let out a foreboding breath, Zelgadis readjusted Phythan's weight on his back and Phythan did nothing since he was still unconscious. Thus the entire group joined Celo in his calm walk towards Martina and Zangulus. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 026: Powerful! Hidden Potential

Zangulus dramatically approached Martina as she threw boulders of debris at him in her wild state. He sliced through the projectiles, jumping from one to the other. "Martina!" He reached out to her, almost touching her, but he was thrown back by a great invisible force that sent him crashing to the ground below. 

Martina lowered her levitation, landing near Zangulus. "Thou who tries to align fate and destiny. Wilt thou strike down thine companion now that she has become ye who wish for prosperity while pursuing ruin?" 

Zangulus stood up with difficulty, holding his sword shakily in front of him. Then he lowered the blade. "No, it was never my intention to harm Martina. I only have this sword with me for self defense against the force possessing her. Release my Martina!" 

"She who asks for ruin shall receive it," Martina rose her hand and brought it down in a swift motion. Blades of golden light appeared tracing the path of her fingers and colliding with Zangulus' upper body, reducing his bellhop uniform shirt to shreds. 

At a distance that was close enough to comfortably watch and far enough to b relatively safe, there stood Celo, Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis, with the unconscious Phythan on his back. Celo rubbed his chin with his right hand, in a classic thinking pose producing a soft "hmm" sound. 

"Hmm?" Lina echoed, "what does that mean?" 

"The hero has lost his shirt, that means that the end of the battle is near." Celo nodded as if his assertion was based on nothing but the truest of science. 

"What?" Lina screeched. "Ripped articles of clothing don't mean anything in real battles, this isn't that manga about the seven orange gems and the wish granting dragon I used to collect back home." Lina took a moment to muse that she hoped her collection was still safely hidden under her bed. 

"If you don't believe me, just watch," Celo appeared to be fully confident about his conclusion. 

Zangulus was clutching some sort of talisman that he was wearing around his neck, though it had been hidden under his shirt before. He removed the necklace and held up the talisman. "Look, Martina! This is lord Zoamelgustar's talisman; it's your most prized possession. You gave this to me in hopes that it would protect me. Don't you remember?" Zangulus dropped his sword and approached Martina holding up the talisman. 

Martina's eyes were transfixed on the talisman, "Zoamelgustar?" She repeated unsure. "I know not such a name!" She prepared to launch the same attack as before with blades of yellow light flying towards Zangulus. 

"Lord Zoamelgustar, protect me and help me save Martina!" A pale blue light emanated from the talisman forming a bubble around Zangulus as a protective shield. 

Martina ceased her attack, "ye who eternally push and pull until it all falls into place. Ye to whom fate is a slave. Ye who live believing you are slaves of destiny and thus become so. Ye who defy chance. Ye for whom innumerable destinies are reachable. If thou believest, thou shall achieve..." Just as Zangulus reached Martina, her eyes closed and she collapsed into his arms. 

"Martina..." Zangulus held her protectively and gently caressed her face. "You're safe now..." 

"See?" Celo sounded rather triumphant as he approached the couple. "I told you that the battle was about to end. I'm sure those two will be fine on their own for now. Let us give them some time to rest and discuss other matters." 

"You just don't want to face Martina when she wakes up," Lina theorized, her assessment being met with nothing but a suspicious cough from Celo, who quickened his pace. 

As the group walked through the resort towards wherever Celo was leading them to talk, they passed a festival style stand with many soft stuffed animals that could be won by knocking over a stack of bottles with a ball. The trick to it was that one of the bottles in each pile was glued to the table so it wouldn't fall. Just as they walked next to the stand, Lina glanced at it, screamed at the top of her lungs and jumped into Gourry's arms burying her face in his chest and trembling terrified. "Slug! A slug, it's a slug!" 

The group glanced at the slug plush toy on the display among other such toys. "It's only a toy slug," Amelia gently pointed out. 

"I don't care if it's alive or not, it's horrible!" Lina's voice was a bit muffled since she was still hiding her face against Gourry's chest, unable to even look at the terrible sight before her. 

"It's okay Lina, it can't get you," Gourry tried her best to console her, gently petting her hair and hugging her close. 

"What's all the screaming about?" Phythan started to wake up. "Where am I?" 

"You're awake, good," Zelgadis dropped him and stretched. 

"Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia scolded as she hurried to help the dazed dragon to his feet. "You were unconscious for a while, Mr. Phythan." It was probably related to something Martina did when she lost control of whatever power it was she wielded back there. 

"I was casting a luck spell, then I felt overwhelmed and..." his eyes, one of which was brown and the other violet, grew wide and fearful. "Spider!" He rushed to hide behind Amelia, who was noticeably shorter than him, thus not an appropriate person to hide behind. "Comrade of justice, I beg of you, please assist me in ridding the world of this evil!" He glanced at the toy spider once more. "On second thought, just get rid of it without me!" 

"You have a phobia of spiders?" Zelgadis spoke in his most 'you're pathetic' voice. 

Phythan nodded slowly, "the golden dragons didn't like me, they said I came from a bad family and would put me on clean up duty. The underground storage rooms were dark and had spiders." 

"Aw," Amelia tried to console Phythan. "It's okay Mr. Phythan, you have new friends now, we'll keep you safe." All the while Zelgadis crossed his arms and looked annoyed, or perhaps more so jealous. 

"I know what will make you feel better," Gourry continued his attempt to calm Lina. "I'll win you a prize. Give me three tries." He handed the employee in charge of the stand the appropriate coins. 

Zelgadis gave up some coins as well, "two tries," it was the last bit of money he had left after his unlucky betting spree, but it would be worth it. He would win the toy spider for Amelia and she wouldn't refuse it since it was a gift. Then if Amelia had the spider in her arms, Phythan wouldn't get anywhere near her. Gourry prepared to throw the first ball, "wait," Zelgadis stopped him. "Try throwing a curve ball that hits all four targets." 

"I can do that, but I don't think it'll work to knock them all down in one throw," Gourry mused. He held a yellow ball in his right hand, his left arm securely around Lina's waist. 

"Trust me," Zelgadis kept his eyes attentively on the targets. 

"Okay," Gourry threw a curve ball just as Zelgadis suggested. It flew in a semi-circular motion, hitting each of the four targets and knocking down several bottles. 

None of the targets were knocked down completely, so no prizes had been won yet, but Zelgadis saw what he needed to see. "It's just as I thought. The hit should have at least lightly rattled all the bottles in each pyramid, but for each one there was a bottle that didn't move in the slightest. "For the first pyramid, aim at the bottle in the middle of the base; hit it hard enough to break it." 

"Alright!" Gourry wasn't sure what this was about, but Zelgadis usually had good advice when he decided to express his opinion on something. Gourry threw the next ball just as Zelgadis said and shattered the bottle that was glued to the table, the aftershock of the movement causing the other remaining bottles to fall. "I won, and I still have one more try left!" 

"For the second pyramid aim for the bottle on the right," Zelgadis advised. 

Meanwhile the employee was looking nervous and annoyed. "It's not fair..." He muttered, but he dared not say anything else because the group looked strong and they appeared to be friends with the boss. He hoped he didn't get fired over this, though Celo merely looked amused. 

The second pyramid of bottles was knocked down just the same as the first. "Alright, another victory!" 

"My turn," aiming for the proper bottle, Zelgadis knocked down the two remaining pyramids in the same way. "You owe us two prizes each," he informed the frightened employee. 

"Con-congratu-lations..." The worried employee stuttered. "What prizes would you like?" 

"Hey Lina, what prize do you want?" Lina was unresponsive to Gourry's question, she didn't want to look towards the stuffed animals on the stand because if she did, she would see the toy slug among them and she didn't want to look at it. 

"Let's give her some time to think," Zelgadis suggested, to which Gourry nodded, the plotting look on Zelgadis' face missed by him completely. But it wasn't missed by Amelia, who gave him a curious glance. "That," he pointed at the plush spider, which the employee handed over. "Amelia," Zelgadis grinned in a combination of mischief and sweetness. "It's for you." 

Amelia paused as Phythan backed away from her and hurried to hide behind Gourry and Lina, the blond swordsman being tall enough to actually hide him fairly well. Amelia accepted the toy spider and looked at it for a confused moment before her features lit up. "I understand, thank you Mr. Zelgadis, it was very kind of you to help." 

"You're welcome," Zelgadis didn't quite understand Amelia's response, but he basked in his victory, yet it was short lived. 

Amelia approached Phythan with the plush spider in her arms. "Mr. Phythan, this is your chance to vanquish your fears!" She threw the plush spider into the air. 

Phythan let out a scared squeak, not worthy of a dragon, then shot his laser breath at the falling toy. It disintegrated into ashes that were carried away by the gentle breeze. The golden dragon looked relieved. "I'm so glad that spider is gone. Thank you, Miss Amelia and Mr. Zelgadis; I am in your debt." 

"It was nothing," Amelia smiled happily, while Zelgadis just stood there in frozen shock. At least Amelia was happy, thinking winning the spider was all a noble deed to help Phythan. 

Curious at the commotion, Lina had peeked over to Phythan and witnessed the spider incident, without looking at the terrible slug looming near by. Her features turned wicked, "I'll show that slug who's boss!" She started to form a fireball in her hand. Fearing for the safety of his merchandise and most of all his life, the employee quickly threw the plush slug into the air, away from other flammable materials. Lina hit the slug dead on with a fireball, leaving nothing but ashes in the breeze and she punctuated her victory with a villainous laugh. "Mwahahahaha!" 

The employee looked displeased. Those terrible sadists were destroying his cute little plush toys. Such adorable stuffed animals were made to be hugged, cuddled and loved, not burned to ashes! "Are you bullies going to keep abusing my soft little plushies?" 

"Slugs are evil; they're a waste of material that could be used to make something cute like... Like that kitty over there!" Lina pointed at another plush toy. It was a white cat with a red bow on her ear and blue overalls. 

"You like that one best?" Personally, Gourry was leaning towards the pretty jellyfish plush next to it, but the cat was cute too. "Alright then, it's yours." 

The employee sighed and handed over the cat plush sadly. He thought they were going to destroy the poor dear. Lina received the stuffed animal with a slight blush on her face and a shy, "thanks Gourry..." holding it gently. 

"You're welcome," Gourry smiled. The employee appeared to be relieved. That's how plushies were supposed to be treated, with love. 

"Choose a prize, Amelia," Zelgadis shyly suggested. His spider plan didn't work, but at least he could still get a plush toy for Amelia. 

Amelia's face lit up with so much joy that Zelgadis could barely believe it. "Thank you, Mr. Zelgadis!" She was almost jumping with happiness as she examined the remaining selection of stuffed toys. "That one!" The employee handed the selected toy over to the young woman, hoping that she too had seen the errors of her ways in participating in the destruction of cute and cuddly innocent little soft plushies. She seemed to have learned her lesson as she was blissfully hugging her prize with the love and respect it deserved. 

Zelgadis blinked in surprise. "Really, Amelia? A rock golem? I thought you would pick the one in blue with the red cape and the yellow S." 

"It's cute, but I like this one best." Amelia smiled hugging her plushie. Needless to say, the representation of the golem of yellow-brown stone was much softer than one of those could be in real life. 

"If you say so..." this was Amelia, Zelgadis realized, one had to expect the unexpected. 

"If our little detour is over, please follow me," Celo intervened. Night had already fallen between one thing and the other. 

The group followed Celo for a short while, until they crossed paths walking down the street with some familiar faces. "There they are!" Filia hurried towards the group with Xellos close behind. She paused as she took in their appearances. "Those outfits and the bunny ears..." she tried her best not to laugh, but burst out in a fit of giggles anyway. 

"Stop laughing!" Lina yelled with embarrass frustration. She hid her face with her cat doll; she had found a practical use for it pretty quickly. 

"Really Filia, you're so rude," Xellos teased with a mocking grin. 

"You should talk, you're laughing in silence!" Filia snapped, secretly thankful that the awkward silence that had formed between them was replaced with the comforting familiarity of petty arguments. 

"At least I'm not being so obvious," Xellos defended. He then eyed Celo suspiciously. "May I ask what inspired you to tag along with Lina's little group?" 

"He's hiring us," Lina piped in, all too glad to change the subject and steer the conversation away from matters concerning what she was wearing. 

"Is he?" Xellos raised an eyebrow, one eye now open. 

"Indeed," Celo nodded calmly. 

Xellos felt Zelgadis' glare burning a hole in the back of his head and wondered what that was about. Then he remembered what was mentioned about chimeras in his earlier conversation with Celo. Zelgadis must have been thinking about how to stop Xellos from interfering. "I do hope you're not planning to play any tricks on them," Xellos warned. 

Suddenly, the atmosphere appeared to be far tenser than before. "Of course not," Celo smiled, "I would never overstep your territory, general Xellos. I merely ask to borrow their services for a short while. Alas, not all monsters have your level of power. Some of us need to get by in different ways and it seems I'll need some help if I am to recover what was stolen from our master." 

"Monster!" Filia gasped. She pointed at Celo; it seemed a lot of people had taken to pointing at him lately. "You're a monster?" 

"Since we are revealing things, I might as well tell the truth. I'm a monster human chimera. It is good to see you again Miss Filia, it seems you've left your past life with the golden dragons behind. I commend you for that." There was that something again, the mysterious something that made Celo's super respectful tone incredibly infuriating. 

"How much do you know about her?" Xellos growled before Filia could find her voice and respond. Just what did he mean by seeing her again? 

"Only what I have heard," Celo responded vaguely. "Not nearly as much as the great general Xellos, I'm sure." Xellos glared in response to the thinly veiled implication, but made no effort to deny it. It seemed Filia had not noticed what Celo was playing at and assumed he was only referring to how Xellos always knew too much about things that shouldn't be any of his business. 

"Monster!" Amelia exclaimed, pointing her accusing finger at Celo, who sighed helplessly. Would the pointing ever cease? "What kind of evil traps have you concocted against us?" 

"I will reveal all once we are at a suitable place to talk," Celo smiled, keeping up with his respectful act. "If you do not wish to walk, I'm sure general Xellos can take you to the clock tower in the middle of the north forest where I shall be waiting, if he so approves of your attendance." Celo faded away into the astral side, teleporting back to the clock tower. 

"We don't need Xellos' permission to go anywhere!" Lina yelled angrily. "And I can get there myself!" 

"So many strange things are happening... monsters and that constant dark presence. It feels as if this entire place is surrounded in dark miasma, but then again, it's been like that all along, even if I don't see it." Phythan finally spoke after his long silence. 

"Dark miasma?" Filia repeated, "I don't feel anything from the atmosphere, but..." She placed her hand on Phythan's forehead. "Why have your eyes changed color again?" 

"What do you mean?" Phythan sounded as if he really didn't know what Filia was talking about. 

"There's something there, some kind of presence in you, that must be what you're sensing that feels like miasma. It's... inside." Filia focused her senses on Phythan. "Maybe a curse? No, this is different from a curse." She slowly withdrew her hand, "what happened to you?" 

Phythan shook his head, eyes downcast. "I don't know. A few more memories have come back to me, but I still don't know. I remember a little more about the battle with that monster, the monster that tried to steal the treasure I was guarding. I remember being attacked by golden dragons, then both the monster and I were left for dead. A figure in a black cloak approached us and..." A sharp pain coursed through his head and he was unable to continue. "That's all, I can't remember anything else, it just gives me a headache." 

Filia knew that the information on Phythan's profile scroll was questionable and that the rumors she had heard probably had plenty of holes too. Maybe there wasn't a battle for the lamp, maybe it was all just a cover up to kill Phythan and the lamp just happened to be there. "Your family; what can you tell me about them?" 

Phythan shook his head, "they all died long ago, fallen during missions, but that's classified information so I was never told about the specifics. I was led to think it was all because of the monster race, but somehow, I doubt that's completely true." 

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Slayers: Alive - Episode 027: Mythical! Magic Lessons

Filia felt her heart break for a fellow golden dragon who had suffered the erroneous ways of her people. "I promise I'll help you find out what happened. I'll help you figure out what's happening to you now and if you're in danger," which he almost certainly was, "then I'll help you overcome it!" 

Phythan smiled gratefully, "you're very kind Miss Filia, thank you." 

"Count me in!" Amelia enthusiastically declared. "I'll help Mr. Phythan too!" 

"Thank you Miss Amelia, you both have infinite beauty not only outside, but also in your hearts." The two girls blushed at Phythan's compliment while Xellos and Zelgadis glared fiercely. 

Feeling left out, Lina decided it was about time to shift the spotlight back to herself. She wasn't about to offer any free help, so instead she pushed the group forward with her words. "There's no time to waste, we have a whole pile of mysteries to solve and it keeps on growing. I think our best bet right now is to take the invitation we were given and head to the clock tower at the north forest. But first, we'll take a quick detour at the nearby shops so we can get some decent clothes and change out of these ridiculous outfits!" The leader had spoken and all quarrels aside, the group followed. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A short while later, the group found themselves at a costume shop. "It figures that the costume shops would be the only clothing stores around here with semi-normal outfits." Lina commented as she examined herself in the mirror. Her outfit looked more like a one piece leather bathing suit, than an actual outfit, but it still fit the sorceress image. She was wearing long matching boots that covered most of her legs, reaching above the knees, fingerless black gloves that reached her elbows and some light armor with a short white cape attached. 

"I hardly call this normal," Zelgadis pouted as he examined his outfit, which consisted of white tight pants and a long green shirt with brown gloves and boots. The outfit also came with a little green hat that looked more like a tiny sack, but he didn't want to wear it. The clothes weren't so bad, except that green wasn't really his color and... and... oh, who cares? At least it was better than what he was wearing before. 

"These clothes are pretty cool." Amelia placed her hands on her hips and looked at the mirror victoriously. She was wearing tight blue shorts, which were particularly short, Zelgadis observed, a red top with golden details and matching boots. On her wrists she had golden armlets and a matching tiara on her head. She also carried a lasso around her waist, which was apparently part of the heroic apparel. 

"Not bad, these clothes are pretty comfortable after all," Gourry seemed satisfied with his outfit that consisted of black pants, boots and long coat with a big brown belt around the waist and two thinner belts crossed in the shape of an X over his chest, along with metal armor on the shoulders. 

"I have no idea what the red R stands for, but this is comfy." Phythan was wearing white pants and a white shirt with a red R on it, dark gray gloves and boots. 

"What I don't understand is why I need to wear this," Filia protested. "I was just fine with the clothes I had on before!" 

Lina gave Filia a firm look, "if we're wearing these outfits, you need to wear a costume too." 

"That's right Filia, you're so selfish, be a team player." Xellos' teasing voice just had to add something. 

Filia growled at him, "why this?" She pointed at her outfit consisting of a short sailor suit with an orange skirt and a blue bow over her chest, orange heels and a red bow on her head. "Can't I wear something that's... not so short?" She tugged on the mini-skirt uncomfortably, but the fabric refused to grant her impossible wish of magically becoming longer. 

Xellos gave her a detailed look up and down, his eyes pausing on her legs for longer than was needed for a quick examination. "I see nothing wrong with your outfit. 

Filia's face turned red in a mixture of anger and embarrassment. She resorted to insulting his outfit as a comeback. "What about you? Are you obsessed with the color purple?" 

Xellos took a moment to glance at his own reflection in the plentiful mirrors set out through the costume shop. "It's a nice color; I am rather fond of it." His outfit consisted of wizard style purple armor, pointy helmet included, and longer purple fabric falling over the pants. 

"It looks like a stupid purple armored dress," Filia insisted. 

Before Xellos could answer, because he always had some form of answer to everything, Lina interrupted. "Alright, we're done here. Let's get going!" She led the march through the door after having charged all the expenses to Xellos. He didn't really notice since he was too busy giving all his visual attention to Filia. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Even though Lina did not bring up the possibility of being teleported and neither did Xellos, the group made good time after their little detour and arrived at the door of the clock tower in the middle of the dark forest to the north. Once there, the door was opened by Celo before the group made any indication of their arrival, thus proving he had been waiting and watching. "Welcome to my humbled abode, please come in, I already have some tea and cookies ready for my honored guests." He wisely made no comments on their outfits. 

The group entered the old structure, with the ancient wood creaking in protest to their every step. The atmosphere gave the wooden tower an eerie feel, which seemed to fit with the residence of a monster, or partial monster. Once they were seated in a bigger tabled which was placed in the same room where Celo and Xellos had their discussion before, the questions began to flow. "First up let's drop the disguises. I hope you don't expect me to believe that this is your true appearance. Even if a part of you is human, I somehow doubt someone who's part monster would age so obviously." 

"Very well," in the blink of an eye, Celo's form faded into something else. He still had eyes similar to Xellos, though his hair was black and he had fangs. "This is what I look like without a disguise." 

Filia gave Celo a long look. It wasn't that she was surprised by the transformation. A lot of monsters resembled vampires even if they weren't of the vampire variety. It's just that something about him seemed familiar. Seeing his younger face and long black hair brought forward a memory that she couldn't fully grasp. The fangs were out of place though, they didn't match the image in her deeply buried recollection and that threw her off. 

"Not very original," Lina commented dismissively. "Okay, now for some explanations," she half requested and half ordered. "Let's begin with what happened back there. Tell us about Martina." 

"Ah yes, Miss Martina, or perhaps I should say Queen Martina," Celo began his explanation. "First of all, you should understand the principals of fate, destiny and chance, if you are to understand what happened to Martina. I'll put this in basic terms. A fate is an individual and destiny is a path that the individual takes. There are many paths in life that one can walk, leading one's fate towards a destiny. Chance is the force that pushes and pulls fate until it aligns with destiny. This is not the only force that moves it as fate itself has the power to move towards a certain destiny, even against the flow of chance. Of course, if chance is on your side, you'll have to spend less time and energy pushing your fate into alignment with the desired destiny." Celo paused and observed the expressions of his audience. 

Everyone seemed to be paying attention except Gourry, who was staring off into space and Xellos, who looked bored. In Xellos' case he probably already knew the explanation so far, though Celo had a feeling that a certain detail which he was yet to speak would be a surprise to him, or perhaps not so much the detail but the interpretation of it. Lina nodded in acknowledgement, "I get it so far, continue." 

Celo proceeded with his explanation. "Chance itself is a force generated by all living things. All of it together, the side effects of our actions and reactions however small, even the effects of our inaction and even our very thoughts. Monsters, dragons, humans, beastmen, animals, plants, everything, that is the force of chance. As a part of this force, we are capable of influencing it even beyond natural cause and effect. We can bend probability so to speak, it is the mysterious power of the mind. Monsters have the skill to bring misfortune, though they can bring fortune if they so wish it, it must be done by the movement of their fate, rather than the side effects upon chance. Dragons on the other hand tend to influence chance in favorable ways. For example, if a monster attacks a human village, the humans are likely to lose hope, blame one another for somehow drawing the monster there, and get mixed up in all sorts of disputes about what should be done. If a dragon attacks a human village, the humans are more likely to put their differences aside and work together to defend against the dragon, ending up with a more organized and unified community than before. Similar actions, different reactions." 

At this point Filia was fiercely glaring at Celo, "it's not the same." She stated firmly. 

"Certainly not," Celo agreed. "But you understand the basic idea. Beastmen can influence chance in both good and bad ways, though they tend to bring good luck towards those similar to them and bad luck towards those who are different. This is only chance and the will of fate can completely negate and even contradict such an effect in any possible case. That is to say, no one has to be lucky or unlucky, fate is stronger than chance, unless one surrenders their fate to chance. This makes chance seem a whole lot less important, since fate can negate it, except in the case of humans. They have the ability to move chance in any direction, good bad and in-between. They have a special alignment with chance, their fate rules it all for they rule over their fate. Even when one of another kind tries to guide their fate, the fate itself will try to throw them towards a certain destiny. Human fate is completely uncertain and at the mercy of the individual, strongly defying chance. With that said, it seems that chance is unimportant, but it should never be underestimated, because even a small chance can take down a powerful fate if one is not careful. To put it simply, if humans learned to control their ability to influence chance in both good and bad ways as needed, aligning their fates with the destiny they desire would be an easy task. Yet they think of themselves as fragile for the lack the superficial powers that monsters, dragons and beastmen possess." 

Xellos chuckled in mock amusement, "are you saying that humans control it all? Not even chance can save the human race. The only real destiny is for the world to return to chaos." 

"Maybe it is so, but not by our hands, it will be many millennia from now, by their own hands. I fear there might be a time when monsters, dragons and beastmen become extinct and with them the power of sorcery that the humans borrow." There was a long pause in which Celo looked resigned, Filia clenched her teeth and switched glaring between Celo and Xellos, going back and forth, Gourry looked just as clueless as always and the others continued to pay attention. "Ah, but there is no need to think of such far away apocalyptic times now." 

"Especially since it's not going to happen." Though Celo expected another correction from Xellos, it was Filia who contributed her disagreement. 

"So what does all this talk about fate, destiny and chance have to do with Martina?" Lina inquired. "I gather you were trying to harness her power to control chance, she's a human and as much as I hate to admit it has a strong will when it comes to Zoamelgustar, who doesn't even exist. That barrier Zangulus made is also something to consider. He's not supposed to be a sorcerer." 

"He is not," Celo confirmed. "The talisman of Zoamelgustar carries Martina's spell. Her will, that is what Zoamelgustar is. It is even apparent in the name. Her full name is Martina Zoana Mel Navratilova, Zoamel comes from her name and gustar roughly translates into 'to favor' or 'to like'. Zoamelgustar's energy is the energy of Martina's wishes, the force of her fate and her ability to interact with chance. I taught her to tilt the odds in her favor in gambling and helped her to train her instinct so she could fulfill her role as the Red Queen of the casino. However, she was only able to wield good and bad fortune separately and sometimes lost control of the bad fortune during her training. Of course, there was someone to watch over her exercises and make sure nothing went wrong." The way Celo said it hinted that the someone was another person, rather than himself. 

"So that's what Zoamelgustar really is..." Amelia mused. "If the mind is so powerful, then the potential of positive thinking is immeasurable!" 

"You, young lady, are a frightening person." Celo observed with respectful distaste, even though that may sound as a contradiction, he somehow pulled it off. 

"Thank you," Amelia smiled victoriously, "allies of justice are proud to be frightening to monsters!" 

Before they got further out of topic, and most importantly because she was running out of cookies, Lina guided the conversation back on track. "So that spell that Martina performed was related to chance?" 

"Yes," Celo took the hint and continued his explanation. "Chance is a collective conscious of sorts. Martina targeted a deeper connection with the human side of it, the most powerful bearers of chance. Humans are fragile, but they are adaptable and can achieve what others might have never guessed they could. The original spell called Master of Chance goes like this: 'I who walks between chaos and order, I who decides the path beyond borders, ye who knows no master, ye will become the caster. Ye am I who unites fate and destiny by chance, ye am I for whom all the world will dance.' The first part identifies the caster as a capable wielder of chance and chance itself tests the caster to see if it is true. Then, if the caster's will is strong enough, the power of chance becomes deeply connected to the caster, who becomes as chance itself." 

"That spell," Phythan finally spoke up after his long silence. "That's not the spell Martina casted, but it is similar. Was that on purpose?" 

"Indeed," Celo confirmed. "Over time people have attributed a form to chance, although it is a shapeless force with no physical attributes. People have come to picture chance as a beautiful but fickle woman. They call her Lady Luck. This Lady Luck is but a portion of chance, the portion that is closest to the fate of the caster. By controlling a smaller portion of chance with this less effective version of the spell, it should be easier to control. This spell called Lady Luck can be focused with these words: 'She who walks between chaos and order, she who decides the path beyond borders, she who knows no master, she will become the caster. I am she who unites fate and destiny by chance; I am she for whom all the world will dance.' It is not rare for a spell to be corrupted over time, such as it happened with the Dragon Slave. In this case the focus of the spell itself changes to concentrate in a smaller portion of fate, so the change is significant." 

"So it's like a sub-spell in a sense," Lina surmised. "Lady Luck is a less powerful but easier to control version of the Master of Chance spell." 

"Yes," Celo approved of Lina's interpretation once more. "All the gamblers at the Red Queen's table are allowed to use their own luck spells and amulets, thus I don't consider it cheating, given that they all get the opportunity to use what skill they have." 

"Luck spells for gambling..." Zelgadis repeated with a tone of careful consideration. 

"Mr. Zelgadis..." Amelia's voice carried a gentle but clear warning. 

"Anyway, moving on to the important part." Zelgadis disregarded the possibility of working on his gambling skills. His luck made him a very bad candidate to risk trying to cast such spells. "I don't think that things are all that simple, this wasn't just about gambling. There's clearly more to it than that." 

"Indeed," Celo nodded with no intentions of hiding it any longer. "With the help of Martina I hoped to draw out that which was stolen and kept in the boy." He motioned towards Phythan. "But alas, the lad passed out and was unable to face Martina's duel of chance. I know of his talent for good luck and thought that if his spells of fortune were pushed to the limit then his true self would have to emerge to support them and push out the invader, that which was stolen." 

Phythan gained an expression that was almost identical to Gourry's. "I don't understand." 

Gourry gave him a friendly pat on the back, "don't worry about it, I don't get it either, but the tea and cookies are good." 

At that point of the conversation Xellos appeared to be truly interested but didn't produce any voiced prompts to get Celo to elaborate. Predictably, it was Lina who demanded more information. "Stop going in circles old man!" Never mind that his current appearance resembled a man in his late twenties, thus he was not really an old man in the literal sense, albeit he had been disguised as one before. 

"Your good fortune draws power from your dragon energy," Celo addressed Phythan. 

"Yes," Phythan nodded. "The spell I usually use is a shortened version of the original Fortune Lock spell, with it's name having been corrupted as Fortune Luck. It basically works by causing fate to lock on to a specific destiny, making that destiny much more likely to occur by boosting the power of fate to move towards it making use of favorable chance. The words for the short version are: 'fate, destiny, chance, clock of shifting sand, commanding time's advance, heed my will, my stance, deliver triumph to my hand.' It's similar to the spell Miss Martina casted in the sense that the original has a wider range. Having it go out of control isn't really a big concern, since it's just positive energy anyway, maintaining it is the real catch, because the more powerful the spell, the more energy it will require." Like with holy magic, dragons tended to have a natural talent for it. "The words for the original Fortune Lock spell are: 'ye who flies and never lands, ye who knows and understands, aligning fate, destiny, chance, eternal clock of shifting sand, commanding time's advance, heed mine will, mine stance, deliver triumph to mine hand.' 

"The collective conscious again," Lina mused aloud. "I take it the ye that Martina and Phythan's spells refer to is the same thing, it's chance." 

To be Continued


	10. Chapter 10

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 028: What?! Expect the Unexpected

After all the explanations about spells were out of the way and Lina expressed her understanding, Celo nodded his approval at her conclusions. He smiled in a similar way to that of a nerd after spotting a collector's edition of a famous book of his favorite subject on sale at his most frequented shop. "The difference between the spells is that young Phythan's spell focuses on the positive side of chance, while Miss Martina's spell attempts to control both the positive and the negative, to attack and defend, all at once, thus making it a more difficult spell. If the two titans of mastering chance collided, then surely the boy would have been driven to the edge. Yet he retreated as if he did not wish to be freed from his prison, that which was stolen." 

"Which is what?" Lina growled impatiently. "What was it that was stolen?" Other than a history lesson in spells, all that they knew so far was that something was apparently stolen from the monster race. Phythan seemingly had that something, which Celo attempted to draw out by pushing Phythan to use more of his dragon energy. Yet Phythan seemed to be unaware of what he possessed. 

"There was a monster who served Lord Beast Master," Celo revealed. "It was an average monster in the lower end of the middle class. That monster went on a suicidal mission to steal the Genie's Lamp, rumored by humans to be able to grant wishes, but in reality possessing no such power. There are many versions of these events which contradict each other. One version says that the dragons allowed the monster to run away with the lamp, blaming its incompetent guard for the loss, since he fell asleep on the job. The dragon guarding the lamp pursued the monster and was in turn pursued by the dragons. The dragons then slew them both and took back the lamp." 

Phythan tried to recall what really happened, his memories were still a confusing mess in need of interpretation, but somehow that sounded kind of familiar. "I suppose something like that might have happened. I don't quite remember, but there was a battle and a monster." 

"What came next was the key element," Celo continued. "The dragon boy and the monster were left for dead; however, a small breath of life was still in them. According to my information gathering, it was the mysterious Green Alchemist, or someone working for him, who took the dragon and the monster and fused them together. The dragon was the strongest out of the two, thus he prevailed over the monster and mostly retained his form. He also resisted the fusion, making it incomplete. As a result, rather than a chimera capable of using fusion magic, which was the goal of the experiment, they ended up with a dragon boy possessed by a monster. This was not a complete failure, as in some occasions the subject was able to produce fusion magic when the dragon boy was weak and the monster became his equal. Yet the dragon would eventually repress the monster, though he was unable to expel it and the balance required for fusion magic would be lost." 

Phythan stared at Celo in shock, "is that what really happened? Is that what I am?" 

"The monster was a servant of Lord Beast Master, thus her property," Celo stated. "The Green Alchemist has no right to use her property, thus I was given the mission to recover it. Of course, the monster would be killed for its betrayal unwilling or not. It seems the monster has more awareness than I thought and hid deeper within you when I tried to push you to throw him out by overwhelming him with a concentration of magic from within, via the use of your good luck spell." 

"If the monster has already been sentenced to death, wouldn't it be easier to just kill Phythan along with him?" Xellos cheerfully inquired. 

"No!" Filia loudly exclaimed. "I won't let you!" 

"Me either!" Amelia joined in. 

"Neither will I. Even if the golden dragons condemn me to death themselves, I refuse to give up!" Phythan added. 

"Calm down," Celo requested in his tranquil respectful voice. "Killing this young man is not in my plans, I'm afraid she will be quite upset if I do." 

"She?" Xellos questioned curiously. The she in question couldn't possibly refer to "Zelas?" 

"Master Zelas has left it up to me to decide how I go about this mission," Celo explained. "She doesn't mind if the boy lives, thus I have decided to keep him alive, for her sake." 

"Who is she?" Xellos inquired insistently, with a warning tone that let Celo know he shouldn't go on any more circles. 

"She is-" The wooden clock tower suddenly shook with the origin of the vibrations coming from above. "She is here." A few more minutes passed as the heavy steps turned so light that they were hardly perceptible in the creaking wood. "Dear, we have guests!" 

The nearly inaudible steps became faster and clearer as they drew closer, until an old woman Filia knew she had seen somewhere before, joined them in the tea room. "Not just any guests, I see. Although I never thought I would see sweet Filia and general Xellos sitting around the same table." 

Filia's memory fell into place as she recognized the woman. "You're the one who bought that vase from my shop. It's the vase I saw in the north dome!" 

"Ah yes, it's a lovely vase," the woman smiled. "Well, since you are not in disguise," she glanced at Celo, "I take it that means I don't need one either?" 

"That will not be necessary," Celo confirmed. 

"Good," the old woman transformed into a younger shape with long blond hair and pointed ears. She looked like she was in her middle twenties, albeit she was actually a little over six hundred. 

Filia recognized her instantly, "Tiffany!" The reason why Celo looked so familiar in his true form also surfaced in her mind. "You're that human... No, you didn't make a pact with a monster that time, you were a monster all along and those others were your underlings. You only disguised yourself as a human. The that means that Tiffany's human lover was... a monster?!" Filia felt her eye twitch in shock. 

"Okay, you lost me," Lina frowned; she had been understanding things so far up until this point. Filia apparently knew the old woman who turned out to be a young woman. Then again, judging by her ears she was probably a dragon, and the shaking of the tower from before was most likely her landing on top in dragon form before changing into a human form. "I have a feeling that I'm missing a large chunk of information here." 

"Tifa, you're alive!" Phythan ran to his cousin who hugged him and ruffled his hair as if he was a little boy. 

"My little Phythan, look how much you've grown, my little cousin. I'm glad to see you well and you've made friends with sweet Filia." Tiffany held his face, examining his eyes. "That monster is still in you, I see. My dear Celo does seem to take his time in getting things done, it appears. Don't worry, I'm back from my little vacation, so I can take care of you now, I'll get that nasty monster infection out." 

Xellos looked back and forth between Tiffany and Celo, the wheels in his head spinning wildly. "You two are together?" 

"Indeed," Celo replied with respectful cheer, as if it was not an unusual situation at all. 

"And Lord Beast Master knows?" Xellos continued. 

"Of course," Celo nodded firmly. "Getting close to a dragon was part of my research mission, yet things turned out differently in the end. Nonetheless, thanks to this resort, I am able to observe humans and come up with methods to train monsters into being more resistant to positive feelings. Although Lord Beast Master usually only sends those who have failed her and they tend to refer to the training as torture, but that's not the point. I keep my research flowing smoothly and Master Zelas allows me to live here with my beloved." Xellos twitched at the word beloved and was suddenly very thankful that he was a full breed monster and not some weird monster human chimera freak like Celo. 

At the same time, Filia was struggling to recover her ability to speak. She finally managed to find her voice as tears rolled down her face. "Tiffany, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have turned you in, that was terrible of me. I was supposed to be your best friend, but I betrayed you." 

"It's alright, sweetie," Tiffany forgave her all too easily. "I don't bare a grudge against you. She pulled both Filia and Phythan into a bone crushing group hug. "The ways of our people were outdated and close minded, for that we all had to suffer, but don't worry, it's all in the past. You have no idea how happy I was when I saw that you had left the temple and were running your own business. You broke free of the erroneous ways of the golden dragons and I knew then, that after what you had accomplished, after gathering the strength to leave your own kind in search of a better life, I could not stay angry at you. I'm sorry I did not reveal myself at the time, I thought it might be troublesome for both of us if I did." 

"It's such a touching story!" Amelia watched on with a dreamy expression. 

"You mean you know what's going on?" Zelgadis inquired in surprised. Even if she appeared to be justice obsessed and quick to get carried away, Amelia could be very perceptive at times. 

"It's Romeo and Juliet all over again!" Amelia declared with an enamored sigh. "A monster human chimera in love with a dragon. Her family wouldn't accept him and love was not common in his. Yet against all odds they realized their love and lived happily ever after!" 

Zelgadis blinked, he didn't get why Amelia was so into their story. "Romeo and Juliet died," he pointed out, "those two are still alive." 

"It's a better version of Romeo and Juliet!" Amelia cheered contently. 

"Right," Lina spoke in impatience. "So, to clarify, Tiffany was Filia's friend when she lived with the dragons, but she ran off with Celo, which was forbidden. Now Filia and Tiffany have been reunited and rekindled their friendship. Additionally, Phythan is Tiffany's cousin." Lina placed her hand on her head. "Talk about twisted family ties. You're a real freak, old man. Furthermore, the part about taking back what was stolen isn't even about recovering an item; it sounds more like performing an exorcism." 

"Indeed," Celo nodded calmly. "However, even if the union between Phythan and the monster turned out to be similar to possession, the methods use were more so those of creating a chimera. Therefore, an exorcism by traditional means will not work, especially since the monster is so deeply hidden. I can tell by the color of his eyes." 

"I was wondering about that," Lina prompted for further information. 

"Phythan's natural color is violet, while the monster in him had bright red eyes in a fully powered state and dark redish-brown in a low power state. When they are balanced, his eyes are a wine color, when the monster is in control his eyes are red, when the monster is dormant his eyes are brown. All of this influences his personality as well," Celo explained. "The fact that one of Phythan's eyes returned to his natural color, while the other is brown, means that the monster is hiding deep within." 

"What?" Filia explained suddenly, all eyes immediately landing on her. So the charming Phythan was the version of him that was influenced by a monster, the sly tricky version? Monsters were not supposed to be even remotely charming! Although that explained why she was kind of reminded of Xellos, there was a monster involved. Realizing that everyone was staring at her, Filia cleared her throat in embarrassment and tried to act natural. "What a terrible thing, we must cure Phythan of the horrible monster in him!" 

"Yes, we must!" Amelia joined in affirming the declaration. 

"Then I could probably get cured by the same method." Zelgadis had a hint of hope in his eyes that he had not so strongly felt for a long time. 

"I cannot assure that," Celo warned. "Phythan and the monster have not fully united, the dragon keeps resisting constantly. If you have already fully integrated your chimera parts to your being, the situation might be different for you. Even so, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to recreate the conditions used for Phythan and use them on you as well." 

"It's worth a try," Zelgadis settled. 

"So is this why you wanted to hire me?" Lina asked in disappointment. "Exorcism isn't really my strong point," she admitted, but was quick to add, "even so, if the pay is good I'll still give it a try!" 

"I'll help," Amelia immediately offered, "and you don't need to reward me because I'm doing this to help Mr. Phythan." 

Lina frowned; there went her chances of cashing in some coins. "I guess you don't need me for anything then," she pouted. 

"There is another job I have in mind that will better fit your skills, Miss Lina." Celo's respectful tone had a clear hint of secrecy that made it extra suspicious. "However, I will not require your services right away, nor do I guarantee that I will, but it seems very likely. If I do offer you the job, the pay will be considerable." 

"Then quit doubting and hire me!" Lina exclaimed. 

"Not yet," Celo shook his head meaningfully. "The task would make no sense at this point." 

Not wanting to further jeopardize her future earnings, Lina decided to leave it at that. "Fine, just let me know when you're ready to share the details." She noticed that Xellos was giving both her and Celo a suspicious look, with an eyebrow raised and one eye open, but ignored it. 

"It's late and I'm sure you're all tired," Tiffany finally concluded. "Why don't you all get some rest, there are plenty of rooms here at the clock tower. It's a bit rickety, but cozy once you get used to it. We can talk about our plans tomorrow." She smiled, "and before we go to bed we should... make smores!" 

Filia laughed, "you still love making smores." 

Tiffany nodded cheerfully, "some things never change. I can't sleep without having some good smores." 

"Count me in!" Lina couldn't be happier with the suggestion. 

"Me too, I like smores!" Gourry woke up from his staring blankly at the walls hibernation at the mention of delicious food. 

"We should all go," Amelia happily declared and the group went off to make classic campfire smores in the forest near the tower. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The next day, the group was glad to find some boxes that had been left in front of the doors to their respective rooms. The boxes contained clothes identical to their classic traveling outfits, except they were clearly new and of very high quality. Glad to be out of the costumes and wearing something that felt familiar, Lina and her friends went off to the tea room to have some breakfast. They were all there, Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia, Xellos, Phythan, Celo and Tiffany. A feast was already waiting for the guests, which they happily enjoyed, especially Lina and Gourry. 

"This is great!" Lina exclaimed between bites. The pancakes, the toast, the eggs, the bacon, the cinnamon rolls, the mixture of juices, it was all perfect. "My compliments to the chef!" 

An obnoxious laughter filled the air as Martina entered the room. "Then you admit that I am the best? For it was I who cooked this delicious meal for Master Celo's guests. Although at first I didn't realize his guests included you. This is indeed far too good for you." 

"Martina!" Lina felt her stomach turn. "You cooked all this? Suddenly it's less tasty." The unthinkable had happened, Lina stopped eating. Nevertheless, the order of the world was restored soon enough when Gourry made a move on the last cinnamon roll. "That's mine!" Then their battle of gluttony continued as if it had never paused. 

"Such a lack of table manners," Martina huffed. 

"Miss Martina, I'm glad to see you're feeling better." Phythan smiled, he still had one brown eye and one violet. 

Martina did a double take; that young man didn't have eyes like that before. But she soon shrugged it off, it was probably a trick of the light or something. "I feel as good as new today. Lady Tiffany, Master Celo's kind hearted wife stopped by to see me yesterday night and used her healing magic." 

"I'm glad everything worked out," Amelia good naturedly smiled. 

Zangulus soon entered the room with a letter in his hand. "I see you're all enjoying my Martina's delicious cooking. Lina, you have a letter for when you're done." 

"Really?" Lina inquired between big bites of food. "Who's it from?" 

Zangulus read from the envelope, "it's from... Luna Inverse... Inverse, huh? So it's a relative of yours?" 

Lina had stopped eating and grown terribly pale. Gourry took the opportunity to steal her last piece of pancake and she couldn't even react to stop him. "Lu... Lu... Lu... Luna?!" An ear splitting wail followed. "Hide me! Hide me!" 

"Calm down, Miss Lina, it's just a letter!" Amelia tried to console her. 

"She might be there; she might be hiding in the envelope!" Lina screamed nonsensically. 

"How can a person fit inside such a small envelope?" Zelgadis tried to reason with her to no avail. 

"Give me the letter," Martina took the letter from her husband and opened it. 

"Hey, what are you doing reading other people's mail!" Lina snapped. 

Martina held out the letter to Lina, "I thought you didn't want it." 

Lina looked terrified and hid behind Gourry, "get that thing away from me!" 

"Oh, stop it! It can't possibly be that bad!" Filia took the letter from Martina and read it aloud. "Dear Lina, I heard that you got married without even telling me or our family about it. I am very upset to have missed the happy occasion of my sister's wedding. You better have a good explanation for this. Love, Luna." Filia finished reading. "It's a short letter and to the point," she commented. 

Lina let out another ear splitting wail. "Pen and paper, give me pen and paper!" Celo, who was getting a headache from all of this, hurried to fetch the requested materials by teleporting away and back, he brought an envelope too. Lina snatched away the materials and began to write desperately. "Dear Luna, It was all a misunderstanding, I did not get married, so there's nothing to be angry about. Love, Lina." 

"Aren't you going to tell her you're engaged?" Gourry gave Lina his best sad look, which was more convincing than a kicked puppy and a kitten in the rain put together. 

"I... ah... um..." Lina felt her face heat up as her blood rushed to it. "Sure..." She added to the letter, "PS: I'm engaged to Gourry Gabriev, but don't worry, I won't get married without inviting you and our family." Lina sealed the letter inside the envelope, which fortunately already had a stamp, and hastily scribbled in the address of her home town on it. "I need this letter to be sent right away, my life depends on it!" Lina dramatized. 

"Oh, don't worry sweetie, we have the fastest courier pigeons in the land," Tiffany assured. That Luna person must be a truly fearsome being. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 029: Evesdropping! Jumping To Conclusions

"I can't take it anymore!" Lina screamed at the top of her lungs as she threw a book clear across the spacious room. The book collided with the opposite wall and fell on the floor, open in a random page that was just as boring to Lina as all the others. "When Celo said that we would discuss the exorcism plans after breakfast, I thought he actually had a plan. Now it turns out that his so called plan was to do research until we come up with something!" 

Lina's traveling companions were all scattered across the room. Xellos was standing around idly, leaning against a wall, refusing to partake in the research. He would only act as a neutral observer and he made that point clear. He was keeping his word so far, at least until something of interest might happen. 

Zelgadis ignored Lina's outburst for the most part with a simple, "I'm disappointed too, but I'm not complaining." He was used to extensive research so his eyes were not watery from reading and his rear end was not in pain from sitting for a long time. Both symptoms assaulted Lina strongly. 

Lina looked to Gourry for support, but he seemed happy enough looking at a picture book about jellyfish, which had absolutely nothing to do with the research, but just happened to be laying around Celo's immense library. Other than the guest room and Celo and Tiffany's living quarters, the wooden clock tower was composed entirely of rooms filled to the brim with books. 

"Have hope Miss Lina!" Amelia cheered with her usual optimism which was not welcomed by Lina, who only growled in response. 

Celo had ran off, saying that he had some business to tend to related to the management of the resort; financial matters and the like. Martina had reintegrated herself into her role of Red Queen of the casino and Zangulus was filling in whatever position needed help at the time. Tiffany had stayed at the tower to tend to the guests, but she was not very helpful in terms of doing research because she spent all her time chattering to Filia who was made in turn not very helpful herself. Phythan seemed to be focused on a book, but it turned out to be a comic book, which wouldn't be useful in helping the situation, even if he was at the center of it. 

"I've had it!" Lina shouted. "Let's just go with Celo's original plan of pushing the monster out from the inside. Amelia, perform an exorcism on Phythan, Filia, Tiffany, give him your dragon energy, Phythan, push the side of you that's a dragon to the limit and make that monster come out!" 

"Yes, miss Lina!" Phythan stood to attention, then sat back down, "as soon as I finish reading this chapter. The protagonist just recovered his memory when he held the-" the comic was snatched away. "Give it back, Miss Lina! I must know what will happen to the cheese cake obsessed detective!" 

"Cheese cake will be the last of your worries if you don't cooperate!" Lina yelled. 

"Wait," Tiffany stepped forward in protest. "Celo's plan involved redirecting the strain of forcing the monster out of Phythan into the stream of chance. If chance is not involved in the process, the strain will go to the host. We cannot force the monster out by this method without severely endangering Phythan's life. He will almost certainly die." 

Lina raised her hands and screamed. "This is impossible!" 

Phythan gave her a sad look that reminded her of an upset Filia. "Then I'm hopeless? I'll forever have to live with a monster inside me? What a terrible fate!" He dramatically exited the room, his steps making the wood creak as he rushed up to the top of the tower with a unique dramatic flare. 

"Mr. Phythan!" Amelia cried out, reaching out a hand to him and almost falling to her knees as if the whole thing was a cheesy soap opera. Instead she resolved that it would be more effective to simply run after him, thus she did. 

"Amelia," Zelgadis set aside the book he was holding and debated if he should go after Amelia. He would never admit that the way she identified with Phythan made him jealous. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

While Zelgadis hesitated and the rest of the group tried to stop the angry Lina from burning down the whole clock tower in her hissy fit, Phythan stood at the top of the clock tower. Amelia made it up and joined him in looking out the window to the vastness of trees all around. "You shouldn't give up Mr. Phythan, I'm sure that things will work out." She tried to cheer him up. 

Phythan just looked sad. "It's really difficult, Miss Amelia. Before, I was not myself; it was like waking up from a long sleep. Even now I'm still confused, but I know one thing, hardship is to come, perhaps for the rest of my life." 

"Don't think that way, you have to stay positive!" Amelia insisted. "Just look at Mr. Zelgadis, he's a chimera too, different from you, but he has not given up on finding a cure, even if he has been searching for a long time." 

"He is very different," Phythan emphasized, "I'm not in control of who I am. The monster is hiding now, but he may resurface and make me do something terrible. Mr. Zelgadis' change is only superficial. I would rather have a different appearance than to have to battle for my identity. Mr. Zelgadis can live happily without endangering those around him if he so wishes it. I can never be sure of when I will be forced to betray those who are important to me, forced to commit terrible injustice that cannot find redemption." 

Amelia's infinite compassion fell upon Phythan. "Don't worry; we'll stay by your side. Filia, Tiffany and I will make sure that your innocent hands are never stained by injustice!" 

"I do not know what I might have already done before having met you," Phythan sadly declared. 

"You've done nothing wrong! You're only a victim in this too!" Amelia assured. A long moment of silence passed between them as she found herself musing over Phythan's words about Zelgadis, "I wish he knew that..." 

"What do you mean?" Phythan asked, catching Amelia's soft whisper. 

"It's nothing," the princess sighed. "I was just talking to myself. It's true that Mr. Zelgadis could live a normal life as he is. Even if people might give him odd looks at first, they would get used to him and I'm sure they would admire him once they get to know him. At least I know that the people of Seyruun would." All thanks to the rumors about how their princess was in love with the chimera. No one wanted to cause misfortune to their dear princess, or themselves, by mistreating he who could one day become their new king. "He really wants a cure and I know he's focused on it. I just think he would be happier if he accepted himself, I think he's cool the way he is." 

"You really love him, don't you?" Phythan whispered the question as if that would make it any less embarrassing, which it didn't. 

By that point, Zelgadis had gotten over his indecision and gone after Amelia. He peeked into the room where Amelia and Phythan stood near the window and observed them quietly. He didn't hear what Phythan said, but Amelia's face was bright red. He watched as Amelia took a deep breath and voiced a conclusion that was out of context from Zelgadis' perspective. "I guess I really am in love..." Hurt invaded the chimera's expression as he hurried away before Amelia and Phythan could see him. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The morning passed and when the sun was in the center of the sky, Tiffany and Filia took on the roles of chef while Martina took a break. The dishes they prepared were typical for dragons, but strange and unknown for humans. None the less, Lina was not one to refuse food without a good reason and gave the cuisine a try to find that she liked it. The meal transpired in a similar fashion to breakfast with Lina and Gourry eating the most. 

Celo joined in and ate along with Xellos, both of them consuming the meal to enjoy the taste more so than out of necessity, since they were monsters, or mostly monsters, and had different eating patterns than humans and dragons. Tiffany, Filia, and Phythan were able to enjoy cooking that reminded them of the pleasant side of their past. All the while Amelia wondered where Zelgadis had gone off to, as he never showed up for lunch. 

As the afternoon arrived, the group returned to their labors at the library, with Lina grumbling about it until she found a rather interesting magic book about chance. Despite her impatience, she had actually found Celo's lecture to be interesting since she was a big magic enthusiast and all. Thus Lina was entertained with the magic book, Gourry had picture books to look at, Phythan was reading manga, Xellos was standing around idly, Filia and Tiffany were talking and Amelia was left as the only one actually doing some research for both Phythan and Zelgadis. 

It looked as if the afternoon would go by uneventfully, except for the mystery of Zelgadis being missing, although everyone silently agreed that he probably needed a break and would soon return on his own. He was fine when they last saw him after all. The atmosphere of uneventfulness was shattered by a loud explosion near by. The group rushed to the nearest window, only to find that the forest was on fire. 

Alarmed, yet somehow glad for the break in the monotony, the entire group hurried out of the clock tower and towards the source of fire. To their great surprise, they found Zelgadis being absorbed into a tree. "Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia rushed to the rescue, attacking the malevolent tree with a Ra Tilt, which was enough to free Zelgadis. "Are you alright, Mr. Zelgadis?" She hurried to his side looking for injuries. Other than a few tears in his clothes, he was fine. 

"I'm fine," Zelgadis looked away from Amelia with bitter sadness and distanced himself from her immediately. He than addressed the group as a whole. "Whatever is here, it can control trees!" It was a tragic event to have been leaning against a tree contemplating his brokenhearted sorrows, only to have the tree attack him, as if he didn't have enough upsetting things going on already. 

"Mr. Zelgadis..." Amelia noticed that Zelgadis was more distant then usual, but didn't understand why. Either way, she knew that this was not the time to ask about it as they were in the middle of a battle. It was a terrible fight indeed, trees were supposed to make good perches for heroic speeches; they were not supposed to be the villains. 

"Over there!" Lina spotted a man in a black cloak, hiding among the thick vegetation of the forest. She immediately sent a Fireball his way, even though Filia and tiffany had been trying to put out the fire. 

"Lina, sweetie, please use a Freeze Arrow next time!" tiffany requested with gentle but firm insistence as she trapped the charred form of the man in a block of ice, leaving only his head free of the ice. 

"Fine, I'll remember next time," Lina approached the suspicious man and removed the cloak that covered his head. From his messy brown hair to his dark green eyes, there was nothing about him that stood out. He wasn't particularly young, nor particularly old, not particularly handsome and not particularly ugly. He was simply an average man with average looks and proportions, who was encountered in a situation that was certainly not average. "Do you know who I am?" Lina asked in a threatening tone. 

The trapped man shivered, not only from the cold of the block of ice encompassing his recently burned form, but also out of fear. "Lina Inverse, the bandit killer, dragon spooker!" He stuttered. 

"Enough with that dragon spooker stuff! There are three dragons here with me and I haven't spooked any of them!" Lina retorted angrily. "Anyway," she continued in a calmer confident tone. "I see that you're the one who was making the trees go crazy. It's good that you know my reputation, since I assume that means you'll be more willing to cooperate. Start talking! Who are you? What were you trying to do?" 

"I am a servant of the Green Alchemist!" There was too much pride in his voice for someone who was trapped and defenseless. "The dragon boy has been claimed as the property of my master. It was our great leader who made him what he is now!" 

With an angry glare, Phythan walked up to the trapped man and smacked him on the head. A rather large bump formed almost instantly from the force of the hit. "Sorry about the interruption, Miss Lina, I just had to do that." 

"No problem, it's understandable," Lina nodded at Phythan, then turned her attention back to the man who worked for the Green Alchemist. She was about to inquire about his goal, but Amelia cut in. 

"Why did you attack Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia demanded to know with a certain protective aggression that she wouldn't show for just anyone. 

The mysterious man hesitated to answer, but a menacing growl from Lina was all the motivation he needed to speak. "Our great leader, the Green Alchemist, thought it would be good to collect such a fine specimen of chimera, rumored to have been made by Rezo. The all powerful Green Alchemist is very fond of chimeras." Zelgadis looked like he wanted to rip the guy's head off and the lackey didn't know if he should be more afraid of Lina or Zelgadis at that point. 

"The Green Alchemist..." Lina repeated; it sounded like it was pretty certain that would be their next big enemy to take down in their endless adventure. She was ready to continue the interrogation, when tree roots suddenly shot out from the ground, grabbing the frozen man and pulling him underground. 

Everything happened very suddenly, before anyone had time to react. A wail of agony was heard as the man disappeared underground and the tree roots pushed the soil to cover the area. Then everything was dead silent and the tension in the atmosphere was gone. Amelia gulped and looked at the disturbed soil under which their prisoner was dragged. "Is he... dead?" 

"So it would seem," Xellos smiled cheerfully as everyone already expected him to do. "It sounds like this mysterious Green Alchemist isn't too keen on the idea of his lackeys revealing too much about him. Strangely enough, it feels as if he has fled. The sensation of magic in the air is gone." 

"How suspicious indeed," Celo agreed. "If the Green alchemist can control the trees, this would be a grant time to ambush us, since we are in the middle of the forest. Although, he must not be happy that we have taken Phythan away, I think he'll probably return." 

"We'll be ready for him!" Tiffany cheered, "won't we?" She asked in a less than encouraging voice soon after, which made everyone almost fall down in disbelief of the sudden change in tone. 

"This Green Alchemist is he really a monster, a human or a human allied to a monster?" Lina inquired. 

Celo shook his head, "my information is limited, I thought for a time that he was a human, but I cannot be sure. It at least appears that he has some followers, who knows how many." 

"Well, whatever he is, he'll come back," Lina concluded. "Let's go back to the clock tower for now and continue our research. We should be high enough not to be taken by surprise if any other tree roots try to attack. At the same time we are in the middle of a forest, so that might give the Green Alchemist a sense of advantage that will probably help motivate him to come face us." 

"I see, then the plan is to draw out the Green alchemist with bate," Filia surmised. "We'll have to be on our guard." 

"I can't agree to that," Zelgadis spoke up. He seemed somewhat tragic, more so than usual. 

"Do you have a better plan, Zel?" Lina asked curiously, wondering if Zelgadis had noticed something before their arrival which could serve as a valuable clue. 

"I'll go off on my own, I don't want to travel with this group anymore," Zelgadis' words shocked everyone, especially Amelia. 

"Why, Mr. Zelgadis?" The hurt was clear in Amelia's face, but he refused to look at her. 

"It's best this way!" Zelgadis snapped in frustration and began to walk away. "Phythan has the potential to be able to use fusion magic, even if it is on occasion. The Green Alchemist will probably be more interested in recovering him. I'm just a side project, so your plan for bait will work out just the same without me." 

"But Mr. Zelgadis, you'll be all alone out there. You'll be in danger!" Amelia argued. 

"I know what I'm doing!" Zelgadis yelled angrily, then hurried away. 

"Mr. Zelgadis... I don't understand..." Amelia sadly watched him leave as everyone else looked on in shock. 

"This is a bad time to throw a hissy fit, but in the end, Zelgadis is free to do what he wants. We can't keep him here against his will, even if it is for his own good," Lina admitted. 

"So we should just let him go?" Gourry asked, finally finding a point in the conversation that was simple enough for him to comment on, though he was as confused as everyone else, if not more, about Zelgadis' odd behavior. 

"Go back to the clock tower," Amelia advised with determination. Her downcast eyes were raised as she spoke the next part in a distinctive 'don't even try to stop me' tone. "I'm going after Mr. Zelgadis." 

"You shouldn't go on your own," Filia stated with concern. "We can divide into two groups, or better yet, we can stay together and all go after Zelgadis." 

"No, you have a plan to fulfill," Amelia disagreed. "If the Green Alchemist comes here, I trust that everyone will be strong enough to defeat him. Mr. Zelgadis was right; the Green Alchemist only attacked him as an opportunity, but recovering Mr. Phythan is probably his priority. Now that Mr. Zelgadis is on his guard, I don't think the Green Alchemist will go after him again so soon. The plain to bait him to come out looking for Mr. Phythan will work. I'll at least make sure that Mr. Zelgadis stays away from the vegetation, he probably already figured out that precaution anyway. If he wants to be alone we need to respect his space, but I won't let him be hurt either. I'll follow Mr. Zelgadis and watch him from afar. Don't worry, we'll be fine. Please allow me to do this on my own." 

Lina had never seen such a determined look on Amelia. "Fine," the leader accepted the conditions. "If you get into any trouble, shoot a Flare Arrow straight up into the sky and we'll go back you up." 

"I'll remember that," Amelia nodded, "thanks for understanding." She swiftly left, following in Zelgadis' general direction. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 030: Revelations! In Love And War

Zelgadis paused his determined stride through the resort and looked at a nearby plastic plant. Since it was fake, he didn't think it represented any danger, but that wasn't the point. The point was that he noticed a familiar person hiding behind it. "You can come out now Amelia; I know you've been following me." 

Seeing that she had been found, Amelia came out of hiding and approached Zelgadis. "I just wanted to help." 

Zelgadis tensed up as if he would snap at her. He looked at Amelia, his eyes accusing, then his look softened to sadness. "It's really not your fault. I wonder if things would have worked out differently if I had found..." He paused his train of thought. This wasn't about his cure and he knew it. Amelia didn't care about his appearance; she had made that much clear. For a time he thought he could accept himself as he was as long as she was by his side, then that nosy dragon had to enter the scene. Then again, if he was able to steal away Amelia, then what Zelgadis thought he had with her wasn't as strong as he wished. "It's not your fault, I don't blame you." 

Amelia was confused by Zelgadis' words. This might take a while to clarify. She took a seat on a bench not too far from the fountain with the cupid statue. It was the same bench where Filia and Xellos spoke before. She indicated silently for Zelgadis to sit beside her and he surprisingly did without further protest, knowing that he couldn't escape this talk no matter how much he wish he had left the Green Alchemist take him so he wouldn't have to face this. 

Taking a deep breath, Amelia finally spoke. "Mr. Zelgadis, I know you've always been reserved with how you feel and I try to respect that. I don't want to sound like I'm prying, but the truth is that I don't understand. Why did you leave? Why are you upset? I thought it was because you remembered bad memories, that you were saddened by the past and by what Rezo did. But that came up after you left and skipped out on having lunch with us. What is it that's bothering you really? I don't think it's actually about the Green Alchemist. This is something else, I just don't understand what." 

How could Amelia not understand? Zelgadis felt like an idiot for ever thinking she had feelings for him. She was just humoring him, only pitying him. She must have assumed he knew not to get his hopes up. Yet that didn't sound like Amelia at all. Zelgadis couldn't help it but to believe in her, even after what he heard. He didn't understand how he had gotten so attached to her. "I want you to be happy," he finally voiced. "I..." He was tempted to look away from Amelia's gentle face, but he couldn't. She would follow him to the ends of the Earth if he didn't get the truth out. "I heard you talking to Phythan," the last part was all that he had really caught, a reply that was heard out of context. 

Amelia felt her face burning red, "you heard what I said?" Her heart painfully sank and she looked as if she would cry. "You heard me and that's what made you leave?" 

She seemed to be fighting with her tears that threatened to come out. Zelgadis assumed it was out of guilt. "Don't be sad, it's best if I leave. You'll still have everyone by your side and Phythan is well suited to be a defender of justice, even if he has his own problems, he's at least enthusiastic. We can... be friends," he reluctantly added almost losing his voice to sorrow. 

"Mr. Zelgadis..." Amelia was all out crying now. It broke Zelgadis heart and he didn't know what to do. 

He resolved to run away. Amelia would be fine returning to the clock tower on her own. Phythan would console her once she arrived. She would be okay and Zelgadis' continued presence there would only make things more painful for her and himself. "Goodbye, Amelia..." Zelgadis stood up and began to walk away. 

Amelia sat on the bench crying for a few more seconds, before she stood with a burst of courage. "Wait, Mr. Zelgadis! Even if I have already heard your answer, even if this makes it more painful for both of us, please forgive me, but I have to say it to your face." She closed her eyes for a few seconds, breathed deeply, dried her tears, then looked at Zelgadis. "Zelgadis Graywords... I love you." 

Zelgadis was completely frozen in place unable to move. He couldn't detect any sounds in their surroundings except for the echo of Amelia's voice in his head and the loud beating of his own heart. "Wha... what did you say?" 

"You heard me," Amelia felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders, even if it was bittersweet and sorrowful. "If you don't feel the same way about me, I understand and I still want to be friends forever. I just had to tell you how I feel properly, even if you overheard when I was telling Phythan." 

"Wait a minute!" Zelgadis felt his face practically glow in a brilliant shade of crimson as he struggled to push the words out. "Weren't you confessing your feelings about Phythan? Or corresponding to his feelings for you?" 

Amelia blinked in confusion, "No... I was trying to cheer him up. I was telling Mr. Phythan how he should follow your example and never give up. Then he noticed my feelings for you and mentioned it. I couldn't tell him he was wrong, everyone in our group already knows too. I think even Mr. Gourry is aware of it." A long silence followed as Zelgadis struggled to internalize the concept of Amelia having confessed she was in love with him. She broke the silence by asking shyly, "so this means that it was all a misunderstanding? You're not leaving because you're rejecting me?" Yet he hadn't exactly accepted her feelings either. She closed the distance between them, standing only a few inches away in front of Zelgadis. "Please tell me how you feel. Even if you don't feel the same way about me, please be honest. It's okay if you don't love me, we could still be friends. I just want you to be honest and-" Her words were cut off when Zelgadis, unable to regain the capacity of speech, instead demonstrated his answer by kissing Amelia. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Back at the clock tower, the research process had continued. Filia approached Xellos in his little corner with a highly critical look in her eyes. "You could try to make yourself helpful," she ordered. 

"You're not exactly being helpful yourself." Xellos criticized in return. "This whole time you've been chattering pointlessly with your dragon friend and not doing any real research. It must be in a dragon's nature to be lazy and ineffective, even Phythan is slacking off and this is his problem more so than ours." 

"Leave him alone," Filia defended. "Phythan has a lot to deal with and he needs to find a way to cope. It's only natural that he needs to have a little distraction to release his tensions. Furthermore, I haven't been chatting uselessly. I was discussing some interesting things with Tiffany and getting better educated in the topic of monsters." To satisfy her curiosity about the existence of good monsters and to better understand Xellos, not that she would ever admit it. 

Xellos gave Filia a quizzical look. "So you're interested in monsters?" The implications were obvious. 

Filia ignored the message between the lines as best she could. It turned out that good monsters were an extreme rarity and the part about them being good was a perspective by comparison. There were plenty of such tales out there, but they were mostly fiction. When it came to reality, there was usually some ulterior motive or a benefit involved. "It's to help free Phythan of the monster in him, it's useful research." Filia threw out her perfect excuse, yet she somehow knew that Xellos could see right through it, even if it was in many ways still true. 

"Right, it's not like you have any personal interest in any monsters," Xellos grinned, adding a special almost seductive intonation to the words 'special interest.' 

"Right," Filia affirmed. "Anyway, since you're not being as obnoxious as usual, I thought I could get you to help. What a silly thought it was!" Honestly, Filia didn't know what she was thinking. It wasn't that she was starting to miss bickering with Xellos in his long silence, not at all. It's just that... he could be plotting or something. Yes, plotting, so she had to keep him busy to make sure he didn't run off to fulfill his terrible plot, whatever it may be. 

"That's it!" Lina suddenly exclaimed as she read through a specific paragraph in a big ancient looking book once more. 

"Did you find a possible cure?" Phythan asked hopefully. 

"Possibly," Phythan, Tiffany, Celo, Filia and Xellos all placed their undivided attention on Lina. Gourry did the same thing, but he probably wouldn't understand anything anyway. "This is similar to the plan Celo attempted to use before and it could only work because of Phythan's peculiar chimera conditions, where the monster isn't fully integrated into him. We might not have the stream of chance to absorb the strain of the separation, but we can redirect it at a different target using the spell in this book. Of course, the process would take time and the target might notice what we're doing and try to stop it. That's where this other spell comes in." Lina picked up another magic book that she had been reading over before. "Those two spells are the main ones, but at the magnitude that they'll be used it might be a little dangerous, which is why the spells must be encompassed by this." She held up an ancient scroll. 

The group looked at the spells Lina pointed out one by one, trying to figure out how they could use them for their needed purposes. 

"Let me elaborate," Lina began her detailed explanation. "This here is a spell used to redirect energy called Pursuit. It's a sniper spell in other words. It's conventional use is to give other spells an enhanced homing effect so that far away targets can be efficiently eliminated. The spell locks on to an energy source, for example a Fireball, and guides it to the target. In this case we'll use it to lock on the monster in Phythan and guide it to one of the Green Alchemist's trees. Just as it tried to absorb Zelgadis, it'll absorb the monster. Under normal circumstances, the friction of energy would create a fusion, thus making us end up with a monster tree chimera, except in this case, the strain will be so great that it will surely kill both the monster and the tree, thus eliminating the problem. Phythan will be free and the Green Alchemist will be weakened. Then we can finish the job of defeating him." 

"Then for the plan to work we must do this while we are facing the Green Alchemist and we need to push him into using the same technique he tried on Zelgadis," Filia reasoned. 

"In theory it can work," Celo's face remained serious, "but it would take too long to extract the monster." 

"That's what I thought," Lina pointed out the second spell in her plan. "This other spell called Haste is used to increase speed. The only setback is that it will also increase the consumption of energy. The higher the speed, the higher the energy consumption. I've heard about a different version of Haste, which is more powerful and in turn more costly in energy. However, this book reveals that the so called alternate version called Haste Again, which was corrupted to Hastega, isn't a different version at all. What it really entails is the Haste spell being casted multiple times in a row for its effect to pile up. If we use this, we can shorten the time needed for the monster to be drained out of Phythan." 

"You forget the high cost of energy of that spell," Xellos pointed out with far too much cheer in his voice for someone who was supposed to be delivering bad news. "Aiming Hastega at a person for them to be benefited by a speed boost is different from aiming it at a spell. The effects of Hastega might bounce all over the area. It is likely that all the humans in our group will be killed by having their energy drained away and the dragons will suffer greatly. I do hope you weren't trying to dump the Green Alchemist clean up duty on me." 

"For the magnitude of Hastega that I intend to cast, all the humans exposed to it would indeed die, so we'll just have to make sure we're not exposed." Lina brought the scroll to the group's attention. "This special spell barrier will limit the affected area, so none of us will be in danger from our own spells. Phythan will be exposed to them, but this barrier can let spells in without letting any out. In other words, we can ensure Phythan's safety by constantly casting recovery spells during the entire process." 

"This strategy... it might actually work," Celo admitted. 

"I'm ready, I will trust in my new friends," Phythan declared. 

"Alright!" Lina was full of determination as she started assigning positions to everyone. "I'll take care of casting Pursuit, at that point, Celo must immediately create the spell barrier, monsters do have a thing for making barriers. I'll follow suit with Hastega. Phythan, try to focus on staying alive and pushing the monster out. Filia and Tiffany, you two will heal Phythan constantly to ensure his survival. All of this needs to be done quickly, we'll be busy casting the spells, so we'll be exposed to the danger, that's where you come in Gourry. We'll be counting on you to watch our backs. If Amelia and Zelgadis come back on time to join in, then Amelia can help with the healing and Zelgadis can guard us along with Gourry." 

"Miss Lina," Xellos spoke in a song-like voice, "you forgot someone," he innocently pointed out. "Don't you think I would be a better candidate to take care of the barrier? After all, my monster powers far exceed those of Celo." 

Lina gave Xellos a suspicious look as she mulled over his suggestion. Technically they were trying to take back a minion of Lord Beast Master, which was stolen and sentenced to death. Even if that mission had not been directly assigned to Xellos, he wouldn't go against Zelas. However, he could just kill Phythan and Zelas would be okay with the method either way. 

While Lina remained in silent thought, Filia looked at Xellos and finally spoke, "let him do it." All eyes immediately landed on Filia, she was the last person they expected to suggest trusting Xellos with an important task. Not only Phythan, but the entire group would suffer the consequences if the barrier failed. "You won't mess this up," Filia stated with certainty. 

"And if I do?" Xellos inquired in a tone that was both amused and challenging. 

"Then I could never believe it was by accident. If you fail, I can only call it sabotage. I'll never forgive you for that. I'll find a way to get revenge." Filia looked into Xellos' eyes indicating that she knew she was holding something over his head even if she didn't know exactly what that something was. She wasn't referring to the kind of vengeance that would come from battle, but rather revenge in the sense of messing up whatever it was he wanted from her. 

"Dragons are such violent and blood thirsty creatures." Xellos teased her as he usually would, but Filia knew they had reached a silent understanding. 

"Alright," Lina conceded, "Celo, you're on guard duty with Gourry, Xellos you'll be handling the barrier." She quietly admitted in the privacy of her own mind that it was better this way. She wasn't sure if Celo was a strong enough monster to accomplish the task, but she knew Xellos was. As Filia said, he wouldn't fail unless he wanted to. "Everyone take a break, if the Green Alchemist doesn't show up soon, we'll start burning trees. I'm sure he must be somehow keeping an eye on our movements. He'll come out when he thinks it's best to strike immediately, before his advantage in the forest is gone." 

While everyone went over the plan, Lina made sure to memorize the proper spells. The chant to cast Pursuit was: ' invisible links of the chain, which binds all in this plane, make the target's struggle vain, follow the inescapable lane.' The chant to call upon Haste was also a short one: 'multiply my humble speed, let all my energy be freed, to quickly do as I please, accelerate all my deeds.' 

Amelia and Zelgadis eventually returned to the tower, looking quite content. Zelgadis had decided to continue researching his cure, but not all the time. After this adventure was over, he would return to Seyruun as per Amelia's invitation. Admittedly, he was oddly nervous about seeing Philionel again, even though he had never felt that way about him in the past. He supposed the situation was made different by the fact that Amelia was now his official girlfriend. 

They planned to spend some time in Seyruun and later go on occasional short trips to investigate the cure leads that seemed promising enough to be worth the time. That way Zelgadis didn't have to completely give up on his cure, but he could enjoy life without constantly worrying about it. Then maybe one day he would actually find it, or maybe he would lose interest in looking for it. 

No one really knew the particulars about what happened between Zelgadis and Amelia when they were gone, but they knew that the two had clearly grown closer. Zelgadis blushed madly and snapped at anyone who asked him about the details, claiming it was none of their business, while Amelia only smiled with a rosy face and a joyous glow. After a while, they decided to drop the interrogation and focus on sharing the strategy they had planned to face the Green Alchemist and cure Phythan at the same time. 

Once all the plans had been discussed, the group had a big dinner and retired to their respective rooms early to get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow morning, after breakfast, Lina specified, they would carry out their tree burning plan to draw out the Green Alchemist. From there, they would execute their strategy and hope for the best. 

To be Continued


	11. Chapter 11

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 031: Bittersweet! Victory and Defeat

The peaceful slumber of those inhabiting the wooden clock tower was interrupted in the night by the violent shaking of the structure. The group was quick to assemble at the base of the tower and rush out to face the enemy that simply couldn't wait until morning. The many trees that surrounded the tower were shaking their roots unnaturally, threatening to bring down the entire structure. "Everyone fight back! Defend the home base!" Lina shouted her commands, playing her rehearsed par perfectly. It was time to put on a show. 

"Terrible villain who uses innocent trees as helpless pawns for your evil ways!" Amelia shouted dramatically from the ground, since climbing a tree was too dangerous given the situation. "Feel my justice! Elmekia Lance!" Amelia's attack collided with a tree, causing substantial damage. Another tree extended its branches, trying to reach Amelia from behind, but Zelgadis swiftly cut the branches with his enchanted sword. 

Gourry was doing some intensive gardening of his own, swinging his new sword around in every direction, which Celo had provided claiming it to be of top quality. It indeed was, even if it didn't measure up to the sword of light, but for a normal sword to match that sword was definitely too much to ask. Nonetheless, Gourry was making short work of the trees that dared to attack him. 

"Fireball!" Lina set another tree on fire, albeit Celo wasn't too happy about sacrificing the dark forest, he accepted the necessity of putting up a show. Likewise, Celo and Xellos defended against the trees with their monster energy, while Filia, Tiffany and Phythan got them with their laser breath. "Let's draw out the puppet master controlling these trees, everyone advance!" At Lina's command, the group boldly rushed deeper into the forest. The time to put their strategy into play was near. 

Phythan purposely got close to one of the trees, while pretending to lower his guard backing away from another attacking tree. As expected, the tree behind him grabbed him and tried to absorb him in an unusual type of forceful teleportation that would transport him to the location of the main tree that passed the magic to the others. Phythan immediately started trying to push out the monster with Filia, Tiffany and Amelia assisting him with exorcisms and white magic. 

Lina focused on sensing the flow of energy around her. "Invisible links of the chain, which binds all in this plane, make the target's struggle vain, follow the inescapable lane, Pursuit!" The monster's energy was linked to the energy controlling the tree, but it wouldn't be long before the link was broken, so everything needed to be done before the puppet master had time to react. Xellos was already in position with a barrier of black energy around Phythan and the tree, with Filia, Tiffany and Amelia casting their healing magic that passed through the barrier and reached Phythan within. "Multiply my humble speed, let all my energy be freed, to quickly do as I please, accelerate all my deeds, Hastega!" Lina repeated the speed spell aimed at the area contained in the barrier. 

The flow of energy within the barrier kept increasing with each fraction of a second. "Miss Filia, Miss Tiffany, we're losing him!" Amelia intensified her white magic, pushing herself to the limit. 

"I won't allow this plan to fail!" Filia continuously healed Phythan, even if it felt like his energy was being consumed faster than they could replenish it. 

"We can do it!" Tiffany assured. "The monster is being pushed out, Phythan's energy is being purified, we're making progress!" 

All the while Gourry, Zelgadis and Celo kept the busy spell casters safe from the wrath of the Green Alchemist, though so far, they had not been able to spot the puppet master among the attacking trees, even if he couldn't be too far. At the same time, Xellos found that the barrier wasn't as easy to maintain as he thought. Keeping the spells in created a tremendous pressure. Add to that the strain of the separation of Phythan and the monster and the amount of energy released was colossal, fueled even more by the sparks of fusion magic that occasionally formed inside the barrier with the mixture of dragon and monster energy. He could feel traces of the Hastega spell trying to escape the barrier with Lina's constant casting. Trusting in his own strength in a moment of rushed actions and confident pride, Xellos gave the barrier everything he had, making it so that anything that escaped from it was redirected at himself and didn't affect the others. 

After a short moment which felt like an eternity, all of the monster energy was extracted from Phythan. The strain of the separation was felt by all the trees that were linked together in the Green Alchemist's control and the entire forest dried up. The trees' once green leaves turned brown, their bark becoming brittle as if it were ancient. The spell finally faded away as the exhausted casters fell to their knees. Phythan opened his eyes for a moment, both the purest violet, then closed his eyes again with a serene and accomplished expression. Filia checked his vital signs just to be sure and nodded in relief. "It worked." 

Amelia let out a breath of exhausted relief. She, Filia and Tiffany were all ready to collapse next to Phythan. Zelgadis, Gourry and Celo were also catching their breath after the battle, but the spell casters were definitely suffering from the most severe exhaustion. Lina fell down on one knee, struggling to push herself back to her feet. "Lina, are you okay?" Gourry helped her up, allowing her to lean on him. 

"It's not over; the Green Alchemist still hasn't shown his face!" Lina cautioned. 

The group remained on their guard, but nothing happened. "He must have fled," Zelgadis finally concluded. "He does strike me as the cowardly type hiding and using trees to fight. The forest is useless to him now; he must have realized trying to pick a fight with us is suicide." 

"Even if we were unable to apprehend the Green Alchemist, at least Phythan has been cured," Celo pointed out. He glanced at Zelgadis with an apologetic expression that the chimera didn't quite believe but disregarded it anyway, since pointing out a monster's possible lack of sincerity felt too much like stating the obvious. "My apologies Mr. Zelgadis, but I very much doubt recreating this situation for you would have any effect. It would sooner tare you apart than cure you, as your chimera parts are so deeply integrated into your being, where as the monster in Phythan kept a limited separate identity as the union was never properly completed." 

Zelgadis let out a dismissing huff, "I wasn't expecting much anyway." 

"Well, since it doesn't look like the Green Alchemist will be showing up for round two of this fight any time soon, we should be heading back to the clock tower now. I'm starving!" Lina loudly declared. She had used up a lot of energy and needed a good meal to replenish it, or she wouldn't be able to get any extra sleep before morning. Just as Lina was musing on such thoughts, she saw the sun rising in the distance, its light more noticeable in the forest now that the trees had dropped all their leaves in a massive blanket of brown that crunched with every step. "It's already morning, time for a big breakfast!" 

The group resolved to return to the clock tower and once again Zelgadis got stuck carrying the unconscious Phythan on his back. He had offered to carry Amelia, but ever the trooper, she sprang to her feet fueled by the power of positive thinking and justice, ready to proudly march back to the lopsided clock tower. The wooden structure appeared to be ready to collapse, but it held precious food and shelter and the extremely weary are not generally picky. 

The unusual surprise came when Xellos appeared to be lagging behind the group. This caused Filia to glance back at him and give him a tired suspicious look. Strangely, he looked exhausted himself. She kept looking at him as he made his way forward several feet behind the group. He looked like he was struggling with every step until he collapsed. "Xellos!" Filia rushed to his side with a deep worry that she told herself over and over was pointless, even if it felt too real to be. "What are you doing? Get up!" 

Xellos stayed still for an excruciating moment, then pushed himself to his feet with a tired grin. "Are you worried about me, Filia? You're such a stupid dragon." 

Filia glared and hurried away in a huff, as fast as her tired state allowed her to move. "Stupid monster and his stupid tasteless jokes!" She muttered angrily with every step. 

Xellos caught Celo giving him an inquisitive yet knowing look, which he returned with the most intense threatening glare that he could muster. Celo decided it was best not to say anything to Xellos, but his expression made it clear that he knew what was going on. 

Once inside the clock tower, Phythan was taken to a room to rest, while Celo ordered some food to be delivered to the tower while Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia and Tiffany sat around the table ready to replenish their energy. No one seemed too concerned about Xellos' disappearance, because this was Xellos and he did this all the time. Even so, Filia had a bad feeling about it, but kept telling herself that Xellos' unusual behavior when she last saw him was only another trick to annoy her. 

After the breakfast uproar had settled down and even the fierce appetites of Lina and Gourry had been satisfied, Celo brought an earlier business proposal to light. "Miss Lina, if you are still interested, the circumstances have made it so that I must offer you that job I spoke of earlier than I expected." 

Glad to hear the imaginary sounds of coins jiggling in front of her, Lina gave Celo a wide grin, "I'm all ears." 

"Excellent, but be warned that this job will be a difficult one and your life might be in danger." Celo knew that the warning would not deter Lina Inverse from her greedy ambitions, but he mentioned it anyway, if only to be able to say 'I told you so' if any future situations merited such a famous phrase. 

"What else is new?" Lina laughed dismissively. "My life is always in danger for one reason or the other. At least this way I actually get paid for it." 

"Very well," Celo considered his options, this was a very important matter, so he couldn't spare any resources in making sure the vital task was accomplished. "I will pay you one thousand gold coins every month for the duration of the year, assuming that it takes that long for you to complete the job." Though the time that the job could last was indefinite, Celo didn't want Lina to purposely prolong it, thus he added, "one year, that is the duration of our agreement. However, if you assist in the correction of the problem and it is solved before the end of the year, thus ending the necessity for your continued services, I will still reward you just the same. But rather than a monthly payment, I will hand over the remaining sum in full as your final payment." 

Lina took in Celo's terms with full attention. "In other words, the worse case scenario is that I get one thousand golden coins for the next twelve months, adding up to a total of twelve thousand gold coins in the end. The best case scenario is that I set things right within the first month, be free of my duty and get the whole twelve thousand gold coins early on." Lina could feel her excitement grow, but tried to keep herself in check with a business woman's neutral expression. "I'll admit that's quite the generous offer, so I can only assume that it comes with a hefty catch. You still haven't told me what exactly this job is about." 

"Ah yes, about the job... Before I reveal the particulars, allow me to make a small correction upon your interpretation. The worse case scenario is that you fail at your job, in which case I will immediately discontinue the payments." Celo made a pause before proceeding with the revelation of the mysterious job. He knew that he was about to shock his guests. An amused, yet at the same time troubled smile surfaced beyond his constant mask of respect. "Your job would be to guard Xellos' life." 

There was a collective gasp from the audience. Though Gourry's attention was lost earlier when they started talking about numbers, as he was not very good with math, he seemed to tune into the conversation again when he heard something about Xellos' life being in danger. It made no sense and this time Gourry knew that he wasn't the only one who was deeply confused. 

Filia automatically stood from her chair and demanded to know. "What do you mean by that?" 

"The curse," Tiffany revealed, causing the group's collective attention to shift towards her. "This is supposed to be classified monster information. Xellos received a terrible curse with a top secret cure," which Tiffany was aware of but chose not to reveal so as to not ruin Xellos' chances by making things more awkward between him and Filia. "The effect of Hastaga must have seeped through Xellos' barrier and he ended up absorbing it himself. Phythan was okay because we gave him our energy, but at the pace Lina was casting Hastega again and again, the equivalent to a month must have passed. If Phythan wasn't a dragon descendant from a long line of strong warriors, with three capable healers at his side, he wouldn't have survived. I bet he'll be ready to devour as much food as Lina when he wakes up!" Which explained why he was eating so much during dinner the previous night, he was getting ready. 

"Are you saying I eat a month's supply of food in a single meal?" Lina interrupted with a vexed expression. 

"Oh, don't worry sweetie!" Tiffany laughed in good humor. "You're a growing girl, so you need your vitamins." Lina found herself wondering just how old Tiffany assumed she was. The redhead didn't say anything about it, but thought the dragon's guess was probably younger than her actual age. 

"Continue," Filia commanded almost desperately. 

Celo took a small moment to note the intensity in her eyes and wondered if Xellos had been closer to his cure than even the general himself knew. "Basically, what happened was that time was sped up for Xellos in a sense. Because of that, the effect of the curse happened sooner than expected." 

Seeing Filia's distraught expression, Tiffany elaborated, "it's not so bad. Xellos isn't going to die or anything, well not unless someone goes and kills him. He can still break the curse upon him and regain his full power becoming just as he was before. Even if the curse has taken it's effect, it can still be broken. He'll just have to put up with being as fragile as a human until he finds a cure... because he is a human." 

The room was filled with wide eyed, open mouthed, wordless, shocked expressions. Celo took the moment of silence to bring forth his business proposal again. "This is the reason why I wish to hire you Lina Inverse. The news of Xellos' curse must have already spread through the monster race. They are biding their time and hoping that Xellos will fail to find his cure on time. They don't know about the earlier arrival of his weakness, but they might find out. In order to gain power over Lord Beast Master, other monster lords might send their minions on the attack." 

Filia regained the capacity of speech as she struggled to let the outrageous revelations sink in. They had reached a victory that day when they cured Phythan, but it had been at the cost of a sort of defeat for Xellos. "If his life will be constantly hunted, then he won't be able to live as a human. As much as I don't like the idea of Xellos being a monster, regaining his power is the only way he can survive." 

"Not to mention that if Master Zelas grows tired of waiting for Xellos to recover, she might take him out herself for his disgrace." Celo added a valid point. 

Filia felt her eyes water with worry. "He's in danger and we left him out there!" She hurried towards the door. 

"No one knows yet!" Tiffany tried to comfort Filia as the group followed her out to search for Xellos. 

"Risking my life playing body guard for an arrogant annoyance that everyone will be out to get as soon as they figure out he's exposed," Lina mused aloud. "Furthermore they expect him to be weakened in a month, so even if this inconvenience of timing remains a secret, it won't matter before long." 

"Is the mission too much to ask?" Celo inquired with a hint of disappointment behind his respectful acceptance of her perceived refusal. 

"Are you kidding me?" Lina's face went from serious and calculating to confident and cheerful. "I thought you were well aware of who I am when you decided to offer me this job. I'm Lina Inverse; I've fought against monster lords before. I'll take the job! Besides, it'll be priceless to see Xellos' expression when he finds out I'm his bodyguard." 

"I might have some comments to make about his newfound humanity," Zelgadis agreed. 

"Now that I think about it," Amelia voiced thoughtfully. "Having been such a strong monster his whole life, Xellos must be used to having power handed to him in a silver platter. He'll probably overexert himself and will be helpless to deal with the aches and pains of being human." 

Lina and Zelgadis cheered in unison, surprising each other, "awesome!" 

"You guys are so cruel!" Filia scolded, though her reprimand was made ineffective by her amused expression as if barely containing laughter. She was sincerely worried about Xellos' safety, but picturing him not knowing how to deal with a boo-boo was simply too hilarious for words. "Poor Xellos must be terrified by his new found humanity. His body has gone through a lot of changes that were sudden and unexpected. He's confused and in need of guidance to better understand his human body and how to keep it healthy." 

There was a long communal silence among the group, until Lina finally came up with the courage to point out the peculiarity of Filia's chosen words. "You sound like you're teaching sex-ed." 

Filia's face turned crimson, "dragons don't get educated that way, it is taboo!" She stammered in embarrassment. 

"I'm sure there's a book on the basic principals of human anatomy back at the tower," Tiffany recalled. "Maybe we can give that to Xellos and wish him luck figuring things out. Unless you had something else in mind, sweet Filia." 

Filia's face turned an even brighter shade of red as she caught what Tiffany was hinting at. She finally pushed her voice to work and with a tone that begged for this to be the end of the conversation she stated, "I'll just make sure he eats nutritious meals..." 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 032: Revenge! Bandits, Dragons and More

"Stay alert men!" Miss Medusa, the self proclaimed beauty of the jellyfish people, arrived at the area where the forest used to be. She found nothing but a vast wasteland of dead trees and fallen dried leaves. "This place used to be a forest, can you believe it? All of this is that witch's doing, no doubt. That terrible redhead is exposing my beloved to all sorts of evil dangers. I must save him! That is why I hired you mercenaries for this mission." 

Following Miss Medusa, there was a troop of men. The small army consisted of scruffy bearded muscular humans, beastmen and trolls. Among the beastmen the majority seemed to be of the wolf-like variety with fur in varying shades of brown, gray and black. The trolls were mostly gray and green, following the commands of the beastmen and beastly humans that made little contrast to their beastmen allies. The entire group was at the command of Miss Medusa and the considerable sum of money that she paid them. 

The jellyfish girl spotted a familiar sight. She had been spying on her beloved Gourry and the last time she saw him, he had headed into the forest, while the forest was actually still there, in the company of several others. "Over there!" She raised one of her tentacles to point at the man, who was walking out of the wasteland with some difficulty, minding his own business and trying not to draw attention to himself. However, being the only person walking around the wasteland he would inevitably draw attention to himself, especially since his bright purple hair was a sharp contrast to the dead shades of dull brown in the wasteland. 

"Is that the guy you're trying to save?" It was hard to tell if the one who asked was a human or a beastman. By the amount of facial hair he possessed he could have been a wolfman, but his face lacked the snout-like shape of the beastmen, instead possessing a more rounded shape, akin to the shape of a human head. 

"No, that's not him," Miss Medusa clarified. "He's one of my beloved's friends, I saw him with the group earlier. Quickly men, capture him! If the red haired witch gives us any trouble, we can use this strange man as a bargaining chip!" 

Xellos noticed that there was a jellyfish woman and a group of hairy males of various species near by. He tried not to stare, he really didn't want to attract attention from bandits in his state and those men really looked a lot like bandits. He knew he should have followed the group back to the clock tower and gotten some rest, but his pride told him to run away as fast as his tired legs could carry him, which was not very fast. The suspicious group led by the jellyfish was too far away for Xellos' human ears to pick up their conversation, but he could see that the woman was pointing at him and the men were heading his way. Those were definitely bad signs. Xellos tried to hurry away to no avail, being quickly surrounded by the tall and muscular hairy males. 

"Don't even think about running away!" A black wolfman with an eye patch over his left eye and a scar that was barely visible under his thick fur ordered. 

Xellos looked around, he couldn't outrun the group in his exhausted state and he knew he couldn't possibly overpower them as he was. Yet he felt a strong determination to live that was far more impressive than any rush of survival instinct he had felt before. Maybe this is what they meant when they said humans were survivors. Humans are so fragile, yet so stubborn not to be erased. "Bandits," Xellos tried to keep his cool and put up his usual act, he really missed being able to teleport away from annoying situations, though if he had his monster powers, if he was still a monster, this situation would be nothing for him. He smiled to try to throw them off guard, "I have nothing of value for you to steal." 

The wolfman with black fur looked hurt as his grey colored brother placed a comforting paw on his shoulder. "We're not bandits," the gray wolfman corrected. "We're mercenaries; we're making an honest living now. Please don't call us bandits, it brings back unpleasant memories!" 

Sensitive bandits, er... mercenaries? Great, it was just Xellos' luck, maybe he could get out of this. "My apologies, Mr. Mercenary. Well then, since you're clearly not bandits, I'll be on my way." 

"Not so fast!" The big brown bearded human stood in Xellos' way. "We're not bandits, but we're going to have to hold you hostage for a while anyway, since it is an order from our contractor. I hope you won't take it personally, we have nothing against you, little man." 

"Little man?" Xellos questioned slightly annoyed. Then again, in comparison to that hairy beast of a man, even Gourry would be a little man. "Kidnapping is a very bandit thing to do." 

"Oh no, it's not like that," the big man insisted. "We won't hurt you. In fact, you'll be part of a rescue mission. Think of this as it being for a good cause and take it easy." 

Xellos remained silent for several seconds as the men waited for his reply. He debated on his next action and finally made a desperate choice. He took in as much oxygen as his lungs could carry and shouted with everything he had, "bandits! Bandits! Bandits!" 

The big man jumped back in fright as if being accused of being a bandit was a very scary thing. "No! No! We're not bandits! Please stop yelling!" 

"Oh for crying out loud!" Medusa snatched away a club from one of the trolls and smacked Xellos on the head with it, effectively silencing him with a big bump on his head. "I don't get it, a bunch of big tough mercenaries so terrified of getting accused of being bandits. What's wrong with you guys?" 

"You don't understand!" The black wolfman dramatized. "We're not bandits, we have left our bandit ways in the past forever!" He insisted desperately. 

"Hold it right there you bandits!" A new voice joined the conversation as the group followed the sound to the source. It was a young woman wearing white, making her way towards them through the wasteland. "I will not tolerate your injustice!" She loudly declared. 

"We're not bandits!" The gray wolfman snapped, then took a moment to draw something from his memories. "That girl... she kind of looks familiar." 

As if on cue, the young woman introduced herself, "I am Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, defender of justice!" 

"Did you find him, Amelia?" Another voice entered the conversation as a blond woman made her way past a group of dried up trees and spotted her companion. 

"I sure did!" Amelia happily declared. "Mr. Xellos is being held hostage by these bandits. Poor Mr. Xellos was desperately calling for help." 

"I was not!" Xellos yelled, still rubbing the sore spot on his head where Medusa hit him. 

"We're not bandits!" The gray wolfman insistently corrected. 

It wasn't long before the commotion and Amelia's yelling, "over here!" drew the attention of the whole search party that assembled on the spot. 

Zelgadis, Gourry, Lina, Tiffany and Celo arrived on the scene, with Lina stepping forward menacingly. "So Xellos got caught by a bunch of bandits?" 

The black wolf adamantly yelled in frustration, "we're not bandits!" Then he realized just who he was talking to. This is why the girl in white looked familiar, she was one of the traveling companions of Lina Inverse, the merciless bandit killer, dragon spooker, who terrified the band of ex-bandits into becoming mercenaries instead. "It's her! It's Lina Inverse!" 

"Oh No!" The bearded man yelled in fright. "Please Miss Lina, don't hurt us, we're not bandits anymore! We promise!" 

"Is that so?" Lina took a menacing step forward. "you sure still look like bandits to me," she observed. 

"We're not bandits!" The men pleaded. 

"What do you think, Xellos? Are they bandits?" Lina inquired knowing all too well what his answer would be. 

Xellos held up the suspense to get back at the mercenaries and pretended to consider the situation. The men looked at him with expectant pleading expressions until he finally replied, "yes, they're definitely bandits." 

The men panicked as Lina grinned and Xellos ran for cover. "Fireball!" Several fireballs later, the so called super strong mercenaries were all charred and defeated. 

"No!" Miss Medusa dramatized in agony. 

"Hi, Miss Medusa," Gourry greeted her as if nothing had even gone wrong between them. "Don't worry, Lina saved you from these bandits, you're okay now. Let's all be friends." He paused as if trying hard to remember something. "Oh, that's right, I haven't told you yet, Lina is my fiance," he spoke naturally as if catching up with an old acquaintance. 

Medusa was horrified. "Fiance!" She loudly exclaimed. "This carrot top flat-chested little girl is your fiance?" 

Knowing of the terrible danger that had been summoned, Lina's companions were quick to run for cover as the infamous bandit killer was surrounded by a red hot aura of rage. "Darkness beyond twilight, flat-chested she says... Crimson beyond blood that flows, she's a jellyfish it's not like she has a chest herself! Buried in the stream of time, I won't stand for this offense, is where your power grows! Like it or not, you'll have to deal with it, I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand... Gourry is my fiance, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hands, he'll never be yours! Dragon Slave!" 

An explosion of colossal magnitude enveloped the area. The charred bandits were blown away, becoming distant specs that landed all over the resort, while Miss Medusa was thrown straight up into the air by the force of the blast. The wasteland of trees was no more; instead a large crater on the ground took its place. The lopsided clock tower was obliterated along with the dried up forest in a brilliant show of Lina's destructive powers. 

A moment of silence passed after the loud blast of the Dragon Slave, which was shattered by Xellos' complaining voice. "You can put me down now, Filia." In the mad dash to get to safety, Filia had picked up Xellos bridal style and ran away with him in her arms. She set him down gently on his feet as if he were made of the most fragile glass. She knew the truth and it was painfully apparent to him that she did. He directed an angry glare at Celo, whom he concluded must have opened his big mouth about the situation. 

Before Xellos could throw out any sort of excuse or accusation, very much less attempt to come up with a plan to pretend everything was normal, Filia's shrill scream right next to him made him jump. "You're hurt!" Xellos cringed as his ears rang from the intensity of the shriek, as if his headache wasn't bad enough already. Filia reached to the area on Xellos' head where he had been clubbed before. A patch of dried blood clung to his purple hair. "Let me heal you." 

Xellos had no time to protest before Filia immediately started healing him. He would never admit that the recovery spell was a great relief. Instead of resisting, he limited himself to pointing out an obvious lie, "I don't need any help." 

Just as the group was settling down, a loud roar echoed through the sound waves as a very angry looking Phythan stomped his way over to the posse. His dragon robes were stained and charred in several places and his tail was sticking out from under them. He was a fully purified dragon, but he looked more enraged than a full breed monster. "Who interrupted my meal?" He demanded to know. "I woke up a little while ago and found myself alone in the clock tower. I was raiding the kitchen to recover my energy and then everything blew up! Who is responsible for this?" 

Lina gulped, even if the Dragon Slave earned it's original name of Dragon Slay due to a dragon being slain by the spell, this was one very angry dragon. Besides, she couldn't help it but to feel identified with Phythan's tragic dilemma. Lina knew that she would be royally pissed off if someone blew up her food. There were rumors going around that some less civilized dragons still ate humans... 

Miss Medusa was finally brought back to the ground by the force of gravity after having been thrown straight up into the skies by the force of Lina's Dragon Slave. She landed right in Phythan's arms, who was so surprised that he was distracted from his deadly rage. "Where did you come from, miss?" He gently set her on her feet, looking over her many burns. "You're injured, I don't have a lot of energy to spare, but allow me to heal you." 

After receiving Phythan's healing magic, Medusa was as good as new. "You saved me!" She exclaimed with a dreamy expression. 

"There's no need to thank me, miss." Phythan smiled. "This is all part of my duty as a crusader of justice!" 

"My heart was broken before, but it has been healed by a new love!" Medusa loudly declared as she tried to wrap all her tentacles around Phythan. "My love, let us marry at once!" 

"What?" Phythan looked very much terrified at the prospect. "You got the wrong idea, lady. Like I said, I'm just doing my duty as a crusader of justice. There's no need to jump to conclusions!" Phythan tried to get untangled from Medusa, but she had quite a grip. 

"Should we help him?" Amelia inquired unsure. 

"This is a personal matter, it's best if we don't interfere," Zelgadis advised. 

"Aw, my sweet cousin is such a fine prize; it was only a matter of time before someone noticed." Tiffany clapped her hands together in adoration. 

"Let go!" Phythan suddenly transformed from human to dragon form, the aftershock of magic freeing him from the vice-like grip of most of Medusa's tentacles. She still held on to his tail with one tentacle though. 

"Oops..." Amelia softly voiced with a rosy face. 

Lina blushed and laughed awkwardly, "I didn't see anything..." she whispered to herself. 

"I told you to stop doing that!" Zelgadis yelled in annoyance. 

Filia join in the reprimand, "have you no modesty?" 

"I didn't know what to do to get away!" Phythan took off, flying a few feet above the ground, but Medusa still had one of her tentacles wrapped around the end of his tail. 

"My eyes have never before witnessed such perfection!" The jellyfish girl's eyes transformed into metaphorical hearts. "My beloved! We must get married at once, and go on a very long honeymoon together!" 

Phythan's golden scales adopted an odd shade of blue as his expression grew in horror. "I don't want to marry you!" He spun around rapidly in the air until Medusa's tentacle slipped off his tail. 

The infatuated jellyfish was sent flying across the resort calling out, "I will return for you my love!" 

Phythan shuddered in dismay, "I hope she doesn't keep her word on that." He changed back into his human form, causing Filia to gasp and look away. 

"Oops..." Amelia softly voiced once more with her face becoming red. 

Gourry eyed the blush that adorned Lina's face once more. She laughed awkwardly and assured, though it was obviously not true, "I didn't see anything." 

"Stop it!" Zelgadis insisted harshly, but it was Xellos who walked up to Phythan and smacked him on the head. 

"Ow! What did you do that for?" Phythan complained. 

Xellos discreetly rubbed his pained knuckles. Even in human form, dragons were certainly hard-headed creatures. "Because no one wants to see that, right?" 

"Right!" Gourry and Zelgadis immediately piped in, while Celo didn't really care, given the fact that Phythan and Tiffany were relatives. 

Since there had been nothing but silence coming from Lina, Amelia and Filia, who wore matching unsure guilty expressions, Gourry, Zelgadis and Xellos prompted them again in unison. "Right?" 

Feeling like they were put on the spot, Lina, Amelia and Filia nodded frantically. "Yes, right, of course, absolutely," they were quick to mutter their agreements. 

"I'm a hideous creature?" Phythan looked sad. "Do I really repulse you that much?" 

"That's not it!" Amelia tried to clarify. "It's just that... How do I put it?" 

"You're too hot and it's getting on the guys nerves," Lina blurted out, then immediately slapped both hands over her mouth. She couldn't believe she just said that. Furthermore, Gourry was giving her an adorable confused look, "but not as hot as my fience?" She added in a barely audible whisper that was just enough for Gourry to hear and respond with a satisfied grin. 

"I'm a golden dragon," Phythan tried to explain in a matter of fact tone, missing Lina's comment about Gourry. "My body temperature is supposed to be a bit warmer than that of a human." 

"I think that what they're trying to say is that modesty is important. That means you have to cover up when you transform," Filia tried to explain. "It's a... rule of etiquette, so to speak." 

"I guess so..." Phythan accepted the explanation, though he would probably forget it and publicly transform again in the rush of the moment sometime in the near future. 

"I think it's time to think about where you'll go from here," Celo spoke up after his long silence. "Miss Lina, I must ask you to do your job elsewhere, as it would be too destructive for the resort if any large battles were to occur here." 

"Oh right, the job," Lina recalled. "I suppose it would be best to stay on the move. If we travel around constantly, we'll be harder to find. But where shall we go?" 

"I want to stop by my shop if you don't mind," Filia suggested. "I want to see how Jillas and Gravos are managing things without me and I haven't held little Val's egg in so long." 

"Alright," Lina agreed, "than we'll head on over to Filia's shop. We can leave on the next ship, unless Filia's willing to give us a ride?" 

"I'm not a horse!" Filia paused, realizing that a horse wouldn't really be useful in this situation, since they had a large stretch of water to cross. "I'm not a pegasus either!" She added adamantly. 

"Phythan?" Lina inquired hopefully, "would you mind giving us a ride?" 

"No problem, Miss Lina, I don't mind at all," Phythan smiled in an innocent friendly way. 

"He's staying," Zelgadis and Xellos declared simultaneously. They glared at each other soon after, silently throwing out copycat accusations with their eyes. 

"I guess maybe it is best if I remain here," Phythan agreed. "I have only recently been reunited with Tifa and I haven't gotten to know cousin Celo very well yet. Plus it might be helpful to have an extra dragon around the resort, just in case more bandits show up. I wish you all the best of luck on your journey, come visit sometime!" 

"Alright," Lina conceded, "Celo, make preparations for us to leave on the next ship, VIP accommodations of course." 

"Certainly," Celo presented no arguments as he whistled and a purple parrot with long white fangs sticking out of its yellow beak landed on his arm. "Let the finest ferry be prepared for the departure of our honored guests, Lina Inverse and company." The monster parrot squawked and repeated Celo's message before flying off again. 

"It was nice seeing you again, Filia, and it was lots of fun to meet you all," Tiffany bid them farewell. After a few more exchanged goodbyes, Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia and Xellos were on the move again. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 033: Harsh! Being Human Is Not Easy

Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia and Xellos headed for the docks. Xellos followed the group automatically, without pointing out his condition directly, though he was sure everyone already knew. Yet what made it sink in fully was when Lina spoke up about her secret job. "Try not to run off on your own, Xellos. I'm supposed to be your bodyguard after all." 

"What?" Xellos felt his eye twitch madly. There was a long harsh road ahead of him and he needed to gain his cure more desperately than ever. 

"You heard me and I'm getting good money out of this deal, so I'll be really angry if you mess it up for me!" Lina emphasized. 

When the group arrived at the docks, a ship was already waiting for them. They boarded and left swiftly; sailing away from the resort and towards the road they intended to follow to Filia's home. It looked as if the trip by sea would be uneventful. Gourry and Lina were eating every last dish on the vessel, while Amelia and Zelgadis enjoyed the refreshing sea breeze on deck in the front of the ship. Xellos on the other hand, was not enjoying the trip. After his human transformation, he experienced hunger as a human would, but as soon as he got on the ship, he was thankful for his empty stomach. 

Leaning on the railing of the side of the ship, Xellos contemplated the ocean and mused about how much he loathed it. His face was looking rather green with a sickly expression as he shrugged his shoulders harshly. Filia, who had been standing beside him with her hand tracing comforting circles on his upper back, pouted and glared as Xellos growled, "stop that!" 

Placing her hands on her hips, Filia maintained a firm glare, "I'm only trying to help!" 

"You're not helping," Xellos looked away from her, tempted to throw himself into the ocean where he would surely drown, just to get away from the humiliation of the situation. "Everything's already going in enough circles as it is," he grumbled under his breath. 

"Oh," Filia blinked in realization, "I was making you dizzier? Sorry about that. It can't be easy being sea sick. I heard Zelgadis used to get sea sick." She glanced towards the front of the ship where the chimera and the princess were cuddled close to each other. "He certainly doesn't look sick now. Love must be a wonderful medicine." 

Filia's words reminded Xellos of his cure. He knew this wouldn't work, but he still had to try. "So love cures sea sickness? I suppose it won't kill me in my current state. Give me a dose of that." If anything, teasing Filia and watching her blush might make him feel a little better. 

The golden dragon did indeed blush, just as the ex-monster expected. "It's not so simple," she struggled to explain. "If you were nicer to me I could at least..." her face turned a deeper shade of crimson, "be your friend?" She offered unsure. 

"Funny, I thought you already were. I recall a time when you admitted to such a blasphemous thing," Xellos teased, referring to the time when they were researching the profiles in the secret golden dragon archives. "Of course you might have changed your mind, golden dragons have no loyalty." Filia sighed, which threw Xellos off guard, "what? No retorts? Are you giving up and admitting that everything I say is true?" 

"No," Filia shook her head gently. It was obvious he was uncomfortable, more than uncomfortable. Xellos was suffering and it was a new experience for him, which made it much more difficult to tolerate, no matter how strong his will might be. Of course, giving him compassion would only hurt his already broken pride and make things worse for him, Filia knew that. She took a deep breath and tried to act natural for Xellos' sake. "You're nothing but an annoying, lying, trickster piece of raw garbage!" She turned around and started to storm off, maybe Xellos would feel better below deck. "I'm going below deck," she declared. "Don't you dare follow me!" It secretly was an invitation for him to follow. 

Xellos watched Filia walk off for a few seconds and focused on fading into the astral side to teleport into her room. If she really wanted some time away from him, she would be annoyed if she opened her door to find him there. A few more seconds passed and nothing happened. Of course it didn't, Xellos was a human now, he couldn't fade into the astral side and reappear somewhere else. Humans didn't do that, monsters did. Even if he knew he was human, the habit came without much conscious thought. Seeing that he wasn't going anywhere unless he actually made a physical effort to move, Xellos resigned himself to walk after Filia. 

Filia had by then arrived at her assigned room below deck. She left the door unlocked and waited until predictably, Xellos arrived. "I was getting bored of the view, so I think I'll hang out down here for a while." 

"Go away!" Filia snapped, which meant 'stay.' "I don't want to deal with you now; I want to take a nap!" Perhaps sleeping through the voyage by sea would be best for Xellos. 

"A nap? It's still the middle of the day! Dragon sure are lazy!" Xellos followed Filia's gaze towards the bed. There was nothing particularly unusual about it, which was a good thing because given the heart themes that were common on the resort one would expect such a thing to be on the sheets. Fortunately, the sheets were a nice shade of cerulean with a fluffy white pillow. Xellos lay down on the bed, "yeah, this does feel like a good place for a nap." 

"Get off! That's my bed!" Filia reproached, knowing full well that it would make Xellos stay put. "I'm going to give you to the count of ten to get up! One... two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight... nine... ten..." Filia lowered her voice with every number, until the number ten was barely audible. When the count was over, Xellos was out like a light. He fell for it, just like counting sheep. Now he could get some rest despite his stubbornness. Filia gently placed the covers over Xellos, then quietly pulled over a chair and sat beside the bed. She didn't even know why she felt compelled to do this. Lina was his bodyguard; she should be the one taking care of him. But since Lina wasn't properly taking care of her responsibilities, someone had to. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Several hours later, Xellos woke up to a particularly sweet voice calling his name. "Xellos... Xellos, wake up, it's time to get off the ship. Xellos..." A soft hand was brushing his hair away from his face when he opened his amethyst eyes and was greeted by the visual of Filia leaning over him. "Get up, we already arrived at port. You slept through the whole trip, it's already well into the evening. Lina and the others have gone ahead to one of the seaside restaurants to get a late dinner, since Lina and Gourry ate all the food on the ship." 

Xellos' only reply was an ever eloquent "hmm" then he closed his eyes and turned over on his side, snuggling the fluffy white pillow. He knew humans sometimes had trouble waking up, but he didn't know it was this hard. Then his stomach growled loudly. The ship was much more still as it was parked at the docks, thus there were no continuous rocking motions from the passing waves to make him seasick. As a result, his appetite was back full force, which created enough of a motivation for Xellos to stumble out of bed and walk past Filia, pretending he wasn't suffering from post-nap sleep-drunkenness. 

Xellos took a short moment to observe the darkened environment outside. It really was well into the evening as the sun had almost completely sunk out of sight in the horizon. He headed for the board that served as a bridge between the ship and the dock and managed to get safely to the other side, only to trip on a loose board once he was actually on the dock. He was saved from falling into the water between the ship and the dock, by Filia's sudden firm grip on his arm, which didn't let go until it was evident that he had fully regained his balance. 

"Watch your step," she advised in a motherly tone. It was true that humans could cast levitation spells, but their natural way of walking without magic felt clumsy for someone with enough power to float with every step he took and fly without the need to focus his energy on it. 

Being human was definitely something to get used to, but Xellos wasn't going to let Filia pity him. "Yes, mother," he sarcastically replied with every ounce of mocking dread he could muster. 

Filia pouted and placed her hands on her hips as she corrected, "I'm not Zelas." 

Xellos was going to say something, but soon realized that Lord Beast Master was in fact his mother, all things considered and felt that his sarcastic remark was out of place. It's not that Filia didn't deserve all the sarcastic remarks in the world, but rather, this was human and perhaps dragon mother sarcasm, not monster mother sarcasm. Resolving that the only way to save the remnants of his dignity was to give Filia the cold shoulder, Xellos did so, and walked away with as much of a firm pace as he could muster in his hungry state. 

It didn't take long for Filia and Xellos to find the rest of their traveling companions. Lina and Gourry had their own table at one of the seaside restaurants, where they could eat wildly. Amelia and Zelgadis were at the table next to theirs, eating at a much more civilized pace. Leaving the lovebirds to their meal, Filia and Xellos took up another near by table, where Xellos proceeded to order everything on the menu that looked appetizing. 

"You're going to get sick if you eat like Lina," Filia warned, but Xellos ignored her. He remembered having visited this town before during an incident involving people losing their ability to speak normally, instead speaking an odd language known as octopese. The local specialty was octopus, though these days it was limited to serving only tentacles, which the octopus could regenerate, leading to an era of peace between the octopi and the townspeople. 

Just as he was preparing to savor his meal, which was served ironically by an octopus waiter, Xellos noticed that his traveling companions were staring at him, along with other people in the restaurant. Even Lina and Gourry had ceased their ferocious eating to look at Xellos. "What? It's not like you've never seen me eating before." Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis burst out laughing, much to Xellos' annoyance, "what?" He demanded to know. "What's so funny?" 

Filia sighed patiently and stood from her chair, producing a hairbrush from the pocket of her cloak. She rounded the table where they sat face to face and standing behind Xellos, she brushed his hair. "You kept snuggling your head on the pillow while you slept and it messed up your hair. It looks like the sea breeze made it extra frizzy too." 

"My... hair..." Xellos uttered in horror as he ran his fingers through it. When he was a monster he didn't need to worry about having a single hair out of place, but now his hair was sticking out in every direction like a purple kitten that had been accidentally thrown in an electric dryer, if either of those actually existed. 

"Calm down," Filia slapped Xellos' hands away. "You're just making it worse; I'll fix it for you." A few excruciatingly long and horrible minutes later, Xellos had learned the pain of undoing hair knots and the humiliation that came with having someone do so in public. "There," Filia finally announced. "You're hair is actually pretty fine, you'll have to use a gentle shampoo if you don't want it to lose its shine, it's already starting to dull." She gently ran her hand through his hair again, curiously parting the top layer to look at the strands of hair under it. "Or maybe it's all part of the process..." she mused, observing that the hair under the top layer was noticeably different from what was seen at first glance. 

Humiliation aside, there was a possibility that seriously bothered Xellos. "Don't tell me I'm..." did he even dare to ask? "Going bald?" He inquired in a terrified whisper that was just loud enough for Filia and their traveling companions in the neighboring tables to hear. 

Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis burst into a fit of laughter again. "Yes, you're definitely going bald." Zelgadis replied with a cruelly amused smile. 

"Oh yeah, I can see a bald spot the size of the moon from here!" Lina contributed between giggles. 

"Really?" Gourry looked confused. "It's the size of the moon? I just don't see it." Lina elbowed him under the table and he quickly amended, "there it is; I see it now!" It was a miracle he actually understood that she was trying to get him to play along. Or maybe he didn't understand and thought Lina simply didn't want to be contradicted in any way. 

"Filia..." Xellos almost whimpered, his face a mixture of horror and fright. 

"Stop it, all of you!" Filia scolded, though she did so between giggles. "It's okay, Xellos, you're not going bald, your hair is simply turning black. It's only natural when you think about it. Some humans have eyes so blue that they appear to be purple, so I don't think that will change. But who has ever heard of a human with natural purple hair? I'm sure that if you take proper care of it, it will be just as shiny as ever. I can help; I know how to take good care of hair." Filia proudly offered. 

Xellos felt relieved that he still had a head full of hair. He didn't care what color it was as long as he didn't go bald... Then again, pink hair would have been a humiliating disaster, it would be annoying if he turned into one of those red-heads with such a strange shade of red that their hair looked pink. Black was at least an acceptable color, not a bad color at all. Thus he decided that this wasn't such a big disaster after all, he could live with black hair. 

After Xellos' stomach was full, he expected to feel better, but he didn't. Though he appeared to disregard Filia's advice, he did actually make sure not to over eat in his rush of hunger. It wasn't that he felt overly full, he felt as if he had consumed enough food to be pleasantly satisfied, but he wasn't. His stomach hurt like never before, his head was spinning more than it had while he was on the ship and he was itchy all over. 

"Are you okay?" Filia asked with visible concern. 

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine," Xellos replied with heavy sarcasm, but an undertone that almost begged for Filia to drop the subject. 

Filia, as expected, refused to drop it. "No, you're not." 

"If you're going to draw your own conclusions, why did you bother asking?" Xellos snapped with little enthusiasm as he scratched his face, his arms... the itch was everywhere and it was driving him crazy. "What is this?" He demanded to know with great urgency. Forget his pride, he needed information and that stubbornly persistent human survival instinct was starting to kick in again. "Don't just sit there staring at me," he threw his last shred of dignity out the metaphorical window; the itch was too much to bear. "Tell me what you humans do to get rid of itches!" 

Filia continued to stare at Xellos along with everyone else. "Did you get sick somehow?" Filia theorized unsure. "I don't understand; you were fine a while ago. The breeze feels pleasant; I don't think it's enough to make anyone catch pneumonia." 

"I don't think pneumonia looks like that," Lina pointed out. She had never heard of a red rash being a symptom of pneumonia. 

"Oh, oh..." Everyone turned their attention expectantly at Amelia. "I've seen this before," she revealed, pausing for several suspenseful seconds before she stated what she knew. "A friend of mine, who is a shrine maiden at Seyruun, once got an itchy red rash just like that after eating octopus for the first time. It turned out that she was highly allergic to it and had to be hospitalized." 

Everyone's expressions grew in shock at the revelation. "This can't be!" Lina dramatized in agony, "if he dies now, Celo won't pay me!" 

"Have some consideration!" Filia scolded in indignation. 

"That can't be true; this has to be something else!" Xellos insisted as he scratched madly. He didn't have enough arms to scratch every itch and to top it all up, scratching only made him itch more. "I've eaten octopus before and nothing happened!" He paused as the realization hit him. When he was a monster, he could drink poison as if it was juice and remain unaffected. He could drink a gallon of gasoline, swallow a lit match and still, nothing would happen. All of that was possible because he was a monster before, but he was a human now. He was a fragile human with a fragile immune system, a fragile digestive system and his very own personalized set of hidden allergies just waiting to be discovered. "I... really am allergic... aren't I?" The truth sunk in like a ton of bricks falling on his head, which would have killed him in his delicate state if it wasn't just a metaphor. "Humans are so pathetic!" Xellos yelled at the top of his lungs in absolute frustration. 

"Wow, you really did draw the short end of the stick in this humanity business," Lina observed. Then again, rather than bad luck maybe it was karma. Maybe the movement of chance around Xellos' fate had slingshot back at him to push his fate into a miserable destiny. 

Xellos was still in the middle of his frustrated hissy fit when he was literally swept off his feet by Filia. She once again had him in her arms, carrying him bridal style. "Where's the nearest hospital?" She urgently yelled. Catching wind of the situation, the octopus waiter gave Filia some directions and she hurried away, carrying the complaining, red and itchy Xellos. 

"We have to go with them!" Lina picked up her big dessert bowl containing large portions of cake and ice-cream, then bolted after Filia. Gourry mirrored the action and hurried away after Lina. 

"We're coming too!" Amelia dashed after the group. 

"This I can't miss," Zelgadis left as well. 

The octopus waiter stood watching the group rush away to give their friend some much needed first aid. He felt sad for them until he realized that in the commotion, they left without paying. 

To be Continued


	12. Chapter 12

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 034: Fan Service! Kindness Shall Be Rewarded

Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis and Filia were piled into Xellos' small hospital room. The local doctor had given him medicine, ordered him not to scratch his rash, which was all over his body, and left him overnight at the hospital for observation. Xellos of course couldn't help it but to scratch, while Filia tried to stop him. "If you want to get better you have to listen to the doctor!" Filia had enough of trying to wrestle Xellos into staying still, especially when he resorted to hair pulling after he realized that no human could possibly physically overpower a dragon. "That's it! I'll make you stay still; this is for your own good!" Filia stormed off, leaving a heavy feeling of foreboding in the air. 

"Stupid dragon," Xellos growled, then decided to seek out more information about his pitiful human condition. The doctor was in his opinion very unhelpful. He claimed to need Xellos to stay for overnight observation at the hospital before the intensity of his allergies could be determined. Apparently, if he was lucky, the medicine should have him fully healed by morning. Xellos wasn't getting his hopes up for the idea of being cured by the next day, because his luck had been anything but good as of late. "Amelia, what do you know about this... disease?" He finally swallowed his pride enough to ask, the suspense was killing him. 

"It's an allergy, not a disease," Amelia pointed out. Xellos gave her an impatient look, silently indicating that it was just a figure of speech and he knew the difference well enough, so she could skip that explanation and move on to the more important information. "My friend, Kally, got a red rash all over her body just like what you have, but that was only on the first day. She got medicine and stayed at the hospital overnight." 

"Then she was fine the next day?" Xellos inquired with a thin thread of hope clinging to his voice. 

"Oh no, the next day she was far worse!" Amelia grimaced. "Her skin was only red and dry at first, just like yours, but on the second day it started cracking and bleeding, it was... rather unpleasant. They had to wrap every inch of poor Kally in bandages. She was like that for about two weeks and she said it hurt as if she was constantly being burned alive. The poor dear kept crying in agony day and night and not even the best healers could help her. Only herbal medicine was able to cure her, then at the end of the fifty days of treatment, she was as good as new, though a little traumatized by the experience. She can't even see a picture of an octopus without screaming, crying or fainting." 

Fear, this was fear, Xellos recognized it. As a monster he enjoyed it very much, but as a human it was terrible. "Sounds like you're in trouble, I do hope you recover," Zelgadis grinned and Amelia failed to see the enjoyment in his remark. It wasn't that she wanted to be mean; she was just stating the facts as they were with the story about Kally. Lina and Gourry were quick to add in their condolences as well, though only Gourry's seemed to have a shred of sincerity. 

"I'm back," Filia returned to the room with a bundle of ropes in her arms. "This should keep you still." 

"No!" Xellos attempted to run away, but Filia dragged him back and tied him to the bed forcefully. "Stop it! Let me go!" 

"Yell all you want, that's just going to give you a sore throat, it won't convince me to let you go. This is all for your own good." Filia took up the chair closest to Xellos' hospital bed, guarding him. 

Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis looked at each other and unanimously decided it was time to leave. Thus they left the miserable ex-monster in the capable care of the temperamental golden dragon. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

It was the most unpleasant night of Xellos' life, spent at the hospital like a fragile human, which he hated to remember he was. He woke up feeling terribly stiff and painfully turned his head to the side to see Filia leaning on his bed in an odd position, the rest of her body on a chair beside it. "Filia, wake up, you stupid lazy dragon!" 

Filia woke up startled and looked around in every direction until it sunk in where she was and why she was there. "Xellos, are you in pain?" 

"Yes," he snapped from his position, immobile on the bed. "But it's not because of some octopus allergy; I'm stiff from laying still." 

Filia gently caressed his face, which only further annoyed him. "Your temperature is normal and the rash is gone. It looks like your allergy wasn't as bad as what Amelia's friend had." 

Xellos was worried he would end up wrapped in bandages like a mummy too. How was he supposed to break his curse then? Who falls in love with a mummy? Okay, so maybe he kind of figured Filia would take care of him either way, but that would just make things worse. 

"Yes, I'm cured, the medicine was a success, I have no reason to scratch anymore, untie me!" Xellos yelled in humiliated frustration. In an attempt to get back at Filia, he gave her a suspicious look and winked. "Unless it was your plan all along to take this opportunity to fulfill your bondage fantasies. Are you going to try to take advantage of me?" 

"No!" Filia's face turned crimson and she fumbled with the knocks to untie Xellos as quickly as she could. She stumbled back as soon as he was untied and watched him stretch from the corner of her eyes as she rummaged through the bag the doctor had dropped off that morning while Xellos was still sleeping. She yawned, "you know, I just recently fell asleep." She tried to change the subject. 

"Then you spent the whole night watching me?" Xellos made a fake exaggerated shuddering motion. "Creepy!" 

"Stop it! You know I wasn't watching you with bad intentions!" Filia insisted still red-faced. She handed the doctor's bag over to Xellos. "There's some spare medicine in there, just in case, and some herbal soap. I suggest you use it now since it will probably be a long walk to the next inn." She handed him his clothes as well, since the doctor had made him change into baby blue hospital pajamas the previous day. "I also washed your clothes." 

"I'm glad you finally learned your place, slave. Are you going to give your master a sponge bath too?" Xellos teased. 

Trying to avoid a long argument, Filia growled in response, "just go and try to hurry, everyone is already prepared to go, we're just waiting for you." 

"Have a good time waiting then," Xellos walked away towards the bathroom at a luxurious pace, which he knew would annoy Filia. Just as he closed the door he heard her let out a stream of angry mutters that were most certainly directed at him. He slightly opened the door again and poked his head out, "no peeking." The simple phrase was enough to anger Filia further as she denounced that she ever would. Xellos shut the door once more, locking it with more force than needed, so that the click of the lock was annoyingly obvious to Filia. It's not like she would actually try to open the door, but making her think he thought she would was amusing. 

The bathroom was particularly small and just as white as the hospital room. The tub had been filled with water. Xellos set his clothes aside and tested the temperature, finding that it was pleasantly warm. Filia must have gotten the bath ready for him too before she dozed off for a few short minutes. A quick curious peek at the mirror confirmed that his skin was completely back to normal. His hair was also darker then the day before, almost completely black with only a few strands of purple left. His eyes had remained the same amethyst color, as it was pointed out before, some humans have eyes so blue that they looked purple, though his pupils were rounder. He glared at his reflection, not out of distaste, but just to see what he looked like with a different expression. His face was the same as ever, except that constantly wearing a squinting smile got tiring. Humans were truly pathetic, even their tiny facial muscles needed rest. 

Glaring at the mirror, Xellos ironically realized that he looked more so like a monster now than before. Perhaps not really a monster, but more like an evil wizard. The black hair did give him a certain sinister quality, especially when he had his eyes open. Upon further observation, he realized that he must have unknowingly run a fever at some point in the night because he was a little sweaty. He wondered if those instances when he half woke up to find Filia cleaning his face with a cool towel in the middle of the night were real or just a product of his tortured mind. 

In any case, he would much rather leave the terrible octopus calamity behind for good. He tossed the pajamas on the floor and hopped into the tub. The warm water felt like a great relief on his stiff body. He didn't care if the others were waiting; he wasn't getting out of the tub any time soon. After a while, before the water cooled off completely, he rummaged through the bag Filia had given him for the medicinal soap he was supposed to use. The stuff smelled like something that belonged in some old granny's stew and he didn't like it, but thinking that the rash of itchy doom could return, Xellos decided not to take any chances and used the soap just as he was told. 

He noticed that there were several bottles inside the bag. Aside from the medicine, there was a small traveling size bottle of shampoo with nothing particularly medicinal about it. There was also another bottle of... cologne? Why would they give that away at the hospital? It was appropriate, since it would get rid of the smell of the weird herbal soap, but it and the shampoo looked store bought. A small note at the bottom of the bag listed the two items. This had to be Filia's hand writing; she looked like the type to dot her i's with little hearts. 

Filia did say something about helping Xellos take care of his hair the previous evening. She must have also smelled the medicinal soap and decided something had to be done about it. The note proved that she did indeed stay by his side the whole night, having sent someone else to get the items for her. Stupid dragon thinking of every detail and annoyingly going out of her way for him... 

A knock on the door interrupted Xellos' peaceful soaking in the bathtub. "Xellos, you've been in there for an hour!" There was no reply. "Xellos?" Filia repeated. "Are you okay in there?" A few more seconds passed, slowly turning into minutes as Filia's mind went crazy with tragic theories. Was it that Xellos had not fully recovered and fainted? Or maybe he slipped on the tub, fell and hit his head. Maybe he was unconscious under water in the tub. Maybe he could still be saved. "Xellos, answer me!" Filia's voice turned desperate and frightened, which further amused Xellos. He felt the tickle of a laugh wanting to come out, but managed to keep it in check. 

He remained perfectly quiet and waited for Filia to break down crying in desperation. What was her problem anyway? He was only taking a bath; there was nothing that could possibly hurt him during the process. He would have to remember to ask her if she was afraid he would go down the drain or something. With Filia's melodious desperate shouts in the background, Xellos decided it was time to get out of the tub; the water had cooled off by then anyway. He stood up and just as he was about to reach for one of the white towels that was almost invisible against the white wall, the door burst open. The door knob had been shattered, lock and all, as Filia barged in with a panicked expression. 

Time seemed to stand still. There was Xellos standing against a pure white backdrop, dripping wet and with absolutely nothing in the way to obstruct the view. There was Filia in a panicked state caused by her baseless worries, with a rush of adrenaline coursing through her body that heightened her senses, allowing her to better take in every detail before her. A single second passed and the frozen state was broken as Filia's face turned a glowing shade of scarlet and she screamed at the top of her lungs. She made a hasty retreat, slamming the ruined bathroom door so hard that it fell off one of its hinges and hung lopsided from the doorframe. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Fifteen minutes later, Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Xellos and Filia were on the road again. Thankfully they managed to elude the octopi waiters and upset human chefs that wanted them to pay for the previous evening's meal. Thus once again, Lina Inverse and company skipped another town without paying their food bills. Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis and Xellos were walking at a normal pace, while Filia lagged behind, staring at the ground in embarrassment, her face still flustered. 

"Are you alright, Miss Filia? Your face is all red; did you catch a fever somehow?" Amelia inquired with all the good intentions in the world. 

"I'm alright," Filia snapped awkwardly. She tried to put on a happy smile and hope that Amelia would keep any further questions to herself. "I mean, I'm perfectly fine, really! It's a lovely day and life is wonderful!" She laughed awkwardly. "It's just a little warm out today, that's all." 

"If you say so," realizing that she wasn't going to get any more information out of Filia, Amelia mercifully dropped the subject. 

A short moment of blissful silence passed by, being filled only by the soft sound of their foot steps on the dirt road. "Seriously, Xellos," Lina broke the silence holding her nose with the index and thumb of one hand, while fanning the air in front of her face with the other hand. "That cologne smells nice and all, but you didn't have to bathe in it!" 

"I had to use it," Xellos innocently replied. "It was a gift from Filia." He drew closer to his bodyguard as if to whisper a secret to her, though it was just loud enough for the whole group to hear. "I think she wants me." 

"I do not!" Filia immediately screeched. "You're delusional, you monster!" this time she was using the word monster in a metaphorical sense. 

"Really?" Xellos grinned evilly. "So the whole thing with you ripping off the bathroom door, which I had locked, and rushing in when I was innocently taking a bath was all part of my imagination? That ruined door back at the hospital looked pretty real to me. Besides, I'm sure that everyone heard you scream." 

All eyes landed on Filia as her face glowed crimson again. She seemed unwilling to communicate and eager to leave town when she caught up to the group. "I didn't mean to and you know it!" 

"I know dragons are brutes," Xellos continued in his usual super annoying tone, at least that had not changed about him. "But you can't expect me to believe that you accidentally broke the door. I've seen you use doors before without breaking them." 

"I thought you were hurt!" Filia defended. 

"Did you think I would go down the drain?" Xellos teased with the remark he had thought of earlier. 

"I once got my thumb stuck in a tub's drain at an inn," Gourry randomly shared. "Lina had to help me get it out." 

The collective stare of the group shifted from Filia to Lina, giving Filia a small much needed break from the analytical visual attention. Lina's face instantly matched the color of her hair as she tried to make up an excuse. "Headband!" She pointed at the black headband she usually wore around her forehead. "I was wearing my headband over my eyes the whole time!" Of course that was after she rushed in to answer Gourry's plea for help, saw everything, screamed her head off and finally calmed down enough to actually help him. That was also after hurling every blunt object she could get her hands on at his head. "Anyway, getting back on topic, we were talking about Xellos and Filia," Lina reminded, sinking poor Filia to save herself. 

Filia gave Lina a sarcastic 'thanks a lot' look as she continued in her defense. "I thought Xellos fainted as a side-effect of his allergy, or slipped in the tub and hit his head. I thought he was drowning and honestly needed help!" 

"Just because I've been turned into this doesn't mean I'm completely pathetic." Xellos argued with a certain edge to his voice upon being reminded of his fragile mortality. 

"I kept calling out for you and you didn't answer!" Filia's tone evolved from defensive to accusing. "What else was I supposed to think if not that you were unconscious?" 

Amelia, the self proclaimed just judge of the argument nodded in acknowledgement. "Miss Filia states a valid point." 

To answer Filia's rhetorical question, Xellos offered, "you were supposed to think I was ignoring you. It's the most logical conclusion." 

"That's a valid point too," Amelia admitted. She silently deliberated for a few seconds with a classic thoughtful expression with one hand on her chin, then finally reached a conclusion. "However, the fact still stands that you did not answer to Miss Filia's calls and purposely worried her. That was a very mean thing to do, Mr. Xellos, especially after Miss Filia showed you such kindness. She stayed by your side the whole night while you recovered and even asked me to run to the store to get a few things, so she could remain with you every second. In life, evil deeds are punished and kindness is rewarded!" Amelia's view of the world wasn't exactly perfectly accurate, but no one pointed it out. There was no destroying Amelia's fantasies of absolute justice. 

Instead of trying to point out that the world wasn't always that balance, and that it rarely was, Xellos mused over Amelia's words until he reached a conclusion of his own. "So evil deeds are punished and kindness is rewarded... By that logic that must mean that my evil deeds of the past are being punished by having my very own peeping she-tom stalker." 

"What?!" Filia snapped in mortified anger. 

Not quite done with his conclusion, Xellos finished stating his observations with a mischievous grin and a conceited tone. "Following the same train of logic, we can also conclude that Filia's kindness was rewarded with some excellent fan service." Unable to respond, Filia could only hide her red face with her hands, while in the privacy of her mind, she wondered if Xellos' statement was somehow true. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 035: You Again?! Relatively Strange Relatives

Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Xellos and Filia were well on their way to Filia's home town. The rest of the trip had gone relatively well, with no further allergic reactions from Xellos or accidental fan service being received by Filia, or anyone for that matter. "If we keep going at this rate, we should be getting there tonight," Filia stated with a hint of homesickness in her voice. She would be glad to feel the comforting familiarity of her shop, make sure that Gravos and Jillas were doing alright in her absence and gently hold little Val's egg in her arms once more. 

After Filia's statement, the group made small talk about what they would do when they reached the town. Lina and Gourry were, as expected, looking forward to getting some food. They talked about times past and their adventure during the battle against Darkstar, until the chat was interrupted. Straight ahead in the middle of the road there was a strange being, obviously a monster by the looks of him. 

The creature had the lower body of a horse with eight spider limbs sticking out from his back. A muscular troll-like torso emerged from the horse with a pair of thick arms ending in hoofs. The being was completely covered in black fur and had a face that looked like a combination of a spider and a bull. Three glowing red eyes glared at the approaching pedestrians with a pair of long fangs sticking out of the bull's spider-style snout. 

"Will you look at that," Lina returned the creature's menacing glare with a confident glare of her own. "It's the welcoming committee!" 

"Quite the ugly welcoming committee I would say," Xellos commented as if this was none of his business. 

The monster's three red eyes landed on him as he spoke the name in a gruff yet screeching voice that was very unpleasant to the ears. "Xellos! I see it's true, the curse took you out earlier than expected. It goes to show that you weren't as strong as they said you were." The being laughed obnoxiously, vibrating as he did. A small crystal skull that hung from a golden chain bounced around his throat with the vibrations. 

Just as Xellos was getting ready to retaliate to the insult and sent his bodyguard on a physical offense alongside his verbal assault, another voice pierced the air. "Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" The annoyance level of the voice matched that of the monster. "Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" The voice insistently repeated in the distance, but as of yet its owner remained unseen. "Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" Every time the laughter was heard, it was closer to the group's location. "Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" Even the monster had to pause and wonder what in the world that was. "Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" Finally, the voice sounded very close by. Harsh breathing was heard and one final bout of laughter came. "Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" 

The monster stepped aside to reveal the woman who had ran over from the opposite side of the path and was catching her breath. She had come up behind the large monster, thus was unseen by Lina and company until that moment. "You again?" The monster sounded very much exasperated. "Now listen here lady, I'm getting really tired of having you follow me around trying to steal this," he pointed at the glass skull necklace. "I don't know how you survived our last encounter, but this time I'll have to make extra sure you don't make it out alive!" The monster paused with an undignified expression, if expressions were even noticeable on such a strange face. "Hey lady, are you even listening to me?" 

The woman in question was not listening to the monster whose treasure she was pursuing. She was instead staring straight ahead at the group of travelers, while the travelers stared at her. Lina and Amelia's faces were especially shocked. Gourry was confused, but there was nothing new there and Zelgadis looked like he was thinking 'where did this weirdo come from?' Xellos appeared to have some amount of recognition about who the scandalously clad woman was and waited for the revelation to be spoken. 

"Naga!" If Lina was deeply surprise at that point, her shock was about to double. 

Simultaneous to Lina's voice, Amelia also expressed her recognition of the woman in the black leather bikini. "Sister?" 

Both Lina and Zelgadis stared at Amelia in shock, or in shock and dread in Zelgadis' case. "What?" They unanimously chorused with Zelgadis hoping and wishing with all his might that he heard Amelia wrong. Then again, her family was anything but normal. 

"Amelia, Lina!" Naga ran past the vexed monster and towards the familiar people. "What a grand day it is to be reunited with my sister and my rival at the same time!" She wrapped one arm around each girl, pulling them into an excessively tight hug against her abundant chest. 

When Lina and Amelia managed to get free of Naga's affectionate grip, explanations were swiftly demanded, though Lina and Amelia's questions came out as a jumble of stuttered syllables. Finally, Lina lost her temper and shouted, "what's going on around here?" 

"Miss Lina... Everyone..." Amelia faced the group, signaling to Naga. "This is my older sister, Gracia Ul Naga Seyruun." 

"Sister! She's really your sister!" Lina's brain was being forced to assimilate an idea that simply made no sense what so ever, no matter how she looked at it. She had seen her fair share of strange things during her travels, but this took the cake by far. 

Filia eloquently summed up the situation with an expressive, "oh my!" She didn't know what to say. For one thing, she didn't approve of Miss Gracia's attire, or lack of attire rather. But she didn't want to sound offensive and this was only their first meeting. Needless to say she simply didn't see the resemblance between Amelia and Gracia, or Naga as Lina had referred to her. 

"Yes, Miss Lina," Amelia confirmed, "Naga, as she prefers to be called, is my sister." 

"That's Naga the White Serpent," the eldest Seyruun princess corrected. "But you can all just call me Naga since you're friends with both my little sister and my main rival." 

"Sisters... They're sisters..." Lina muttered in disbelief, suffering from what a later more advance society where computers exist would call a mental blue screen. She took a deep breath and tried to get over the shock, concluding that there are things in life that simply cannot be explained with anything resembling sense or logic, or cannot be explained at all. Besides, Lina wouldn't call her own sister normal either. 

"Hi!" Naga cheerfully waved with a big smile, "nice to meet everyone!" 

"You already know Miss Lina," Amelia continued with the introductions, making the verbal annotation with a tone that hinted she would require further information about how they met. "Have you met Mr. Gourry Gabriev? He's Miss Lina's fiance." 

Naga made an exaggerated gasp, "her fiance? Really?" She gave Gourry a critical look, leaning in close to his face with an analytical "hmm..." She placed her right index finger under his chin and further examined his face with another, "hmm..." her nose almost touching his. 

"What's the big idea, Naga?" Lina was positively fuming at the invasion of personal space Gourry was too stupid to realize he was suffering. 

"Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" Naga laughed as she finally gave Gourry some breathing room. Her fit of loud laughter went on for several seconds until a full minute passed. Finally, Naga made a dramatic pause and declared, "I approve." 

Gourry blinked in slight confusion. He wasn't sure how, but apparently this lady had just given him her approval. Approval was generally a good thing, so he concluded that he should thank her, thus he did. "Thank you," and he smiled. 

"What are you thanking her for?" Lina screeched in exasperation. It was just like the old days; Naga could drive her insane in seconds. The difference was that this time the whole gang was along for the ride. 

"Shall we continue the introductions?" Amelia prompted awkwardly, hoping to diffuse the situation. "This is Zelgadis Graywords, he's..." she blushed. She didn't think she would be introducing Zelgadis as her boyfriend to a member of her family so soon. 

"He's blue," Naga stated with curiosity. She removed her right glove and took his face in her hand, once again invading someone's personal space. 

Zelgadis wasn't sure if he should pull away or not. What if she didn't like chimeras? If this was anyone else, it wouldn't matter, but Naga was Amelia's big sister. Zelgadis didn't want to cause a discord between the siblings, even though before that day he had no idea Amelia had a sister like that. He did know that she had an older sister who was traveling around the world, but Amelia had not spoken too much about her and Zelgadis didn't press the matter. Needless to say, the picture of Amelia's sister in Zelgadis imagination was very different from Naga. With the limited information about her he possessed, he could only imagine an older Amelia. He remained still, quiet and uncomfortable, hoping that he could pass Naga's scrutiny like Gourry had and fearing that he would fail in her eyes. 

Naga's bare hand traveled to Zelgadis' hair, which she carefully petted, then she lowered the hand to his face again, running her index finger down his cheek, to his neck. That's when Amelia had enough and decided to interfere with as much anger as Lina had before. "Sister!" 

Just as Amelia was ready to Ra Tilt her own sibling, Naga was finally satisfied. She backed off and put her glove back on with a challenging serious look. "So you're my sister's lover," she bluntly stated critically. 

"Her lover?" Zelgadis stuttered in disbelief, his face as red as Amelia's. "I'm not... we don't... we haven't..." He tried to explain the difference between lover and boyfriend but he was simply too embarrassed to do so. 

"He's my boyfriend!" Amelia corrected, putting as much volume in her voice as her mortification allowed her to produce. It wasn't much, but it was just enough to be heard. 

"A gentleman, is he?" Naga inquired with the same critical look that was making Zelgadis seriously nervous. If facing Amelia's sister was this nerve wrecking, how difficult would it be to face her father eventually? 

"Very much so," Amelia assured, hoping that the detailed inspection would end. She was feeling terribly uncomfortable and her dear Zelgadis looked like he was being tortured. 

"I see," Naga nodded and paused as if in deep contemplation. Her critical eyes landed on Zelgadis once again. "His skin is stony and cool to the touch," she stated judgmentally. "It is..." As Naga made a suspenseful pause, Zelgadis felt the whole world crumble around him. This was it, Amelia's sister would express her absolute disapproval of him and forbid her younger sibling from seeing him. He didn't think Amelia would just abandon him; she had a lot more loyalty than that. Yet he didn't want to be the cause of her fighting with her family. "It's..." By the time Naga finally found the word she was looking for, Zelgadis had braced himself for everything from grotesque to preposterous. "So cute!" Naga squealed in absolute joy. 

Zelgadis' jaw hung open as everyone shared in the surprise. No one was expecting Naga to react like that, except maybe Amelia who muttered, "you did always like suspense." 

Lina followed up with a comment of her own, "I should have known all that serious business stuff was fake!" 

With another round of annoying laughter, "ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" Naga reaffirmed her unmistakable consent, "I approve. It's good to meet you, dear brother. Please make me an aunt as soon as possible! I want to have lots of cute blue golem-like pointy eared nieces and nephews!" 

Far from being happy, Zelgadis looked seriously worried. When he decided to date Amelia, he wasn't thinking about having kids. Naturally, it would be far too soon to be thinking of children, as he was still at the stage where he worried about meeting her family. "Mutant children..." he felt his countenance becoming deeply depressed, but he couldn't stop it. What if any future descendants of his inherited his looks? He wouldn't be able to give Amelia any normal children. Then again, sometimes chimeras had normal kids, didn't they? Or perhaps the child would be a mix of all their attributes, which brought a hopeful prospect at the thought of being more than half human. 

"Yes!" Naga cheered happily, not realizing how she was traumatizing her future brother-in-law. 

"I'm sure any kids we have will be perfectly fine, mutant or not, and everyone will love them." Amelia was trying to console Zelgadis, though she seemed to make him blush even more. 

"Um... ah... yeah... you're right... no use worrying so soon..." Okay, so the chimera thing wasn't a big deal to Amelia. Naga already approved of him and Philionel had never appeared to be the superficial type. Besides, there were some who claimed that Philionel kind of looked like an ogre. Not to be mean or anything, but there was a certain resemblance, if only physical. He was thankfully, nothing like an ogre in terms of personality... as long as he wasn't angry. Given the fact that Amelia's family was so varied, so as to not say weird, the eventual addition of a chimera wouldn't really be much of a shock after Zelgadis took some time to think about it. 

To save herself from further awkwardness, Amelia continued the introductions. "This is Miss Filia Ul Copt, she's a golden dragon." 

"A dragon, really?" Naga was quite excited about the news. "I always wanted a pet dragon; let me borrow her Amelia, please! I want a ride! Transform Quicksilver and take to the skies!" 

"I'm not a pet!" Filia yelled in indignation. Her first impression of Naga was not a pleasant one. Yet after seeing her express her support for Amelia and Zelgadis' relationship, Filia thought that maybe it was too soon to judge. Right now, she was back to her bad first impression. 

"Why would you name a golden dragon Quicksilver?" Gourry inquired as if it was a very important detail. "Shouldn't it be Quickgolden?" He suggested. 

"I suppose so," Naga mused. "You snagged yourself a smart one Lina!" The worse part about Naga's compliment was that it was not sarcastic at all, she was being completely sincere. "Either way, now that I think about it, I just remembered that Quicksilver is a boy name and this dragon is a girl. I think it was the name of some super fast running chimera guy, or was it a mutant? I forget. Anyway, Quickgolden doesn't have the right ring to it. What to name my ride..." 

"How about Epona?" Gourry oh so helpfully suggested with a cheerful smile. At least his intentions were good. "One of the best swordsmen from my village who is also a good childhood friend of mine, named his horse that." 

"Brilliant!" Naga joyfully declared. "I shall borrow the name for my dragon steed if you think your friend won't mind. You shall be known as Epona!" 

"I'm not a horse!" Filia screamed at the top of her lungs as Naga attempted to jump on her back to try to get her to transform into dragon form. 

"Naga, please stop!" Amelia pleaded in shame. "I thought you knew how to behave better than this!" 

Naga ceased her antics and patted Amelia on the head. "Aw, don't worry little sister. I'm just kidding around; I'm not going to try to steal your friends... as long as you're kind enough to share them with me." She then turned to face the fuming Filia again and with the grace of a princess, she extended her cape in a light curtsy. "It is my pleasure to meet you, Filia Ul Copt is indeed a lovely name. What a coincidence that we both share a part of our names since I am called Gracia Ul Naga Seyruun. I hope that we can be good friends and I extend the same wish to all of you." 

"That's much better," Amelia commended. 

Lina was suffering from another huge shock. "Where did that come from?" 

As he watched the scene unfold, Xellos felt that tickle again signifying that a fit of laughter was trying to come out against his will. He pushed it back; he didn't want to make any noise now. As mocking as he could be, he was only mocking when he had calculated that it was the right time. Laughter was a willing and controlled reaction, as were most, though he would mistakenly claim all, his reactions as a monster. Yet being human was different, his body didn't always do what he told it to. 

Filia looked at Xellos curiously after she managed to tare her shocked expression away from Naga. Her reaction to Amelia's plea was behaving like a perfect lady. How in the world did she switch between the two personas so easily? That mystery would have to wait, because another more pressing matter was at hand. While the rest of the group was still focused on Naga, Filia noticed Xellos' discomfort. He had both hands over his mouth and was making muffled noises. "Are you choking?" 

Choking on what, Filia couldn't possibly imagine. There was nothing but clear air to choke on around them, and people rarely choked on that. Xellos appeared to have mastered the art of breathing as a human easily enough, so what was his problem all of a sudden? Did he have asthma? Given his earlier unexpected octopus allergy, the possibility of being asthmatic could not be carelessly discarded. 

Then Filia's theory went out the window when the source of Xellos' discomfort was revealed to be accumulated laughter that needed to be released from his throat. He couldn't help it, the laughter simply exploded and forced its way out in the sound waves around him uncontrollably. Everyone was staring at him in a instant, but even with their puzzled gazes on him, Xellos simply couldn't get himself to stop for several minutes. Finally taking a deep breath, he got all the laughs out of his system and calmed down. 

Naga smiled blissfully, "you're quite a cheerful one, aren't you? Let's finish our introductions, Amelia?" 

Still confused over the sudden laugh attack displayed by Xellos, Amelia woke up from her puzzled daze and completed the introductions. "This is Xellos, he's..." The younger princess was at a loss for words on how to describe one of their most unusual traveling companions, though they were all a little unusual in their own right. 

"If I didn't know not to judge by appearances, I would say you're some kind of evil wizard," Naga interrupted in a joking tone. "Or maybe you're a monster in disguise!" She took his face in both hands, examining his eyes. "You have such amazing eyes and your hair looks so silky and soft," she rubbed her face against his hair. 

"Stop it! Don't you know anything about personal space or modesty?" Filia blew up before she could stop herself or even think about the consequences of her outburst. 

"Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" Naga laughed loudly, it was really getting on Filia's nerves. "You get stressed out too easily, Miss Epona." 

"Filia!" The enraged golden dragon screeched, "my name is Filia!" 

"Please forgive her, she has no manners, golden dragons are such rude creatures." Xellos patted Filia's shoulder. It was easier to deal with his own unwilling reactions such as the intense laughter he went through, when Filia was blowing up right next to him. At least he could say he wasn't the only one who had lost control. Then again, Lina had her temper tantrums too and Amelia had her justice speeches. Maybe losing control wasn't so rare in their group after all. 

All the while, the evil spider-bull monster stood around shocked and appalled that he had been forgotten so easily. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 036: Insomnia! No Rest For The Wicked

Naga loudly laughed once more, just as she had been doing since she ran into Lina's group. "Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha ha! Don't worry, Filia, I'm not going to try to steal your lover. You two make such a cute couple!" She had completely misunderstood Filia's relationship with Xellos and it was making Filia too embarrassed to even be angry. 

"He's not my lover..." The golden dragon argued in a defeated tone. Some people were just impossible. 

Naga placed a comforting hand on Filia's shoulder, "don't worry, you're quite pretty, I'm sure you'll capture his heart. Just try to keep your temper in check and smile a little more. You should get a new outfit too, something like what I'm wearing." Filia could only growl and shoot a laser to the sky in response. 

This was priceless; Xellos decided that Naga wasn't an unpleasant person at all, because anyone who was his ally in teasing Filia was okay by him. "That's right Filia, try to be a little more charming, show some skin, smile, and I might fall for you." 

"Grrr!" Filia looked like she would go on the attack. It wasn't unusual in the past for her to go on the physical offensive alongside the verbal assaults directed at Xellos. "You piece of raw garbage!" She began to charge her laser breath. 

"No!" Lina jumped in front of Filia in a defensive stance. 

The angry golden dragon stopped herself just in time with a perplexed look. "What are you doing?" Filia forcefully withheld her laser, coughing a little as a result. "I could have blasted you and at point blank a human would be..." Filia's eyes grew wide in realization. She lost her temper and forgot that Xellos was no longer a powerful monster general who could take anything she could dish out. He was a human, a fragile human still becoming accustomed to his new body. 

"Killed," Lina finished unnecessarily. "Which means my bodyguard job will go down the drain." She reminded with emphasis. "This goes for everyone, if any of you kill Xellos, I expect you to pay up the full value of the coins you'll make me lose!" 

Xellos frowned, deeply annoyed, while Filia appeared to be shaken. "I'm sorry," Filia softly voiced, vexing Xellos further. He hated being weak more than anything. 

Naga shook her head, "you have to be gentle with men, they're such breakable creatures." Her advice sounded as if it was based on experience. Honestly, no one wanted to know about that, so they all just pretended they didn't hear her. 

"Don't ignore me!" The black spider bull monster demanded angrily. His patience had been tested more than ever on that day. 

"I thought you wanted me to stop paying attention to you," Naga pointed out as a matter of fact. "Well fine, now my attention is back on that treasure!" She pointed at the crystal skull necklace on the golden chain around the monster's neck. "Give it to me or face the wrath of my golems!" 

"Enough!" The monster screamed angrily. "I can't stand having you trying to steal my treasure anymore, but I have some important business to take care of first." He turned his attention from Naga to the pissed off frustrated Xellos. "Xellos, you have no idea what you did to me that day!" 

"Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" Naga's laughter interrupted the monster's frustrated speech of vengeance. "I have heard your laugh, monster! You are no match for me with such a weak laugh! Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" 

"Shut up and let me finish!" The monster snapped in absolute frustration. 

"Man, I'm actually starting to feel sorry for this guy, having to put up with Naga." Lina commented sincerely. With a mischievous grin, she began to power up a spell, "I'll be doing him a favor by putting him out of his misery." 

"Stop interrupting me!" The monster stomped around, throwing a hissy fit because no one would listen to him. He was determined to finish his speech of dramatic vengeance. "Ever since you took my title I've been trying to get my revenge. I even went on a treasure hunt for this as a good luck charm," the monster signaled to the skull necklace. "I finally found it and felt ready to take you on again, but you never entered the tournament. Even if I won, they still considered you the champion; they wouldn't accept my victory unless I defeated you. I will kill you for what you took from me Xellos, then I will show everyone your dead human face and they'll know the truth. They'll know I'm the ultimate mysterious expression champion, I am the face of mystery, not you!" 

"Wait a minute!" Lina spoke up, "what's this about being the face of mystery? I thought you were talking about some kind of fighting tournament between monsters, but now it sounds like you were modeling in a beauty pageant." 

"It's the Wicked Cool Annual Competition," Naga explained, drawing the group's attention to her unexpected information. "There are a lot of categories such as best evil laugh, most alluring expression of mystery and others. The judges evaluate contestants based on stuff like how cruel and tempting they look and so on. This pathetic loser used to be the champion, but I took the title for best laugh and became the undisputed champ. I heard that someone else had taken the title for most mysterious look from him before." 

"You took away no such title, only monsters can enter and when you were discovered to be human you were disqualified and the title of best evil laugh went back to me!" The monster argued insistently. 

"Details, details," Naga waved her hand dismissively. "Who cares about the rules, the judges unanimously selected me and you know it. That medal is mine!" 

"Medal?" Lina's confusion grew as she tried to keep up with what was happening. "You mean the crystal skull? Isn't that some ancient treasure?" 

"The Wicked Cool Annual Competition wasn't always so varied," Xellos began the lesson in monster history and culture for the benefit of those who were not familiar with it. "It used to be only about evil laughs and the relic that Mr. Runner-up has around his neck was the symbol given to the winner to wear. One year, the winner did not return to defend the title. It was tradition that the medal should be returned if the past champion chose not to compete. However, the champion had suffered a minor inconvenience, meaning death," this was spoken in the classic Xellos cheer. "Thus the medal was forever lost... until now, it seems. Either way, after the categories of the competition were broadened, one prize was no longer enough. The judges decided to adopt a more conventional method of symbolizing the winners and give away gold, silver and bronze medals, which the winners could keep regardless of if they returned the next year or not." 

Naga was nodding her head the entire time at Xellos' explanation. "Exactly, but since it's clear that I am the ultimate champion of laughs, I should keep the original relic medal for myself. Besides, it's a really cute necklace." 

"Have I ever shown you the expression that won me first place? It was like this." Xellos smoothed out his hair with his hands, just to make sure it was in place and looked slightly to the side to create the appropriate angle. He had a grin that was just the right size, with exactly the proper amount of alluring mischief. His attractive eyes were open, but not entirely, his eyelids slightly lowered, enough to give his gaze an air of mystery while leaving his amethyst orbs clearly visible. Filia blushed, she couldn't help it, she just did. 

"Ah! That face! You look even more mysterious with your darker hair making your eyes stand out, but I am the king of mystery. You cannot compete!" The monster, that the gang didn't think was important enough to ask his name and dubbed him Mr. Runner-up instead, made a grotesque expression. His fangs became twisted and his three red eyes narrow. 

"Ew!" Amelia loudly declared, "that isn't mystery, it's evil! Elmekia Lance!" After Amelia's instinct of justice got things started, the rest of the group was quick to join, reducing the monster to ashes. 

Naga triumphantly picked up the surprisingly resistant necklace, which other than being almost unbreakable didn't actually have any special powers at all, and put it on. "Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" She modeled the necklace as she laughed until she was finally satisfied. "Well, now that my quest has been fulfilled, I think I'll hang around you guys for a little while. Were you heading to the next town? Let's go, we're almost there!" Naga began to march forward. 

"I'm the leader!" Lina tried to march in front of Naga, which led Naga to quicken her pace. Lina started moving faster in response until they both broke into a run towards Filia's home town. 

The golden dragon sighed hopelessly. "Here I was hoping to relax at least a little while I visited my home." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The first thing the group did when they arrived at the town where Filia lived was to go to her shop. Once there, another bunch of introductions followed as Jillas and Gravos were presented to Naga's scrutiny. She seemed to develop an instant fascination with Gravos, but the group preferred not to read too deeply into it. They also decided to overlook the fact that she patted Jillas' head as if he was some kind of pet. Really, they were too tired to make a fuss about anything at the time. 

The next event in the agenda after the introductions was to get some food, because that was the first thing Lina wanted to do in any town she arrived at. Thus they went to try the local cuisine, arguing about what restaurant was the best. It was an argument that Filia had to break up with her expert opinion, which in the end, Lina didn't listen to anyway and dragged everyone into the restaurant she liked best. With full stomachs, rather than registering at the local inn, they all returned to Filia's home for a massively cramped sleep over. 

First the whole group piled around the living room to hear stories about Lina's travels with Naga, which consisted of Naga exaggerating her own accomplishments and taking all the credit and Lina adamantly claiming that the credit was her own. Stories about Lina's most prominent adventures with Amelia were shared, including the mention of a certain festival dance performance the two did thinking it was some kind of powerful protection spell. After the chaotic conversation finally reached a point of rest, the girls retired to Filia's room, while the guys went to room with Jillas and Gravos. 

For Filia, it looked as if the long day was finally over after being stretched well into the night. The sun would be up long before anyone was in the mood to interrupt their slumber. Then suddenly her breath was knocked out of her by a foot to the stomach, it was Lina's foot. Filia was about to reprimand the red-head for the uncalled for attack, until she noticed that Lina was sleeping and remembered that this was her usual amount of tossing and turning. There was no space to get far enough from her in the tiny room and sleeping on a bed was like taboo during a sleeping bag sleep over. Either there were enough beds for everyone, or everyone slept on the floor. 

Not really caring about breaking the rules, Filia got up, but she didn't occupy her bed. Instead she ventured into her living room, hoping to get some much needed rest on the couch. Upon arriving quietly at the living room, she found Xellos occupying the couch, sitting quietly, staring at the walls absentmindedly to pass the time. "What are you doing here?" She sat down beside him without a second thought. 

"Nothing," Xellos replied simply and for the benefit of Filia's suspicious and insistent gaze, he added, "Gourry snores too loud and Jillas whistles in his sleep." 

"Insomnia," Filia concluded. 

"No," Xellos had enough of human troubles and didn't want to admit he additionally suffered from insomnia. "Just noise, besides, I don't feel like sleeping anyway. I hardly ever did, I had no reason to." 

Filia noted the use of the past tense, which meant that Xellos was aware of the fact that he needed sleep as a human. She decided not to point that out, though she was tempted to make a comment about there being no rest for the wicked. However, she decided against voicing that as well. She could have pointed out that the noise of the snoring didn't make it past the door, through the hallway and all the way to the living room, so he could sleep there if he wanted. It was obvious the cause of his insomnia was not noise, but she didn't point that out. Instead she quietly mused that Xellos might miss having the ability to stay awake all night and still be full of energy during the day. Life had become more difficult for him than he would ever admit and Filia knew it. 

"Will you stop that, it's annoying," Xellos snapped, his face automatically matching his words. It took more effort to control his expressions in his current state, more so adding the fact that he was tired. 

Filia gave Xellos a perplexed look, "stop what? I'm not doing anything." 

"Stop pitying me," he glared darkly with more of a monster look to him than when he actually was a monster. 

Filia bit her lip, instantly being consumed by the guilt of her own kindness. She was hurting Xellos by trying to help him and she didn't understand why it bothered her so much. Would it be better for him if she just pointed and laughed? Did he expect that? He couldn't, not from her... "You can't read my emotions, you can't feed off my frustration," she pointed out. 

"I may not be able to taste your guilt, but I know it's there," Xellos admitted. "It's strange, I can sense it and it sticks somehow. I have to remind myself that it's not mine, because it would make no sense for me to have such thoughts." His defenses were crumbling and he knew it. He had been invaded by other people's emotions the whole time he was a human, especially Filia's. So far he had been able to discern her reactions apart from his own, but it was becoming difficult. He supposed it was what humans called identifying with others, even if Filia was a dragon. 

The golden dragon was giving Xellos a puzzled and disbelieving look. She shook her head as if her thoughts made no sense. "It couldn't be..." 

"What couldn't be?" Xellos inquired. "Something unbelievable, surprising, yet confusing... It's blurry, what's the emotion?" He tried to remember what confusion tasted like and to link it to the feeling he was getting from Filia. "Denial?" 

"Wait, just a minute," Filia swiftly stood. "I'll be right back with something to show you." She quickly but quietly left, off to rummage through the supply closet. Paints, brushes and cleaning products and utensils occupied most of the enclosed space. After pushing a box of detergent aside, she spotted what she was looking for. She took the box out of the closet and returned to the living room, thankful that she had not caused an avalanche of falling supplies while she was looking for it. 

Xellos observed the box Filia had brought, which she set on the coffee table in front of the couch where they sat. It was a wooden box with spiraling abstract carvings and a mirror on the inside of the lid. Within the box there were many gems, though they were made of glass. It was not a particularly rare set of magically enhanced stones. She only purchased it because the box was cute, even if it ended up in a supply closet when she was cleaning one day. It could be used to play a guessing game of sorts, but those who had the ability it was made to measure would always win. 

Filia set the lid aside and offered the box to Xellos' participation in the experiment. "Each of these crystals is infused with magic to represent something. Take any of the crystals and hold it, tell me what it represents." 

Xellos gave her a look that indicated he wasn't sure what in the world she was trying to do, but it sounded like nonsense. He played along anyway and picked up a random crystal. The round clear gems were all identical in appearance, but when Xellos touched one, he immediately noticed something unusual. "Fear? Whose fear is this? Certainly not mine." Oh no, he kept anything resembling fear locked away as tightly as he could. Such a thing had no reason to pop out. 

Filia extended her hand and received the gem from Xellos. She put the clear crystal on the mirror in the box's lid and placed her hand over it. "Yeah, that's fear alright." She removed her hand as if it had been metaphorically burned. "Try again." 

"Is there a point to this?" Xellos picked up another crystal. "Happiness," it was odd, the gems were giving off emotions. Those must be the incantations placed into them. "Wait a minute, is this... it can't be." Filia's earlier disbelief became clear to Xellos. The golden dragon repeated the process with the next crystal on top of the mirror. She felt the happiness, another correct conclusion. They continued at the same pace until Xellos only had one crystal left. "This is... attachment? Protectiveness? Loyalty? Foolishness maybe? This is... strange. I can't feel any taste from it; this is different from how I sensed emotions before. I would know it if I could taste it." 

"It's love," Filia pointed out, it was the last crystal left. "You got them all right," except for that last one, which seemed confusing to him, but that was expected given his previous nature. Xellos was all too eager to put the crystal down. "This is a test. Normally, people can't feel anything just from holding these crystals, but touching them while they are on top of the enchanted mirror makes it so that anyone can sense the incantations meant to simulate emotions. You can sense it either way." 

"It doesn't mean anything," Xellos insisted with the smallest most well hidden hint of embarrassment. "As a monster I could taste emotions and feed off fear, anger and the like. I can sense these things because I'm truly a monster, even if I'm currently trapped as a human. That's the explanation." 

Filia shook her head in disagreement. "I can sense your energy. Regardless of what you originally were, you're a human now. You shouldn't have this ability, even I don't have it. This is a rare and sometimes underrated unique ability. It's a little unbelievable and ironic I'll admit." Filia couldn't help it but to laugh at the strange twists and turns life sometimes presented. "I suppose your long life and many experiences as a monster have given you the ability to keep a cool head and discern your own emotions from those of others. That's why you are not to be easily swayed by your ability. Even so you are without a doubt..." 

"Don't say it," Xellos really didn't want to hear it being confirmed as if thrown in his face. 

Filia smiled, "you're an empath." 

Xellos pouted stubbornly and crossed his arms over his chest, "I think we both know I'm not an empathic person." 

"True," Filia admitted, "but you have the abilities of an empath. You can feel what others feel as if it came from you. You're smart enough to control your abilities and keep a good grip on logic, yet nonetheless you have the gift of empathy and it's nothing to be ashamed of." 

To be Continued


	13. Chapter 13

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 037: Emotions! Beating Hearts

Xellos was quite displeased with the revelation of him being an empath. "This annoyance isn't just because I'm stuck as a human. It's because I'm an empathic human, meaning I have it worse than most. I wonder what other diseases I'll discover as time goes by." 

"It's not a disease!" Filia insisted. "What you call an annoyance is a wonderful ability. You'll be able to understand so much!" 

"Right now the only thing I want to understand is how to get cured," Xellos let the words flow out without thinking of them. Tired humans were certainly stupid; they had a great knack for saying what they didn't want to say. He missed having the well rested clear head of a monster who didn't have to worry about the effects of exhaustion like a human did. 

"Do you have any clues?" Filia questioned with interest. It probably wouldn't be long before Lina started asking about it. But that would probably come when the battles started to bother her and the easy cash stopped being easy. 

"Yes," Xellos admitted cautiously. He would sound stupid if he lied and said no, but admitting that he did have a clue also meant that Filia would want to hear it. 

"Well?" Filia prompted after Xellos remained silent following his single syllable response. 

"Well what?" He gave her an innocent look and grinned, much like he used to do before. 

Filia was too tired to snap, thus she stretched her patience to conserve energy. "What clues about your cure have you found so far?" 

"Only rumors," Xellos made another long pause, while Filia stared at him expectantly. He considered waiting for another verbal prompt from her, but instead got a more amusing idea. "One of the rumors is that I should eat the heart of a golden dragon." If it was taken as a metaphor, a very odd metaphor, then it was in a strange sense true. 

"You're lying," Filia accused unsure. "You are lying, aren't you?" 

"I might be inclined to test that theory if worse comes to worse," Xellos gave Filia a teasing grin, feeling a little more comfortable now that he was in the familiar territory of trying to get on her nerves. 

Remembering that Xellos was currently lacking in the power department, Filia gave him a stubborn and triumphant look. "How would you manage? You can't kill me." 

"That's what servants are for," Xellos retorted. 

It took Filia a moment to realize who he meant. "Your bodyguard?" She paused and mused over it. "This is Lina Inverse we're talking about, she's greedy but... I don't think she would go as far as turning against me." 

"I suppose I could just send her off to slay some other golden dragon," Xellos conceded. "That's where her favorite spell got its name after all. It would be good if she got to use it properly." 

Filia didn't like where the conversation was going. Slaying some stranger for money, yeah, Lina would do that. At least Filia knew that she, Tiffany and Phythan were safe from Lina's rage, or at least she liked to think they were. Either way, she still didn't like the idea of Xellos eating a dragon's heart. "What other clues do you have?" 

"Love," he stated boldly. 

Filia couldn't help it but to gasp. "Love," she repeated. "A cure like in a fairy tale? Falling in love breaks the curse? Or maybe..." 

Xellos knew that Filia was close to theorizing about a loving kiss and he didn't want that theory to reach her so soon. It might seriously mess things up in the long run. Instead he grinned seductively and clarified, "making love with a golden dragon, in human form that is." 

Filia's face immediately turned crimson as the images of the accidental fan service she got from Xellos resurfaced in her mind without her consent. "Now I know you're lying! Those are not real clues!" 

"And if it was true?" Xellos proposed the possibility, his eyes unblinking on Filia's. 

"Ah... that's... impossible..." Filia stuttered, unable to look away. "I'm tired; I'm going to sleep... now." 

"Running away?" He leaned forward and she leaned back. 

"No," Filia further backed away on the couch as if being pushed back by an invisible force. 

"It sure looks that way," Xellos kept on leaning forward until he saw Filia's head touch the soft surface of the couch. "Then you're staying?" 

Filia tried to register her surroundings. She was on her couch, in her living room. That much made some sense, what didn't have a shred of logic in it was the fact that Xellos was on top of her. How did he get there anyway? It's not like he could teleport as things stood. "Sleep, just go to sleep and quit keeping me awake already! You're a terrible house guest!" Trying to argue with Xellos was the only method Filia could come up with to inject a tiny amount of logic into the situation. 

"Okay," Xellos face was so close to Filia's she could feel his breathing. Then he surprisingly released her from the lock his eyes had on hers and laid his head down. "Good night, Filia." 

"Night..." Filia pushed the words out, only managing the latter half of the phrase. She tried to take deep breaths and calm down, but the task of being calm was difficult since Xellos was still on top of her. Her hand slowly reached over and she ran her fingers through his hair while she fought with herself to react in a less welcoming way. Then finally she did, "get off you pervert!" Her voice came with less anger than she had hoped but the little shove she gave Xellos was enough to make him lift his head off her. 

"Pervert?" He repeated the accusation in perplexity. "I wasn't the one who got a full view of fan service." He reminded, knowing it would embarrass her more than anything. 

Again the images of the fan service she had received assaulted Filia. The pictures in her head were far too clear, too detailed. She didn't even know how she managed to take in everything in the short time it took her to react and get herself out of there. "You... touched my chest." She protested weakly, as if her will just wasn't in it. 

"My hands are here," Xellos massaged Filia's shoulders to remind her in a rather tactile way of where his hands were currently positioned. 

"With your head," Filia pointed out. "I never said you could do that." 

"I see, how rude of me not to ask," Xellos mocked. "Body, it looks like your consent isn't enough to get you what you want, you'll have to convince Mind first. Good luck with that, I know that Mind is very stubborn and hardly ever agrees with you, Body." 

"Stop talking to my mind and body as if they were too separate entities!" Filia snapped in annoyance. What really bothered her was probably the fact that he had a point, not that she would ever admit it. 

"As much as I hate to admit it," and he really hated to admit it. "We both know that if you wanted me to get off you, you could have thrown me clear across the room, or even out the window and across town, without much effort." 

Filia opened her mouth to protest then closed it again. He had her there, being a dragon, Filia was strong. The weight of a human man was nothing to her and she had picked up and carried Xellos before just as easily as she would carry a feather. She sat up, pushing Xellos to do the same. "I forgot," she was only half lying. She had not forgotten the fact that given the current circumstances, she held the greater power; she had just forgotten that she wanted to fight back, because maybe for a while she didn't want to. 

Filia's opportunity to just get up and walk back to her room came and went quickly. Xellos wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down on the couch on the opposite side this time. "If you want to be on top that badly, I suppose I can humor you. Comfortable?" 

Filia slightly pushed herself up and looked at Xellos, her golden hair cascading like a curtain around their faces. "It's too crowded in my room and you can't sleep with the noise of snoring in the guys' room." She tried to find some sort of excuse for the arrangement and realized that everything she came up with severely lacked in the logic department. It's not like she couldn't go sleep on the couch opposite to that one on the other side of the living room with the coffee table and some false conclusion repelling distance between them. Then again, this was her house, her living room, her couch, why should she move? Yet Xellos was too stubborn to move. The argument would end in nothing, so they might as well share, forget if it was reasonable or not, it was possible, it was happening. 

Then the sound of a continuous rhythm cut into Filia's thoughts. It was strangely comforting. Xellos had somehow gotten her to lay her head down while she was lost in thought, one of his hands now caressing her hair, the other arm around her waist. She closed her eyes to curiously hear the sound that was somewhat fast, but not in an agitated way, it was calm and content, yet energetic. A heartbeat? Of course, it was a heartbeat, no human could live without one and that heartbeat's rhythm was not within Xellos' control in his current state. Filia was almost hypnotized by the continuous sound, focusing on it and allowing herself to relax until she drifted off to sleep. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia was woken up the next day by the sound of someone tearing her kitchen apart. She stretched on what she thought was her bed and wondered why the atmosphere was so loud. She tried to get a few more precious seconds of sleep, but found it impossible as dreamland faded away to make her senses clear. Then she realized that she wasn't on her bed and she wasn't alone. She jumped several feet in the air, landing in a perfect standing position next to Xellos. He grinned in amusement, "nice jump," then got up in a much more normal way. 

Mortified at the possibility that someone had seen her cuddling Xellos in her sleep, Filia rushed to the source of the sound coming from the kitchen. Her embarrassment faded into anger as she saw Lina tearing through her icebox and cabinets. As expected, everyone slept in and it was already mid day. In the middle of the war that was just getting started in the kitchen, Jillas popped his head into the war zone and insistently requested, "can you keep it down, I'm trying to talk to someone." 

The person, or rather people, whom Jillas was attempting to converse with were revealed when a small fox boy curiously wondered into the kitchen. "Are they your friends, uncle?" 

Jillas took a moment to study their wild behavior and recall their past encounter, but in the end he sighed hopelessly and replied with a simple, "something like that." 

"I found pancake batter!" Gourry victoriously announced, before Lina snatched it away. 

Realizing that she couldn't eat it as it was, Lina looked at Filia with pleading eyes. "I want pancakes!" She held out the ingredient. "Please Filia, I'm too hungry to make them myself, besides, I'm a guest here and this is your kitchen." 

"Exactly!" Filia blew up, though thankfully it was only metaphorically, "it's my kitchen and you're tearing it apart!" 

A fox woman with fur the same light blond color as the young boy now stood at the kitchen door along with her son and dear friend. She smiled sweetly and laughed cutely, "your friends are so energetic." She then proceeded to make an offer no one could refuse, "how would you like to come have a meal at my house?" 

"Yes!" Lina immediately agreed, she glanced at Filia with a big grin, "now that's hospitality." 

Jilla's jaw dropped as he looked back and forth between Lina and the fox woman. "Elena, are you sure? I thought you only made enough for Palou, you and me." 

"I could always cook more," Elena assured. 

"Elena and Palou," Lina moved forward, shaking Elena's hand. "It's nice to be formally introduced, I think I've seen you before, but I might have been in a rush at the time. Anyway, I appreciate your invitation, lead the way!" 

"We're having a lot of friends over for lunch," Palou cheered, "this is great!" 

"You got it kid," Lina patted the boy's head in a big sister fashion, "you can have us for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time as often as you want!" Palou looked happy with Lina's statement, proving that he was an optimistic child too young to know what ultimate doom was, even if it was right in front of him. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The entire group, consisting of Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia, Xellos, Naga, Gravos and Jillas went off to the new home of Elena and Palou. There they piled around the table as well as they could, elbow with elbow trying to fit. Elena served the food she had prepared and immediately got ready to make some more. Feeling guilty at the invasion, Filia and Amelia offered to help at the kitchen, while Gravos and Jillas were the waiters and took care of washing the pots, pans and kitchen utensils. Gourry tried to help too, but after his third broken dish, Elena politely insisted that he should just sit down and enjoy his meal, to which he gladly agreed. 

While they cooked and ate, trying to stop Lina from chewing up the table cloth, they talked about the first time Elena came to town. She had left the countryside along with her son, after running into a bad harvest that forced her to sell the lands. "Palou and I were just passing through town, we didn't know if we would move here or not. We went into the Vases and Maces shop out of curiosity and were surprised to find Jillas there. After I told him the story, he helped me pick out a house in town and even went out of his way to help furnish it. Jillas and Gravos have been very kind to us, they've also spoken very highly of you, Filia. I couldn't wait to meet you." 

"Wow, it looks like a lot has happened while I was away," Filia observed. "It's good to meet you too, Elena, I can tell Jillas is very fond of you and Palou. If you ever need anything, you can count on me too." 

"Thank you," Elena smiled. Filia wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not, but she thought she saw a faint blush through Elena's pale fur when she mentioned Jillas was fond of her. The fox lady sighed in a motherly fashion as she glanced at her son, chatting animatedly with everyone at the table. There was only a counter between the dinning area and kitchen, thus the brunch guests were easy to see and hear from the small kitchen. "I'm so glad Palou was able to adapt to living in a new town. He was sad after we left the farm; it was the last thing we had left of his father. But when he saw Jillas he cheered up almost instantly." 

"Palou's father..." Filia couldn't help it but to wonder about him. She immediately stiffened and wished she could take the words back. She didn't want to put Elena in an uncomfortable position. 

Noticing Filia's reaction, Elena tried to reassure her with a smile. "He passed away many years ago when bandits attacked us. He managed to drive them away and kept Palou and me safe, but his injuries were grave. I mourned him for a long time as calmly as I could, so as to not make Palou sad. Many years have passed, Palou was just a baby when it happened. I think what's best is to go on with life and make the best of it." 

"I agree," Filia voiced with admiration. "You must have a strong will to have managed the farm on your own, and even after you had to leave it, you stayed strong for your son." Filia smiled with some of Elena's contagious cheer. "Like I said, if you need anything, please let me know. As far as I'm concern, you and Palou are part of our little family." Filia had an unusual family, she mused, Gravos, Jillas, Val, none of them were everyday beings. 

Amelia's eyes shone with admiration. "You're a truly amazing person, Elena, you can count on me too!" 

"It's good to know I have someone to count on, thank you both." Elena set another dish on the counter, this time lasagna, which was swiftly taken to the table and devoured just like the barbecue ribs before it. 

Filia sighed with grim discomfort, "I feel bad about how everyone is consuming a month's supply of food in just one meal that started out as breakfast and turned into lunch." 

"Don't worry about it, I love to cook and have thought about starting a restaurant in this town. I always wanted to have my own restaurant," Elena confessed. "At least this way I could get some recommendations." 

"I know I would definitely recommend your cooking!" Amelia happily exclaimed. Though she and Filia were helping cook, they did have time to eat a little too. 

"I agree, you're cooking skills are amazing," Filia added. Thus the lunch went by pleasantly without any major incidents. 

After everyone was full, or at least satisfied, Xellos approached Lina with a request, while the group was caught up in pleasant small talk. "I think it's time to discuss some business with you, if you don't mind accompanying me for a while." 

"Business?" Lina's thoughts were occupied only with the sweet memories of the delicious recent meal so it took her a moment to realize what Xellos was talking about. Then the notion came to her, of course, she was his bodyguard. Where could Xellos be planning to go that he would need to be guarded? "Oh, that business, what about it?" 

"There's just some matters I need to take care of in the outskirts of town. It won't take too long," at least Xellos hoped it wouldn't. 

"Right, I guess it is sort of my job. You should at least tell me what I'm up against before it becomes obvious." Lina inquired, giving Xellos an urgent look that reminded him that if his bodyguard fell in combat, he would be virtually helpless. 

"It's nothing difficult or dangerous," Xellos assured as he got up from his seat, thus getting a few glances from the group. "It's been a wonderful meal, but I must go tend to some business now." 

"Aw, you're leaving so soon, Xellos?" Palou seemed to have taken a liking to Xellos. Then again, the fox boy took a liking to the entire group quite easily. Needless to say, he wasn't picky. 

"I just have a few things to do, but I'll be in town for a while." Xellos ruffled the boy's headfur, with his usual cheery grin, which Palou returned. 

"Time for me to get to work too," Lina stretched as she stood up. "That was an awesome meal, I can't say it enough. See you later guys!" 

"I'm happy you both enjoyed your time here, drop by again soon." Hearing Elena's words, the group concluded that she was simply too nice and Jillas made a silent vow to protect her from any trouble that being too compliant with Lina Inverse could get her into. 

"Do you need help with the business?" Gourry inquired curiously. 

"Do we?" Lina gave Xellos another suspicious look. 

"No further assistance is needed, but I have nothing against any additional presence," Xellos calmly replied. He didn't voice it, but the exception to that was Filia, he had his reasons for not wanting her along. For the same pride related reasons, Xellos would prefer to have as few witnesses as possible while he carried out his business, but saying that would just make the group curious. Thankfully, Filia was feeling too guilty about the remaining mountain of dishes and eating utensils that still needed to be washed to go anywhere. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 038: Enigma! The Unanswered Question

At Elena's house at Filia's home town, Lina and Xellos were just about to leave to tend to some business that she still wasn't fully certain about. Lina shrugged; maybe she was blowing this mysterious business out of proportion. Maybe Xellos just needed some fresh air, or he wanted to look around town or investigate something or other. Maybe he was just being careful by asking her to tag along. "You guys should stay here," she then gave Gourry an 'I know you' look. "That goes for you too Gourry, I'm sure you'll have fun playing soccer with Palou as soon as you're done digesting." 

"Okay!" Gourry smiled happily with a similar reaction from Palou. Thus, Lina and Xellos left the group crowding at Elena's small home and exited to the town street. 

Outside, Xellos led the way down the main street, towards the edge of town. "You said you needed to go to the outskirts of town. What's there, a clue for your cure maybe? We haven't really talked about that." 

"You don't need to worry about it; I'm conducting my own investigation constantly. Leave the cure to me." Xellos assured with a hint in his voice that he wanted to stop discussing the topic. Before Lina could further comment about the cure and its apparent research that she had not noticed he was doing, Xellos went on to the next topic, the most immediate matter at hand. "The reason why I need you to come with me just outside of town is something that will make your job easier in the future." He could hardly believe he was actually asking for this, but it could really be a necessity for survival next time. He didn't want to fully depend on the protection of his bodyguard all the time. 

"If it'll make my job easier, then I'm all up for it!" Not surprisingly, Lina was all too eager to make her reward even easier to obtain. "What exactly did you have in mind?" 

"I need to train in the use of magic," Xellos revealed as Lina's face indicated she made the connection. If Xellos could defend himself, then he wouldn't need to play the bodyguard card quite as often in the future. "My monster magic is no longer with me, but I'm sure I'm able to cast spells, I just need a little training on how to focus my energy in this form." 

"Alright!" Lina cheered as they reached a wide open area just outside of town. There was plenty of space to practice there. "You got yourself a magic teacher, but don't expect me to go easy on you. If you want a passing grade, you'll have to earn it!" 

"I expect as much." Xellos had his cheerful grin that he often showed as a monster. He was starting to get better at controlling his expressions though his face still acted on its own now and then, especially around Filia. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Later, Gravos returned to the Vases and Maces shop for a late opening. He assured Filia that nothing like this happened while she was away and that today had been an exception. Filia was inclined to believe it and let it pass. She was the official shop manager and she had not done anything to get it open on time that day either. Naga was eager to help play shop keeper, maybe too eager, but Filia let her be. If having beastmen around the shop didn't bother her customers, they wouldn't mind a scantily clad human. 

Leaving Gravos in charge of the shop while Jillas got the day off to help Elena entertain her guests, Filia had gone to the market. She would need to have a lot of food available if she was going to survive being what Lina would define as a decent host, though she could never explain why she felt so compelled to try. She also still felt bad about Lina and company consuming Elena's food supplies, especially since she was planning to start a business in a town that she was still new at. Filia remember how difficult it was to first establish her shop and it would have made it harder if her raw materials were taken away before she could even truly start. 

While shopping for herself and secretly shopping for Elena, Filia ran into one of her neighbors. "Filia, you're back in town," the old lady smiled fondly in a grandmotherly way. 

Filia immediately felt guilty that she had not gone to Hanna's house upon her arrival in town. She had simply been so busy it slipped her mind. "Yes, I just got back..." 

"Good to see you, child," Hanna didn't seem to have any intentions of bringing up Filia's quiet return. The old woman ran a hand through her gray hair, her bright blue eyes a testament of the beauty she once possessed in younger days. "It's a fine day here at the market in terms of weather, but not so great in terms of merchandise. It seems the crops were bad this year. I heard a lot of farmers got into trouble for it," Hanna sighed in pity. "I do hope the harvest somehow improves, or else I might not find the ingredients I need for your welcome back stew." 

"Aw, you don't need to," Filia's guilt increased, even though Hanna was clearly trying to make her feel welcomed. She glanced at what was in the market place. Elena must have brought over what she managed to harvest at her farm to get her business started and now even that was gone. It was clear the market didn't have much in stock. Filia sighed sadly; the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables in the market was depressing. 

"I know what will cheer you up." Hanna may not have enough ingredients for her family recipe, but she could make something else. It was something simple, yet delicious and refreshing. "How about you come over for a milkshake later?" 

Filia knew that Hanna would appreciate the company, which she was all too happy to provide. Talking to the old lady was always fun, she had many stories to share and delicious treats to go with them. Her home was flooded with a familiar atmosphere that would make people feel as if they were walking into their grandmother's house from their very first visit. "I would love to." Filia agreed, a nice relaxing time in the company of kind Hanna was just what Filia needed. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At the edge of town, far enough not to disturb the residents, Lina threw a freeze arrow into the air. "Fireball!" Xellos hit the target perfectly. 

Lina grinned, "good, looks like you got the hang of that, now, let's try it in rapid succession. Melt all the arrows. Freeze arrow! Freeze arrow!" Lina continued repeating the spell as fast as she could, making Xellos push himself to cast fireballs faster. 

The fireballs had to be strong enough to melt the arrows of ice, fast enough to keep up with them and well aimed, since Lina was throwing the icy spells in every direction. The exercise continued for several minutes until Lina thought it was enough. Xellos felt his energy starting to run low, but he wasn't about to stop now, not when Lina was still in top form. Casting spells with a smaller supply of different energy to back them up was tricky, but he could manage. It was a challenge he would have to conquer the sooner the better. Xellos wasn't planning to bother training as a human at first, but since the process of obtaining the cure was taking so long, he might need to be better versed in combat in his current form, just in case something unexpected came up. 

"Very good, you're a pretty clever student," Lina commended with a sadistic grin. "Now on to the advanced lessons and if you make a mistake I'm afraid there will be consequences..." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Later that day, Filia was on her way to meet Hanna for milkshakes. As she walked down the street, she saw Lina and Xellos having returned from taking care of business. Xellos' black hair was standing up in every direction, he was covered in dirt and his clothes were singed. Filia felt her heart sink as she worried about the worse. "You were attacked out there!" She jumped to conclusions as she ran to meet them. "Look at him!" Filia tried to smooth out Xellos' hair, only to draw back her hand upon noticing the surge of static it carried. "You were supposed to be his bodyguard!" She scolded. 

"I am," Lina feigned innocence, "but at Xellos' request, I was also his magic trainer. I'm sure the static will go away in a little while. The electric shock discipline made wonders for his progress." Lina still had the same look of innocence in her face, but her eyes were full of mischievous vengeful malice. 

"Magic lessons..." Filia stared back and forth between Xellos and Lina. 

Seeing that Filia had fallen into a silence of surprise during which she tried to picture the process and wished she had been there to see it, Xellos found it necessary to break the quietude. "I passed." 

"That is an achievement not to be taken lightly," Lina assured with a severe look. Her serious expression morphed into a carefree face after the endorsement. "Is everyone still hanging out at Elena's place?" 

"Mostly, yes," Filia finally found her voice to reply. 

"I guess I'll head on over there, see you two later." Lina continued on her merry way down the street off to Elena's house. 

Filia decided not to ask why she assumed that Xellos would want to be left alone with her instead of going off to meet up with everyone or taking off on his own around town. She tried not to think too much about it and assumed that some of her healing magic would come in handy. "C'mon, you can get cleaned at my house and I'll heal you. I have some anti-frizz shampoo that will fix your hair too." 

"Filia being kind, the world is a truly strange and random place!" Xellos followed the golden dragon with no resistance. 

Filia only rolled her eyes at his teasing. "You know that's not true. I won't let your teasing criticism get to me." 

"Really?" Xellos grinned, he was exhausted from his brutal magic lesson, but being around Filia somehow filled him with energy. He leaned close to her and whispered something in her ear. 

Filia gasped, her face turning red, "Xellos!" 

"If teasing criticism won't work, how about a teasing compliment?" That certainly did the trick. 

Filia pouted and glared. "That was... it took me by surprise that's all, and it was too forward." She quickened her pace, hoping that when they got to her place Xellos would stop teasing her in favor of getting cleaned up. 

Filia entered her shop to find Naga putting up a few vases she didn't recognize. "You're back, what do you think, nice isn't it? Ah! ha ha ho ha ha!" 

"You made those?" Filia hated to admitted, but Naga had real talent shaping the vases and decorating them. "They're good." 

"Gravy thought so too," Naga smiled victoriously as she glanced at Gravos with a wink. 

"Gravy?" Filia repeated in confusion. She glanced at Gravos who only shrugged with a slight pink tint on his cheeks. What in the world had this woman done to him. 

Before Filia could further inquire about what was going on between those two, Xellos linked his arms with hers and took her away. "Good job managing the shop, keep at it, don't mind us," then he led her to the living area of the structure. 

Once they were out of earshot, Filia frowned deeply. "There's something going on between those two and I don't like it. That scandalously clad woman is not right for Gravos, not to mention they're not even the same species!" 

"I thought you had gotten over your racism," Xellos reminded critically. 

"I'm not racist, if I was, I wouldn't have the family I do!" Filia argued. "I'm just worried about Gravos. I mean sure, Naga is Amelia's sister, but she's nothing like Amelia. Her morals seem rather loose." Filia paused upon realizing that Xellos seemed distracted. He had led her back to the bathroom, where he was sorting through her personal hygiene supplies. "Are you listening to me?" 

"Which was that shampoo that you wanted to recommend?" Xellos continued examining the multitude of bottles; they all looked the same to him. "It better not smell like flowers or fruit." 

"You can't just brush off my concerns!" Filia pointed her accusing finger at Xellos, her expression growing in anger. 

Xellos shrugged, "Gravos can decide for himself what he wants to do. It's just like you golden dragons to try to control everyone and push them to your standards." 

"I'm not pushing them; I haven't even said anything to them!" Filia argued adamantly. 

"You're pushing me to back you up so I would help you push them." Xellos pointed out with an extremely annoying smile. 

Filia opened her mouth with a comeback in mind, but before the words could roll off her tongue, she stopped herself and instead went for a simple, "I hate you." 

Xellos maintained his cheerful smile and replied with a terribly vexing, "I love you too." 

"Don't even joke about that," Filia scolded. She had quietly decided that Gravos was a big boy and could figure out what he should and shouldn't do on his own. She wouldn't interfere with him and would advise him only if he requested it. 

Maybe getting cured was further away than Xellos thought. He was still curious to know about how far it really was though. "Is it really such a terrible catastrophe?" 

"It is," Filia firmly stated with a hint of hurt in her eyes, "because you're lying. You shouldn't tell someone you love them as a joke. Do it only if you mean it. If you don't mean it, don't say it. Don't say it for pity, don't say it for influence and definitely don't say it as a joke." 

Xellos raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "touchy," his empathic abilities allowed him to feel what Filia felt. Frustration? Pain? Longing? "Did someone break your heart in the past or something?" 

Filia blinked, strangely enough, Xellos' question didn't sound teasing. His eyes revealed more curiosity than concern, but he wasn't mocking. True perplexity was projected by Filia, further confusing Xellos. "No," she finally answered after giving it some thought. "My feelings have been hurt and the list of those who hurt them certainly includes you. But I can't say I've been heart broken in the romantic sense." 

"Really?" Xellos' curiosity increased. "Then why does it bother you so much if I say I love you?" He noticed that she almost cringed at the phrase and there was that deep longing again. 

Filia didn't know how to properly answer. She didn't fully understand it herself. "It's because you don't mean it," she insisted. He could criticize her and it would bother her, but it wouldn't hurt this much. He could even criticize her in a truthful way if he wanted, no one was perfect and the golden dragons had their history. It would hurt to hear his reproach even if he said it in an impersonal and unconcerned way, but it wouldn't hurt as much as this. 

"Do you want me to?" Xellos finally asked, "do you want me to love you?" He knew he was threading on dangerous ground. He could feel Filia walking along the edge of an emotional break down. One false step when she was so sensitive and he could ruin all his progress. He had to push away his curiosity and hold back his questions. For the sake of the greater good, he had to be gentle with Filia right now. Besides, he didn't particularly enjoy such emotions as the ones she was feeling pouring into him so uncontrollably. "Do you really think you have something here that can fix my hair?" 

Filia seemed to be woken up from a dangerous daze. She held on to the cue for a normal conversation as if it were her only life line. "Yes!" All too eager to leave the unusual conversation behind and focus on hair products and their familiar logic, the golden dragon began to sort through her supplies, making recommendations. 

The heavy question remained unanswered for the time being, but Filia couldn't help it but to hear it echo in the back of her mind every now and then in Xellos' curious and not mocking voice. 'Do you want me to love you?' Why would she want that? Why would she wish for the impossible? 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After Xellos was cleaned up and healed, with his hair looking as pretty as ever, Filia realized that she was running very late to meet Hanna. She should have just gone while Xellos was still in the bathroom, but she couldn't help it but to sit by the window stealing glances at the closed door in deep thought. "I was supposed to be meeting someone," Filia stated, trying to inject as much anger into her voice as she could. "It's your fault I'm late for distracting me!" She accused with little energy. "Poor Hanna is going to think I've forgotten all about her. She doesn't have any children to keep her company and her husband passed away years ago. I shouldn't have kept her waiting this long!" 

As she spoke, Filia picked up a pink towel and placed it over Xellos' head to dry his hair. "So you waited for me to finish getting cleaned up to tell me all this instead of rushing over to meet that poor old lady who's all lonely waiting for you?" Xellos retorted from under the towel, he preferred purple towels. Although pink looked good on Filia, everything looked good on Filia. Wait a minute, where had those thoughts about everything looking good on Filia come from? 

"I just remembered it now," Filia tossed the towel aside. She didn't feel like being tidy, which meant she wasn't in the best of moods. She picked up a brush and put it to use on Xellos' hair. 

"Are you sure? It looks more like you stayed behind just to play with my hair," he teased. 

Filia pouted, "someone has to take care of you." 

"I'm not helpless," Xellos reminded for what felt like the millionth time. 

"I know," satisfied with her work, Filia put the brush away and glanced at the pink towel she had tossed aside. She couldn't resist the urge and picked it up too, nothing good would come out of being a slob. Feeling that her response wasn't enough she added, "I just wanted to help," then she left it at that with nothing more to say. 

"Well, let's go," Xellos prompted. 

"Go where?" Filia's confusion was evident on her face. 

"Are you suffering from memory problems?" Xellos mocked, "you said it just now. Some lonely old lady is waiting for you, so let's go meet her. If she's as lonely as you say, she won't mind if you bring an extra guest." 

Filia pouted, narrowed her eyes suspiciously and placed her hands on her hips. "You're not coming, you'll just embarrass me!" An argument followed concerning the matter. The bickering went back and forth for several minutes until predictably, Filia gave in. 

Xellos sported a victorious grin as he and Filia made their way down the street towards Hanna's house, while Filia fought with her face to stop pouting. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 039: Truth! The Unspoken Answer

"Hairclips! Headbands! Bracelets! Rings! Earrings! Necklaces! Accessories from far away!" Several townspeople surrounded the traveling merchant taking longer than needed to examine his wares, just because he happened to be in the path that Filia and the mystery man were on. The neighbors of Filia's home town were certainly gossipy people. They weren't malicious, just curious. She was peculiar enough, being a dragon and having beastmen shop keepers, but her band of visitors was even stranger. It was an open minded town that welcomed all species as long as they didn't cause trouble, but they still had the need to know more about what may not be any of their business. 

Filia walked past the merchant, who was clearly from out of town as she didn't recognize him. There was nothing particularly special about the young man with short dirty blond hair and brown eyes, but his merchandise covered in shiny little crystals caught Filia's eyes. She would have stopped to examine the accessories he was selling, if not for the fact that she knew the neighbors were looking at her. Xellos must have surely noticed their curious glances. If she stopped, she would be setting herself up for embarrassment. 

Someone might inquire about who Xellos was and what he meant to Filia. Then Xellos would open his big mouth and tell them something that was completely wrong, which would make the rumors spread across town and Filia would be mortified. Worse yet, he might unknowingly tell them something that was completely right, then Filia didn't know what she would do with herself, but her possible actions towards Xellos included beating him to a bloody pulp with her mace. 

Away from the merchant and the neighbors who used him as a shield to spy on Filia, the dragon and the monster turned human reached their destination. Taking a deep breath, Filia knocked on the wooden door of the quaint little house and called out as cheerful as she could, "Hanna! It's Filia!" 

The door was opened not a second later, which hinted to Filia that Hanna had been expectantly waiting for her. "Come in, dear," the old woman stepped aside to allow her visitors passage. "Oh, you've brought a guest, how nice!" She led them to the living room were they sat on a couch filled with cushions. 

Filia thought the cushions were super cute, they had pictures of bunnies, kittens, flowers and other adorable things edged into them, plus they were extra fluffy. Hanna's home was filled with paintings as one would expect a classic grandmother house to be filled with pictures. None were of her children since she didn't have any, but she did have images of her and her husband in their younger days and visual representations of dear friends whom she saw as children or grandchildren. There were paintings of Filia, Jillas and Gravos too. 

Xellos didn't really like the atmosphere. It was far too fluffy and homey, it made him feel uneasy, plus the old woman was plotting. He didn't know what she was plotting, but she was plotting something. "This is Xellos," Filia's voice bringing forward the obligatory introductions pushed Xellos out of his thoughts. "Xellos, this is Hanna, she's a very dear friend to me." The acknowledgement of their friendship came in the tone of an imperative warning towards Xellos. 

"It's very good to meet you, Xellos," Hanna smiled sweetly. 

A cold chill ran down Xellos' spine, "it's nice to meet you too." He gave her a critical look as if to say he knew she was plotting and he wouldn't fall for whatever she had in mind. 

Hanna's smile never wavered as she headed to the kitchen, "I'll have the promised milkshakes ready in a second. Is your favorite still strawberry vanilla, Filia?" 

"Yes please," Filia replied while giving Xellos a critical look. Her eyes were screaming 'behave!' louder than any words could. 

"What about you, Xellos?" Hanna inquired with her sweet grandmotherly tone. 

"Dark chocolate and grape," Xellos replied, being honest yet challenging. 

Filia glared at him and discreetly elbowed him. She assumed he was being difficult on purpose, but Hanna didn't seem to mind. "That brings back memories; it was my husband's favorite too! He liked it with a hint of cinnamon." 

"Sounds like he had good taste," Xellos observed, while Filia's worries grew. Now he was going to pretend to make friends with Hanna just so he could embarrass Filia. She was expecting it, but couldn't stop it. Why did she have to bring Xellos over? 

"Here you go, dears," Hanna finished the cool drinks. Filia's had swirls of pink and white with extra sugar and Xellos' had swirls of black and purple with extra cinnamon. The old lady prepared a third shake for herself, it was lemon apple with swirls of green and yellow. Then the three sat down with their drinks and the host voiced the observation she had noticed a while ago. "Filia, honey, you're so tense, is everything okay?" 

"Everything is fine!" Filia exclaimed louder than necessary. She gave Hanna a big smile then occupied herself with her drink as an excuse not to speak further. 

"Xellos," Filia jumped in her seat as Hanna addressed the cause of her stress. "You seem rather jumpy yourself. Is there something to be nervous about?" 

Grinning cunningly, Xellos challenged, "I don't know," he forced his face to remain confident despite the uncomfortable atmosphere, "you tell me. It seems the feeling of plotting is in the air with an almost murderous intent." 

"Xellos!" Filia immediately scolded. Her sweet strawberry vanilla milkshake was delicious, but she was very tempted to throw it on Xellos' head even if it was a waste. 

Hanna laughed in good humor. "I very much doubt you're in harms way in my home, unless your lactose intolerant." 

It was only a joke, but Xellos' expression acted on its own losing the confident challenging look for a second. Filia gave him a worried glance as she bit her lip and wondered if it was best to advice Xellos to stop drinking his milkshake, though that might hurt Hanna's feelings. She could just say they forgot he was lactose intolerant, then again, he didn't have to be, but the octopus allergy had come without warning. "I don't think so," as if to recover his edge, Xellos drank a generous portion of his milkshake and appeared to be okay... mostly. His expression twisted as a hand instinctively rested on his stomach and Filia held her breath in worry. "I'm just hungry." 

Filia almost fell off the couch at the anti-climatic revelation. "Why didn't you say so, dear? I have a treat that I was planning to give Filia to take home for her guests, but I suppose I could make another one for everyone later." Hanna retrieved a freshly baked chocolate cake covered in white frosting with cherries on top from her oven and set it on the coffee table in front of the couch, bringing over plates and spoons. "This is for you two to eat whole, enjoy." 

"It's lovely!" Filia complimented and at the thought of food and recipes she remembered Elena. "By the way, have you met Elena? She's new in town." 

"Ah yes, that very nice fox lady and her darling son." Hanna smiled fondly. "She mentioned wanting to open a restaurant in town and I gave her a book of recipes I've compiled over the years. She too gave me some recipes of her own. She's such a talented and hard working young lady!" 

"I hope her business goes well." Filia picked up the plate set in front of her and began to eat a slice of cake. No doubt about it, Xellos was playing nice by serving it for her. He would soon be ready to embarrass her again. She glanced at Xellos and realized he was eating the whole remainder of the cake minus the slice he took out for Filia. "Xellos!" 

"What? I shared with you, didn't I? Hanna said the cake was for us." Xellos attempted to give Filia an innocent look. She hated to admit it, but it was enhanced by the fact that he had frosting on his face like a little boy messily eating cake. 

"For goodness sake, Xellos," Filia looked around for a napkin and found some at the small table next to the couch tugged in a decorative box covered in beads, which sat next to a soft brown teddy bear. "You're being rude," she proceeded to clean his face like a mother to her little boy. 

"Not at all," Hanna laughed in real amusement. "He simply has a healthy appetite! You like cake, don't you? Not so fond of vegetables?" 

"That's right," Xellos agreed, though he still wasn't about to trust Hanna, there was just something about her. 

Filia was about to comment something about nutrition, but decided to hold her tongue. There was a heavy tension in the air that one did not need to be an empath to feel. "What's going on?" She vigorously asked Xellos. 

"Ask her," Xellos kept his eyes trained on Hanna as if she was a dangerous foe. 

"Very well, you've caught me," Hanna appeared to give up an act that Filia didn't even know she had been putting on. "The word around town is that Filia had gone off in a sort of triple date. People have concluded that you were her date. As such, I was quite curious to see what kind of man you were. Filia needs someone cheerful and dependable who can protect her, but also someone who doesn't mind being taken care of by her. You must be very observant to have picked up on my intentions of judging your behavior." 

Filia's face turned scarlet and she was unable to form words. The situation began to make sense for Xellos as he revealed, "I'm an empath," without thinking of the consequences of that information. 

"An empath!" Hanna clapped her hands together in glee. "How wonderful, you'll be able to understand Filia's emotions perfectly if you are able to feel them as clearly as your own." The assessment couldn't be further from the truth. Filia's emotions were very confusing. 

The old lady's murderous intent faded away when she was reassured that her dear Filia was in good hands. "I guess this means you approve of me?" Xellos inquired with curiosity. 

"Indeed I do," Hanna confirmed. Apparently she had too much faith in empaths. "I'm so happy for you both and you have my blessings." 

Filia didn't know what to say. Xellos had led Hanna to believe something that was miles away from the truth. Actually, it all started because of the rumor mill, but Xellos, far from fixing it, made it worse. Sighing hopelessly and knowing that she would be the villain if she tried to correct things, Filia settled for a simple, "thank you." 

From that point on, the conversation spiraled into something terribly bittersweet for Filia and amusing yet confusing for Xellos. Why was Filia feeling so complicated instead of just annoyed? His own question surfaced in his mind as he humored Hanna by claiming he cared about Filia very much. He didn't use the word love, since he knew it would set Filia on edge. He asked if she wanted him to love her and she didn't answer, instead sending out very strong emotions and getting dangerously close to a breakdown. Shouldn't she had yelled at him that the very thought of being loved by a monster, as he was originally that and intended to regain that status, was not only impossible but also repulsive? 

Then again, if the unspoken answer happened to be a yes, that would mean Filia loved him. Cue another cold chill running down Xellos' spine; he attributed it to drinking his milkshake too fast this time to avoid choking on an oversize bite of cake. It all added up to him being very close to his cure. Who knows, maybe he was even already there; he just had to get Filia to admit her feelings. She didn't have to say anything; she simply had to acknowledge it to herself. It would not be an easy task, given her stubborn nature, but it wasn't impossible and he was finally making some real progress. If things continued like this, he would be a powerful monster again in no time. 

Just as Filia and Xellos were about to leave, Hanna gave Filia one last parting gift. "This is for you," she handed her a pretty necklace with a pink heart shaped crystal. "A merchant came by earlier advertising his goods. He said I could get something for my daughter. Apparently he saw us in the market place earlier and assumed us to be related." There was a look of longing in her eyes. "Ah, if only... He gave me this necklace and said it was on the house. He was probably looking for a recommendation of his merchandise to the other townspeople, but I thought it was still sweet. It's a nice crystal, isn't it? It matches you perfectly." The old lady placed the heart necklace on Filia's hands. 

"It's lovely!" Filia smiled sincerely, "thank you," she hugged the old woman. "You're very much like a mother to many of us here in town." 

"That means a lot to me, dear Filia," Hanna smiled. 

After the touching scene that was way too fluffy for Xellos' liking, he and Filia went on their way, with Filia wearing her new necklace. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia and Xellos returned to Elena's house were the cooking resumed to feed Lina and her companions. Gravos and Naga closed the Vases and Maces shop and joined the others. They brought a nice set of dishes hand-made by Naga, who had used Filia's vase making materials without permission. The golden dragon wasn't in the mood to argue, so she just let it pass, realizing that though somewhat inconsiderate, Naga's intentions were good. She was just trying to be helpful and Elena would find a good use for the extra set of plates anyway. 

After dinner, Naga decided to hit the local bars and dragged Gravos along with her. Filia thought about protesting, but she was too caught up in her own complicated emotions to say anything. She kept reminding herself that even if he was in human form, Xellos was still a monster by nature; he was still the same on the inside. He was tricky, he was an actor, he was a liar. The things he said and did were not always real. The things he told Hanna were most certainly false. He was just playing nice; he did that often to conceal his identity as a monster. It was all an act, Filia knew not to be tricked, yet a part of her wished that it was all real. 

The small talk continued after dinner with the discussion of some legendary dish passed on through the generations among the foxpeople. Lina wanted to try it, but Elena didn't have the proper herbs that served as spices for it. She did possess a book with an illustration and basic description of what she needed and that was enough for the quest to begin. Apparently, the spicy herbs could be found in the mountains a relatively short distance away from the town. Elena had not gone out to get them herself due to the rumors about dangerous bandits and monsters living in that area. 

"Bandits and monsters are not going to stop me!" Lina loudly declared, full of determination. She wanted to try that special dish and she offered to bring back plenty of spices, which would ultimately help Elena get her restaurant business started. With the leader having set her mind upon the quest, Lina intended to go off on the spicy herb hunt on that very night. Naturally, if Lina was going, Gourry would be there as well. 

At first it looked as if Amelia and Zelgadis would remain in town, but the call of justice was too strong for the princess to ignore. Thus she was determined to join in and make the evil bandits and monsters hiding in the mountains get a taste of her justice. That in turn meant that Zelgadis would be tagging along with her. With the impatient redhead that couldn't wait until morning gone along with the blond swordsman, the justice obsessed princess and the chimera, that left Xellos and Filia to bid Elena and Palou good night and return to Filia's home at Jillas insistence. 

"You must really like washing dishes," Xellos commented with a mischievous look when Jillas offered to be the only one to stay and help Elena with the dishes. Palou was just about ready to fall asleep on his feet when he saw them off, so it wouldn't be long before he went to bed and left the two foxpeople to enjoy some time alone. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia's house felt quiet and empty when she and Xellos returned. She noticed that a lot of merchandise had been sold, possibly to young male customers persuaded by Naga. She also noticed the missing supplies which became raw materials to create dishes. Other than that and the fact that there were sleeping bags still all over the bedrooms, everything else was normal. "Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis won't be back from the mountains for a while," Filia noted. "Poor Gravos will probably stay out late at the bar and have a hangover tomorrow," she frowned at the almost certainly factual theory. "At least Jillas is happy spending time with Elena and Palou." 

"I guess that means it's just the two of us here for the night." Xellos' statement hung in the air with a million possible meanings that could be attached to it. 

Filia bit her lip, her bittersweet confusion resurfacing and hitting her like a tidal wave. She looked at the clock on the living room wall. "It's late." 

"It's only midnight," Xellos countered, "Eleven fifty-five if you want to be precise. I still have plenty of energy, don't you?" He tried to look like he wasn't plotting, though he obviously was. This could be his chance to obtain his cure; he was so close he could almost taste it. It was a dangerous move, but he had to try, he could always take it back if it became counterproductive, come up with a distraction and try again later. "You never did answer my question." 

"Your question? What question?" Filia feigned ignorance. She knew exactly what he was referring to and she was hoping with all her might that he would just drop it. 

Xellos wondered if repeating the question would be too much. It would be very bad if he pushed Filia over the edge and her emotions were running wild again. Why couldn't she keep those under control, she was vexing not only herself but him too. Determined, he pushed forward against all risks, phrasing the question even more daringly, "do you love me?" 

The clock reached midnight and the feeling of flowing emotions from Filia was lost to Xellos. He had tried to turn his empathic abilities off before, but it simply didn't work. Suddenly, the signal was completely lost, even if Filia was standing right in front of him. The golden dragon stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him wordlessly. She was there, he could feel her presence just as clearly as he could feel her body pressed against his, but there was no emotion. 

Xellos remembered that he was originally a monster and monsters were not supposed to feel love, regardless of what Celo might have to say about it. Maybe the reason why he couldn't sense Filia's emotions was because he did not possess an emotion that could echo hers. Maybe what she was feeling was love. Strangely, he felt dissatisfied, since he was secretly curious about that love thing that was so famous. This wasn't a simulation embedded in a crystal, this was real. He was a little disappointed that he could never know what it was, that he could never satisfy his curiosity. At the same time, he felt relief that he was safe from it, safe from falling in love and suffering the consequences of it... or so he thought. 

To be Continued


	14. Chapter 14

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 040: Trouble! Out Of Control

The clock had just struck midnight and all of Filia's emotions became suddenly imperceptible. Xellos thought he was close to breaking the curse that turned him into a human, but he was in truth in mortal danger. Filia's hands traveled to Xellos' neck where she grasped his throat tightly. He tried to get free but her grip was impossible to break. He tried to tell her to stop, but he couldn't breathe a word. Then he was able to sense Filia's emotions again, but only faintly. 

There was a strong desperation making it's way to her once empty eyes. This wasn't love, Filia was being controlled, she had become nothing but a puppet without a say on what her body did. Yet her will was strong, it couldn't be suppressed completely and tried to make its way to the surface. She could see what she was doing. She could see Xellos' face becoming deadly pale, his eyes dangerously tired. She didn't want to do this. She tried to loosen her grip on his neck, if she didn't control herself, she would literally rip his head off before he could even choke. 

'Please, stop,' she pleaded with her eyes. 'I don't want to hurt him... stop!' The force had a tight grip on her body, even when her mind forced itself to wake up. She could feel tears cascading from her eyes and running down her face. Who was controlling her? How were they doing it? 

With the last of his strength, Xellos raised his hand towards the blurry image of Filia's glowing pink heart crystal on her necklace. He focused on a spell, though he could not even speak its name aloud, 'freeze arrow!' An arrow of ice collided at point blank with the glowing crystal, causing it to shatter. Filia immediately let go of Xellos and they both fell to the floor panting for breath. 

Filia shivered as she cried. She took off the remains of her necklace, letting the chain fall to the floor along with the pink pieces of the crystal. She was very cold from having been hit with an ice spell at such a close range, but a dragon was able to withstand it. "Xellos..." She stared at him with worry as he finally caught his breath. 

"I'm fine," He looked at the broken pieces of the crystal. "Who do you think was controlling you with that?" 

Filia considered the question. "I don't know..." Then she remembered what Hanna had mentioned about the merchant. "The merchant?" 

"I find it very suspicious that a merchant would just give something away." Xellos observed. "Hanna said it was probably to gain recommendations, but why would he need any? People can see the products and try them on, they can see for themselves if they are of good quality or not. Plus his business seemed to be doing just fine if it's the same merchant we saw on the way to Hanna's house. He looked like he was selling accessories with crystals like this." 

"I don't know him, he probably just arrived in town," Filia stated as she tried to warm herself. 

Xellos hugged her without thinking, she didn't resist, she didn't think about it, she was just cold. "A traveling merchant who happens to arrive in town not long after we do? That sounds very suspicious." Xellos concluded. "It's worth investigating." It was best to strike down the enemy before he had another chance to attack. 

"Let's get this over with; I can't stand for there to be a dangerous person in this peaceful town." A terrible thought occurred to Filia. "He saw me with Hanna, what if he goes after her and takes her hostage to try to turn me against you? We have to stop him! He must be one of those who we were expecting to be after your life." 

"It's possible," Xellos acknowledged both theories. "I'm certain the merchant was human, but it's not rare for monsters to use humans. He might be working for a monster under the command of another monster lord. Or maybe the minions of the Green Alchemist followed us here. Either way, something must be done." They both stood up, ready to put up a fight. 

"Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis are off in the mountains. Naga and Gravos are probably drunk," Filia observed. If the enemy was truly strong, going after him on their own might be dangerous. 

"We need to strike fast, this is our best chance," Xellos insisted. "The enemy probably knows the others are away and expects us to be weaker without them." The thought of being catalogued as a weakling bothered Xellos. "I have a good amount of magic at my disposal now, I can take him." 

"I'll be there too," Filia reminded. "But I don't want to risk Val. I'll leave his egg with Jillas; he can take care of protecting Val, Elena and Palou with that 'bazooka' invention he's been working on. Then we'll go hunt down the evil creature that did this and bring him to justice!" 

"You sound like Amelia," Xellos knew that Filia was all fired up to hunt down the culprit. But why was she so eager? They had faced dangerous enemies before and though Filia was motivated to fight, it wasn't this intense. 

"That horrible being almost made me kill you, I could never live with myself if I did that." Filia frowned, glaring at the walls. "There's no time to waste." She strode into Val's room and gently picked up the egg. "Don't worry, Val, you'll be safe with uncle Jillas until mommy takes care of business." 

"And daddy will make sure she doesn't mess up," Xellos added with a mocking grin. 

"This is no time for jokes," Filia growled. "Don't listen to him, Val. Xellos is just annoying." 

"It's not like he can hear either of us," Xellos pointed out. 

"Yes he can," Filia insisted as she headed out of the house and towards Elena's place. "It's a proven fact that baby dragons can hear what's being spoken around them before they hatch. 

"Really?" Xellos gave the egg in Filia's arms a curious look. 

"Don't get any ideas," the protective mother warned, to which her companion only grinned. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

They finally reached Elena's house and Filia knocked on the door urgently. In a matter of seconds, Elena and Jillas were at the door wondering what in the world this was about. Palou was so fast asleep that the noise didn't wake him. "I'm sorry to come by so late, but I need you to protect Val while Xellos and I go take care of an enemy before he causes more trouble around town. You should keep the bazooka on hand just in case." Filia had seen the cannon-like weapon at work during a test just outside of town. For a non-magical device it certainly packed a lot of power. 

"An enemy, boss?" Jillas questioned, as Elena held the small egg protectively with fascination. 

"Don't worry, we can handle this, I'll explain the rest later. We need to go while the element of surprise is on our side. He won't expect us to retaliate so soon." Filia insisted. 

Jillas nodded and trusted her judgment. "Most of my weapons are stored in the basement," he noted. 

Elena nodded in understanding, "then it would be easier if we go to Filia's house. I'll go wake Palou so we can leave right away." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos and Filia spent the rest of the night searching the town and its surrounding areas for any sign of the merchant. No further disturbances occurred in the peaceful little town and there was no sign of the enemy. They returned at dawn, exhausted and with no progress to show for it. Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis were still away. For a moment Filia worried about them, but then realized there was no need to. They were probably just taking a little while to find the proper spicy herbs. They were all skilled in battle and could certainly take care of themselves. 

Jillas took the guard duty upon himself while Xellos and Filia got some much needed rest. Gravos and Naga returned from the bar late that night and were not informed of the happenings until the next day when Gravos was drinking coffee to get over his hangover and Naga was merrily making little golem figurines with Filia's vase making supplies. The eldest Seyruun princess appeared to have enough experience with alcohol not to be bothered by anything resembling a hangover. 

Gravos was upset that he wasn't there to help and drank cup after cup of black coffee until he felt ready for battle. Naga gladly offered her help and though no one was sure if that was good or bad, they accepted it nonetheless. The day rolled by with the group at Filia's house. When Xellos and Filia had rested, they went off to gather clues around town. Since they were only out on an investigation, not off to battle, Filia suggested that the others should stay at the shop. If too many people were running around town asking questions, it might cause a panic. 

On the previous night before returning home from their rounds, Filia had checked on Hanna's house and confirmed that there were no signs of anyone breaking in, thus she left the old lady to get her rest. As it was now the afternoon, Filia decided to drop by and actually talk to Hanna to inquire if she had noticed anything suspicious. Strangely, the old lady didn't answer when Filia knocked on her door. Assuming she had gone to the market, Filia headed there as well, with Xellos accompanying her in the investigation. 

The marketplace was buzzing with activity not due to the products themselves, but due to gossip. The harvest had been bad and there was not much to buy, but people visited the marketplace as a way of social entertainment. "Did you see it?" A blond woman in her late thirties pretended to whisper to another woman around her age, except her voice was so loud that everyone around them could hear their conversation. She did it on purpose to give her speech the feel of secrecy that would make people want to listen, while at the same time making it easy for any passer-bys to hear and become motivated to add something. "Did you see the fight?" 

The black haired gossiper nodded energetically, "I saw it, I saw it all! Aya and Kyle's families got along just fine and had no problems with their son and daughter dating each other, until she decided to run away." 

"That's what they say at least," the blond pointed out. "Her boyfriend ran off to find her with little explanation. The girl's parents blame him for her having left, but I don't think he broke her heart." 

"I don't think so either," the dark haired woman agreed. "It wouldn't make any sense for him to break up with her then go out to find her. Besides, I didn't see them fight or anything. She just ran off this morning without listening to anyone who tried to stop her. I heard she was visiting Hanna for breakfast, but Hanna told me she never showed up." 

"From then on no one could find her," the blond sighed. "I wonder what happened to the poor girl." 

Filia and Xellos' eavesdropping on the conversation about the missing girl was interrupted by a little boy calling out, "Alys! Alys!" He stopped as he spotted Filia. "Miss Filia, have you seen my sister? She went to the market this morning and didn't come back for lunch. Mom said she must have gotten distracted talking to her friends, but I can't find her." 

"Sorry, Chaz, I haven't seen her, but I'll be sure to tell her you're looking for her if I do." Filia tried to keep a straight face for the little boy. She gently ruffled his golden hair and sent him off with a reassuring smile. 

After the little boy was gone, Xellos gave Filia a meaningful look, "you think it's suspicious too?" 

"I do," Filia agreed. She wanted to find Hanna and make sure she was alright. She wanted even more so to find the culprit and make sure he wasn't alright. Two missing girls, one was around eighteen and the other close to fifteen. When young girls go missing it's always a bad sign, after all young women seem to be the preferred sacrifice for most evil villains. 

Xellos and Filia continued looking into the matter, pretending to be curious and talking to the two gossiping women at the marketplace. As nice and talented in art as Hanna was, she too was also an avid gossiper. It was always the four of them at the marketplace discussing everything and everyone. Sasha with her blond hair and pointy little nose, she was always at the marketplace since she and her husband were some of the local merchants who sold imported crops. Anna, the wife of the local botanist, she had short black hair and a sharp look in her eyes. 

There was also Manna, who seemed to be running late today, she was a woman with black hair slightly longer than Anna's, a contrasting relaxed, cheerful yet sleepy look permanently edged on her face. Her husband ran a winery which Gravos was rather fond of. Hanna was the oldest member of the gossiping quartet. Though her once raven hair was now gray, her bright blue eyes stood out like jewels. Sasha would always joke about changing her name to something that matched better, since her friends all had rhyming names, Anna, Manna and Hanna. 

Manna arrived a little while later and joined Anna and Sasha in talking to Filia and Xellos. Though the golden dragon showed curious interest in hearing about the missing girls, the traveling merchant and any news that made its way to the local grapevine, Sasha, Anna and Manna had a different topic of conversation in mind. They kept bringing up Filia's relationship with Xellos and inquiring about it. 

"Yesterday I saw the two of you go into Hanna's house together," Manna teased. "How sweet of you to visit her as a couple! By the way, isn't Hanna running terribly late to our meeting today? I thought for sure I would be the last to get here, where has my time gone today?" 

"I haven't seen Hanna since early this morning," Anna noted. "What ever happened to her anyway? It's like she vanished into thin air." 

"Oh Xellos, you better hold on to Filia nice and tight, it sounds like women are disappearing all over the place." Manna winked. 

While Xellos humored the gossiping women by placing his arm around Filia's waist and assuring them that he would make sure to keep her close, Filia decided she had heard enough. It was obvious that the masters of the rumor mill only knew what happened, not how it happened. Though they did mention something about Aya leaving as opposed to being kidnapped, she was probably being controlled by one of those accessories from the merchant. 

In the end, Filia had no doubts about it, Alys and Aya had to have been taken away for some evil purpose and Hanna was taken as a hostage. They had to be rescued! "It was nice talking to all of you," Filia suddenly interrupted Sasha, who was in the middle of a rather personal interrogation with Xellos. The color of his underwear was seriously none of her business. "We have to be on our way now, see you later!" With that said, Filia rushed away, dragging Xellos along since he still had a firm grip on her waist, which she was conveniently ignoring. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos and Filia regrouped at the Vases and Maces shop. Palou was taking a nap next to Val's egg, Elena was occupying herself in dusting the shelves, Jillas was polishing his bazooka, Gravos was looking every which way in the alertness of a caffeine high, and Naga was happily putting up the little golem figurines she made on the shop's display shelves. Filia had no time to defend the integrity of her store at the moment, so she just let her be and went straight to discussing the more imperative business. 

"We found out that there are several people missing since this morning." Filia felt bad for assuming that Hanna was okay just because there were no signs of anyone breaking into her house. She might have been alright the previous night, but their guard was lowered in the morning. Before going off in their investigation around town, Filia had taken the time to describe the events concerning the necklace and her suspicions about the merchant, hence she brought it up. "I think that Hanna might have been taken hostage because that merchant saw me with her earlier." Her voice began to shake as she imagined the poor old lady being taken away forcefully. 

Filia continued, "two young girls, Aya and Alys are also missing. It hasn't been a full day since they disappeared; they were all last seen this morning, so people are not in a panic yet, but it won't be long before things get worse. I don't want the townspeople to be dragged into this. After we have rescued everyone and put a stop to the merchant's plans, as soon as Lina and the others get back, we're leaving town. Jillas, Gravos, I will entrust the safety of Val and the town to you once more when I leave. It's best this way, at least until things settle down." 

"What about the coming battle," Gravos inquired. He saw the stubborn look on Filia's face, as if she was planning to go fight without him. 

"I can help," Naga offered. "I'm Lina Inverse's greatest rival, my magic is super powerful! Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" 

"I would like for all of you to protect the town," Filia requested. Before anyone could protest, she added, "it has to be this way. We've been looking for the enemy for a while and he has slipped away. He's after Xellos, so if he thinks he has a chance, he'll attack. If all of us are there, he'll lay low and who knows how many more people will be in terrible danger from now until we manage to catch him. Who knows if we'll even be able to rescue them." 

"I'm the bait," Xellos realized. 

"I'll be there to back you up," Filia assured. "Please, trust me; we need to face the enemy as soon as possible!" 

"He doesn't have to know we're all there, boss, we could make an ambush!" Jillas suggested. 

Gravos nodded and was about to express his agreement with the ambush plan, but just as he spoke, he was interrupted by an earthquake. A series of screams from the streets of town woke Palou and made the group rush out to see what was going on. What they saw was impressive to say the least. 

Large trees could be seen in the distance surrounding the town, trees that were certainly not there a few minutes ago. The roots reached into the town coming out of the ground in the street with heads like snakes. Filia gasped "They're..." she could hardly believe it, "they're tree snake chimera!" 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 041: Betrayal! A Bitter Battle

"Looks like the battle came to us," Gravos stepped out of the house prepared to fight. 

Filia watched the scene with horror, "it really will take all of us to fight." 

Xellos decided someone had to get things organized, and who better than himself? "Gravos, Naga, take out as many enemies as you can. Jillas, put your weapon arsenal to use, Vases and Maces is now the main fortress. I'm going to find the one in charge and give him a beating. Filia," he winked, "try not to get in the way." 

"This is no time for jokes!" Filia screeched. "Gravos, Jillas, Naga, stay strong and protect the town; I'll find the one controlling these monstrous creatures and stop him." With that said, Filia charged forward with her mace in hand. She batted away any snake roots that got in her way and continued her dash towards the glowing mass of trees in the center of town. 

"At least she made a good guess about where the boss could be," Xellos rushed forward towards the same location, shooting Fireball spells at all the enemies on his path. 

That left Gravos to clobber the attacking plant-beasts with his custom-made huge mace that Filia designed just for him. Jillas set up the fire power around the shop and shot any creepy plant snakes that tried to get near it, keeping Elena, Palou and Val safe inside. All the while Naga looked like she was having fun, laughing at the top of her lungs as she shot one Freeze Arrow after another. 

Filia and Xellos reached the tallest tree in the center of town, which was composed of a mass of long thin trees weaved together. The tree trunks parted to allow them entry. "Looks like someone is inviting us in," Xellos observed. 

"Let's take the invitation!" Filia and Xellos charged forward courageously. The inside of the enemy base of operations was dark at first, but it wasn't long before a bright green light illuminated the space. "The snake tree isn't just a chimera of plant and animal, it has some monster in it too," Filia sensed. 

"Hence why we ended up in the astral side," Xellos noted. The space in the chamber they were in was larger than the space in the middle of the mass of thin trees. The chamber was surrounded by tightly packed tree trunks all around with many vines all over the floors, covered in green leaves. Overhead there was a strange glowing sphere with a see-through leaf-like membrane around it and a bright green giant seed in the middle. "I bet that's the power source up there, Flare Arrow!" 

In a swift movement, the mysterious traveling merchant, jumped from his hidden position above the glowing sphere and negated the attack, "Freeze Arrow!" He floated with the power of levitation, looking at his so called captives below. 

The leaf covered vines sprung to life, trying to wrap themselves around Filia and Xellos, but with a few fireballs and laser breath, they both freed themselves and levitated above the vines. "Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Filia demanded. 

The merchant gave no reply beyond the empty look on his face. "He has no feelings," Xellos realized, then he caught sight of the glow on the crystal he wore on an armlet. "Looks like the merchant wasn't the mastermind after all, he's only a puppet. Judging by the use of trees, this looks like the work of the Green Alchemist." 

"Well done," a female voice was heard as a figure in a black cloak came out of hiding near the glowing sphere. "You are indeed a perceptive empath," she removed her cloak to reveal the beautiful face of a young woman with black ebony hair and sapphire blue eyes. "Yet you're not perceptive enough since I was able to trick you before." 

"No way..." Filia stared at the woman in disbelief. "Your face... Why do you have that face? It's just like the painting of young Hanna!" The old woman had said she had no children, but Filia seriously doubted it now, "are you her daughter?" 

The woman laughed cruelly, "you think I'm Hanna's daughter, dear Filia? Maybe you had too many sweet strawberry vanilla milkshakes for your own good. Or is your tiny brain filled with nothing but kittens and bunnies? Maybe the scent of pottery supplies shouldn't have been as pleasant to you as it was. Have you finally had a nervous breakdown wondering if you'll be a good mother to that little orphaned dragon you took in?" 

Filia was in shock, "how do you know those things? My favorite things, my fears, those were things I confided to Hanna." 

"That's because I am Hanna," the woman mocked. 

"That murderous intent," Xellos recalled. "You managed to hide your feelings as soon as you knew I was an empath. You weren't trying to see if I was good enough for Filia, you were plotting to kill me all along!" 

"No!" Filia argued in agony. "You can't be Hanna. She's a very kind person, you're not her!" Hanna was trustworthy and good in Filia's eyes. To be betrayed by her was devastating. 

"I am the same person, a chimera, even if I'm purely human," Hanna assured. "I fused myself with the town girls to absorb their youth and I also absorbed their magic. I've absorbed the magic of many over time. I've been around for far longer than you could imagine, serving the great Green Alchemist! As for the young man, here he is." 

The vines on the chamber's floor parted to reveal the corpse of a young man Filia knew from her home town. "Kyle! Then it's true..." the golden dragon cried. "You lied to me; you lied to the whole town! I loved you like a mother, how could you do this?" 

"Dear Filia, there is no such a thing as love; it is nothing but a convenient construct of the imagination, quite useful for manipulation." The image of young Hanna mocked. "Since you're learning truths today, I might as well tell you my real name. Hanna is just one of many names I've had over the years, but my favorite identity is Venus, that's my favorite plant." 

Many giant venus flytraps emerged from the plants surrounding them. Xellos and Filia couldn't get near the walls or the plants would bite. They were considerably more ferocious looking than a normal venus flytrap would be, with thorns all over and sharp jaws the size of a shark. "This is about more than just revenge because we freed Phythan and prevented you from taking Zelgadis. You really are after me." 

"Yes," Venus admitted, "the followers of the Green Alchemist know exactly who you are, ex-general Xellos. Our great leader will deliver your corpse to the grand Beast Master and become her new general!" 

"You idiot, it doesn't work that way!" Xellos argued. He not only had monsters to worry about, but also some stupid human cult of insane vegetation obsessed weirdoes. 

"I will have no mercy! Attack!" Venus sent the plans on a rampage. The venus flytraps extended in snake-like movements, snapping at Xellos and Filia, who were quick to counter. Filia was stronger in her dragon form, but she knew she couldn't transform. Her larger size would make it more difficult to dodge in the space of the chamber, so she and Xellos both used levitation instead. 

Sparks and ashes rained down as the pair burned the venus flytraps one after another, but they regenerated quickly. Xellos tried making his way through the endless plants with Fireball spells and attack Hanna, but there was always an obstacle, the brainwashed merchant being one of them. "Xellos! That poor man you just burned to a crisp was an innocent victim for all we know!" Filia scolded. 

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm too busy trying to stay alive to worry about a little collateral damage right now!" Xellos retorted. "I'm going for that glowing seed, make yourself useful." Xellos levitated towards the sphere above as the venus flytraps continued on the attack. Surprisingly, Venus didn't seem to care, which was strange if that glowing giant seed was an important power source. 

"What do you mean I should make myself useful? Don't rush in like that, you'll get yourself killed!" A barrage of lasers followed, taking out the plants that tried to attack Xellos as he approached the target. 

Xellos had the target in sight. At such a close range, the venus flytraps wouldn't be able to effectively shield it. "Flare Lance!" The massive lance of fire was shot straight at the glowing green sphere. A few of the venus flytraps were caught by the attack, but certainly not enough to diminish it. The lance easily burned the leafy membrane that covered the seed, allowing its light to brighten the atmosphere even more. The chamber in the astral side was as clear as day, but the flames of the spell soon disappeared. The green glow was just as bright as ever, maybe even brighter. Maybe ice would work, "Freeze Bullet!" A torrent of icy bullets assaulted the glowing seed at Xellos' command, but like the flames before it, they too were without effect. 

"Xellos, what's taking so long? Destroy that seed already!" Filia kept struggling to keep both Xellos and herself safe from the plants, exterminating them one after another, but they kept returning. 

"Must you always be so impatient?" Xellos turned around for a moment and gave Filia his usual overly cheerful smile with a hint of real uneasiness. Then he turned away to glare at the stubborn oversized glowing green seed that refused to be destroyed. 

"I can't keep this up forever!" Filia argued, then made a quick chant in her native tongue for a Flame Breath spell that reduced the majority of the venus flytraps to ashes. It would take a little while longer for them to regenerate fully after that. 

Xellos turned his attention away from the seed and towards the confident woman in the black cloak. What was it with evil sorcerers and sorceresses and their black cloaks? Couldn't they have some originality? Besides, shouldn't the followers of the Green Alchemist wear green? Some things never made sense. "It doesn't look like you're concerned about this seed. I guess that means I should attack you instead! Flare Arrow!" 

Venus was quick to dodge, "you have no power in your current state, mortal. Ra Tilt!" 

The spell hit Xellos hard. His magic training with Lina only covered attacking, not defending. He thought the best defense was a good offence and assumed it would be enough, but apparently it wasn't. "Xellos!" Filia rushed over on the offensive and swung her mace at Venus. 

An experience fighter of great endurance and agility, Venus was quick to respond with a "Bamu Rod!" The whip of fire wrapped itself around Filia's mace, quickly melting the material. 

However, Filia could still use it as a blunt object, she threw it at Venus, who dodged as the abused mace flew over her head. "Do you really hope to defeat me with such weak tactics?" 

The partially melted mace collided harshly with the glowing green seed, creating a crack on its outer shell, where it got stuck. "I see," Xellos grinned, he had a new plan all figure out. "The outer shell of the seed absorbs magic, but it can be physically broken." Xellos reluctantly touched the mace's handle with one finger and quickly drew it back. He cooled the scorching weapon with a quick ice spell and pulled out the mace. As soon as the weapon was loose, he was dragged down several feet by the weight, having to cast levitation again. Was that mace ever heavy for a human! 

Venus glared at Xellos and tried to reach him with her whip of fire, but Filia was quick to stop her, "Ray Freeze!" Paralyzed by Filia's spell, Venus was unable to move a muscle or even twitch. She released the effects of Bamu Rod to conserve energy and concentrate her strength in freeing herself. 

Simultaneously, Xellos was striking the seed over and over with Filia's mace to little effect. Sure, he had powerful magic, but the physical strength of a human being simply wasn't enough to make fast progress. Filia floated near him and opened her mouth to speak, but Xellos cut her off before she could produce any words. "I don't need your help, I can do this myself." 

Filia placed her hands on her hips and glared, "this is no time to be stubborn! Besides, it's my mace, give it back!" She snatched away the heavy weapon with ease, as it didn't feel heavy to a dragon. She took a hit at the seed's outer shell and continued elaborating upon the cracks Xellos had helped grow. 

"You're not doing any better," he accused. 

"It worked just fine before!" Filia continued hitting the seed with little progress. 

The initial hit was far stronger, but why? Magic alone couldn't destroy the seed's outer shell. It was obvious that a strong physical attack was needed, but that wasn't enough. "Fire," Xellos realized. "When you first hit the seed, the mace was still hot from being half melted." 

"Then both heat and strength are needed," Filia realized. "Alright, let's get rid of this creepy seed together. Give me some fire power," Filia held out her mace. It was ruined anyway and she could always get a new one, plus this was an emergency. 

"Gladly," Xellos casted a fire spell on the mace until it was almost red from the heat. He wished he had learned Astral Vine, but this would just have to do. 

"Here goes!" Filia mercilessly hit the seed with her hot mace until the outer shell fell off completely. 

"Scatter Bleed!" A blinding brightness invaded the chamber as a sea of energy balls assaulted Xellos and Filia by surprise. They were not expecting Venus to be able to free herself from Filia's spell, let alone so soon. The magic also hit the exposed glowing core of the seed, but it didn't damage it. "Don't you see? That power seed is indestructible! It will absorb any magic you throw at it and not even a dragon has enough strength to damage it physically!" She laughed in the same annoying fashion that Martina and Naga did. 

"The seed also absorbed her spell," Xellos observed. 

"It was good for us this time," Filia realized. The surprise attack would have hit them a lot harder if they weren't so close to the seed. 

"That must be why the seed was protected," Xellos asserted. "Not because it was weak, but because it absorbs magic and would interfere with any spells casted here." 

"That must also be why my binding spell suddenly wore off," Filia added. 

Filia and Xellos took in their surroundings; it looked like the venus flytraps were ready for battle again. "The seed powers the plants, so even if Venus' spells are diminished along with ours, the power goes to her," Xellos bitterly concluded. 

"Have you realized that this is a hopeless battle? You wasted your chance to kill me, dear Filia. It was all because no doubt you still have a soft spot for little old Hanna. To think that anyone could get so attached to a lie, it's pathetic!" Venus laughed cruelly at Filia's heartbroken look. 

"Filia, this is no time to cry, snap out of it." Xellos insisted with urgency, shaking her shoulders to get her to react. "That seed gives power to all the trees, including the snake chimera trees outside of the astral space." This should get her attention, since Filia was always worrying about others. "If we don't destroy the power source, the enemies attacking the town will constantly regenerate. Gravos, Jillas and Naga are fighting a battle they can't win. All they can do is defend the town until we defeat the enemy. If we don't destroy this seed, the whole town, including Val, is doomed." 

Filia could clearly picture it. Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis returning from their spice hunt to find the town in ruins. A pile of deadly trees littered with corpses, not a single resident of the town left alive. Gravos, Jillas, Val, Elena, Palou, Naga. Maybe even Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis would be drawn into a trap if they attempted to make justice. Xellos... Xellos would be killed too. Xellos... he was... he was kissing her again. Filia snapped out of her daze and gave Xellos a sharp look as they parted. "I'm not giving up and I'll get back at you for stealing that kiss." 

"What kind of a weird freak are you?" Venus mocked. "Monsters have no room in their lives for romance. It's no wonder you ended up in such a pitiful state. Beast Master Zelas must be happy to throw you away!" 

"Silence!" Filia snapped enraged. "You tricked us all, you pretended to be a caring person. You earned the love and trust of the townspeople, all just so you could use them." 

"Just like the Venus flytrap, luring in her insignificant victims with a sweet scent, pretending to be a harmless flower." Venus' cruel laughter echoed alongside the sound of the ferocious plants snapping their jaws. "I don't know why your friends abandoned you, but not even they would be able to save you!" 

"Our friends didn't abandon us, they'll be back!" Filia argued. It was true that Lina and the others were expected to return, but she knew she couldn't count on them to make it back on time for this fight. They were off in the mountains on a wild goose chase for some rare herbs. They were completely unaware of what was happening in town. Gravos, Jillas and Naga were in the town, outside of the astral space, probably struggling to keep the residents safe. Xellos was right, it was up to them to win this bitter battle and save everyone. But how could they do that? 

"Filia," Xellos whispered in her ear. "I have an idea. Can you buy me some time?" 

"Yes," Filia nodded with determination. She didn't know what Xellos was planning to do, but she would make it work. 

"Are you whispering one last sweet nothing, you pathetic excuse for a monster?" Venus mocked, "or maybe you're saying goodbye. It's appropriate since you're both about to die!" Venus went in an all out attack. 

In a desperate final effort, Filia went on the offensive as well. She charged forward, throwing everything she had at Venus. The evil sorceress had no choice but to allow her deadly plants to focus on Filia or else the enraged golden dragon would break through her defenses. As a result, Xellos had a small window of time to focus on his spell casting. His plan was to overwhelm the seed with power, but he had to hit it swiftly, as stopping it from consuming the spell's energy before he was done casting it was extremely difficult. 

It looked like Venus and Filia's fight was more physical than magical with Filia defending herself with the remains of her mace and Venus using her ferocious plants. Even maintaining a simple levitation spell was extremely draining. Xellos pushed himself to the limit. He saw Filia being assaulted by an overwhelming number of mutant venus flytraps. He saw her struggle and felt her pain. He could picture what would happen if his plan failed and somehow, it all fueled his spell, making it stronger than what he thought he would be able to cast in his current form. 

There was that strong survival instinct again, an unstoppable force that pushed him past his limits just so he could live another day. He had been chanting the spell all along, the words flowing out, lost in the sound of the battle, Filia's battle. Then he finally had it ready. With the spell complete, Xellos released its massive impressive force into the glowing seed, in a desperate attempt to overwhelm it and destroy it. "Dragon Slave!" 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 042: Consequences! Feeling The Aftershock

In the mountainous region a relatively short distance away from the town, Lina and company were scouring the ground, looking for the spicy herbs they needed. They had left a trail of knocked out bandits and monsters in their path and obtained some loot because of that. Even so, it wasn't enough, Lina wouldn't give up and she wouldn't let anyone give up, until she found what she was looking for. 

"Miss Lina, the sun just set, we won't be able to find anything in the darkness." Amelia pointed out tiredly. She was all up for bringing justice to the evil in their own hideout, but she was tired from doing so continuously without rest. 

"Light!" Lina's reply to Amelia's plea was to light up the atmosphere with a spell. "That should make things easier. Let's keep looking, the spicy herbs have to be around here somewhere!" 

"There they are!" A new band of monsters arrived. They looked like sharks with spider legs and bat wings and they came in a variety of shades of gray and red. 

"More of them?" Zelgadis was becoming very annoyed with the constant interruptions. 

"We know you're hiding him. Beast Master Zelas has monsters positioned all around this mountain, blocking the path. That's because her weakened general is here. We managed to sneak past the guards and what do we find? Many fallen allies and Lina Inverse. Rumor has it that you've become Xellos' slave, so he must be near by!" The leader of the monsters, a dark red specimen of the strange species claimed. 

"For the millionth time, I'm not Xellos' slave, I'm his bodyguard!" Lina yelled exasperated. 

"I still don't get it, why are the monsters so sure that Xellos is here? They even threatened the bandits into going after us." Gourry expressed his perpetual confusion. 

"I told you stubborn idiots that Xellos is at Celo's resort. You should know that Celo is one of Beast Master's monsters. It's only logical that Xellos would find refuge in a place like that!" Lina lied. She wasn't about to put Xellos in danger and jeopardize her bodyguard wages by revealing his real location. In truth, Lina was as confused as Gourry. It seemed that word had gotten around that Xellos was in a vulnerable human state and there were more than a few monsters out to get him. 

"Lies!" The monsters argued as they continued their stubborn attack. The way things played out it almost looked as if Zelas was leading the monsters away from Xellos and towards Lina for their extermination. She concluded that it was more hard work for her to be away from her client than it was to actually guard him. That also explained why it was taking a while for the monsters to come avalanching in, Zelas must have been secretly doing her part. Strangely, Lina got the impression that Xellos wasn't counting on any of that. Yet perhaps Lord Beast Master wasn't about to throw away a competent general so easily just because he was having a time of weakness. 

"That's it, I'm getting pissed off!" Lina loudly declared in a dangerously threatening tone. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows, buried in the stream of time is where your power grows." 

"What about the spicy herbs?" Gourry urged. if Lina blew up the mountain they were on, she would destroy the spicy herbs that were apparently hidden there along with it. 

Lina didn't listen and continued chanting her spell. "I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hands." 

"There's no reasoning with her!" Zelgadis concluded. Lina was beyond the end of her patience and no one could stop her now. 

"Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed, by the power you and I possess..." Lina was ready to launch her powerful spell and level the mountain. 

"Retreat!" Following Amelia's wise advice, she, Zelgadis and Gourry ran for their lives. 

With a more pissed off tone than usual, Lina released the spell, "Dragon Slave!" The large amassment of monsters was immediately destroyed along with the mountain and all the vegetation in it in a brilliant flash of light and a big explosion. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, at the astral space where Xellos, Filia and Venus were, the glowing seed that was the core of power for the enemy tree snake chimera overloaded with the power of Xellos' Dragon Slave, causing a massive chain reaction. Outside of the astral space in town, Gravos, Jillas and Naga had been struggling to keep the constantly regenerating enemies at bay when the trees suddenly dried up and were left motionless. In the astral space the atmosphere turned unbearably hot as the seed became unstable distorting the area. 

Venus knew she wouldn't stand a chance to win the fight without her chimera. She recklessly threw herself at the unstable seed in an effort to contain its power. Her recent fusion was somehow undone as Alys and Aya's corpses were thrown out of her body, leaving Venus with her older appearance. It was the appearance that Filia knew as Hanna. "Xellos, you are no doubt still doomed, another will kill you where I could not. Curse you Filia! Curse you for protecting that useless monster!" A terrible malice emerged from Venus with her last breath as the astral space vanished and the aftershock threw Xellos and Filia into a different location. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis found themselves in the middle of a crater with no vegetation left. It once was a mountain covered in green, but it was gone now. "The herbs! The spicy herbs are gone!" Lina lamented a little too late. 

"It's okay Miss Lina, maybe we'll still be able to find some," Amelia tried to console her even if her optimism was obviously not realistic. "I hope you learned your lesson, you need to think of the consequences before you blow up a mountain... or blow up anything." 

"This is Lina," Zelgadis pointed out as a matter of fact while the group made their way out of the crater and reached the ground level. "She never thinks of the consequences." 

"You should be thinking of the consequences of being so cruel!" Lina retorted, "can't you see I'm in the middle of mourning my spices?" 

A bright flash of light in the distance caught the group's attention. "What was that?" Gourry pointed in the direction of the town. "Do you think it was some kind of falling star? We should make a wish!" He squinted at the distant location, noticing that something was off, "did there used to be that many big trees around town." 

"I'm pretty sure those weren't there when we left," Amelia recalled with growing worry. Trees randomly popping out couldn't be a good sign. 

"That light just now almost looked like the Dragon Slave," Zelgadis observed. 

Lina's countenance changed, with an urgent look of alertness replacing her mourning gaze. "That really was the Dragon Slave," she concluded. The hasty redhead would recognize her favorite spell anywhere. "I taught Xellos how to cast it and warned him that he should only use it in cases of emergency. Given his situation and the possible dangers, I doubt he would waste energy on a Dragon Slave without a good reason." 

"Oh no!" Amelia gasped, "the enemies must have learned of Xellos' real location!" 

"I don't think this is the same enemy," Zelgadis pointed out. "Those are trees out there, who do we know that uses trees to attack?" 

"A bird? A bear? A forest ranger?" Gourry guessed. 

"No!" Lina explained, "the Green Alchemist! We never did finish our business and evil cults tend to keep coming back until the big boss is beaten. I guess that means we're in for a fight, let's go!" Thus the group rushed back to town, even if unknown to them, the fight was already over. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Xellos! Xellos!" When Xellos woke up, he had a very sharp pain on his head, which was noticeable even beyond the harsh aches and pains that assaulted his whole body. "You're alive, I'm so relieved." 

Xellos noticed he was in Filia's arms and she was crying, but she wasn't healing his wounds. "You know, instead of crying you could use a recovery spell," he pointed out painfully. 

Filia looked sad and worried, she too was covered in wounds, "I can't, it won't work. All my magic is gone." 

Xellos stared at her and noticed that her hair was no longer blond, it was white. She was drained of all power and wouldn't recover for a few days, or worse. "Did she really curse you?" 

"Yes, Venus used her terrible malice and hatred to drain away my power and seal it. When I came to, I was here, in this forest, but I don't know how I got here. I found you unconscious and it looks like you hit your head." She gently touched the affected area and Xellos cringed in pain. "I tried to heal you and noticed that I couldn't. That's not all..." 

Xellos' blurry senses cleared out and he was able to feel the presences all around them. "This is no forest, not in the usual sense at least. We're still on the astral side; we were just thrown into a different part, a private space. There are monsters all around." 

"What are we going to do?" Filia's fright became evident on her face. 

"Don't get scared," Xellos urged, though he was having more trouble than he would ever admit with that himself. "Fear will only empower them. I wish I could have talked Lina into teaching me the Ragna Blade, but she insisted that it was too dangerous and that the Dragon Slave would be more than enough. I can't move in and out of the astral space freely as a human and I can't cut through. With your powers sealed, it looks like we're stuck here." Xellos got to his feet with some difficulty. He and Filia were both visibly in bad shape. 

There was some rustling from the trees and a monstrous vulture with razor sharp metallic feathers dived towards the pair. They immediately dropped to the ground and dodged the attack just in time. Yet the assault was only getting started. The other monsters felt motivated to join in after the vulture took the first try. A strange creature similar to a bear with fur the color of flames, giant black claws and glowing yellow eyes emerged from the bushes with a hungry menacing growl. Several similar creatures, some more grotesquely composed than others, soon surrounded Xellos and Filia. 

"I know you we shouldn't be afraid, but we're surrounded and helpless!" Filia saw her life flash before her eyes. She regretted her ignorance in younger days. She was glad that she was able to see the light. She regretted not knowing for certain that the town was safe, that her friends were safe, that her son was safe. If they did survive, she gladly gave her life for that, but she was still saddened that she wouldn't be able to see Val hatch. She looked at Xellos; she regretted not being able to fully figure him out, to understand his thoughts beyond his acting. She regretted more strongly than she could ever guess, that his life was about to end too. 

"We can't outrun them." This was it, it was the end. He couldn't find a cure, he couldn't recover his power and now he was going to be devoured by monsters much lesser than himself. He didn't have the strength left to cast a single spell; he could barely stay on his feet. Filia would be killed, she would be torn apart by those creatures and the mere thought of that filled him with a deep frustrating rage. If he had his monster powers, none of those beasts would be able to touch her. 

A loud howl was heard as another beast arrived on the scene. The creature was as tall as a large horse with a body that very much resembled a fox covered in black fur. It had the face of a fox with long fangs like a saber tooth tiger. Its ears were fox-like with a bit of white on the tips. Its massive clawed paws were also white, as were the tip of its tails contrasting with the rest of its black fur covered body. It had two tails, similar to fox tails, each half as wide as its body and about two thirds as long. The most stunning feature were its ferocious silver eyes, there were no pupils no irises, just a pair of glowing silver orbs mesmerizing the being's prey. The beast had a black collar with silver spikes on it, symbolizing that it belonged to someone, a very powerful someone to be able to keep such a pet. 

The beast threatened the fire colored bear, who didn't appear to have any intentions of backing away. The bear lunged forward, but the fox monster was faster. It jumped straight up and landed on the bears back not even needing to use its claws. The bear's body produced a sickening cracking sound as its spine and ribs were fatally crushed. Mortally wounded, the bear monster crawled away as soon as the silver-eyed beast got off it dismissively. 

Three vultures, led by the one who attacked before, swooped down on the beast. With amazing speed and power, the black predator produced blue flames from its mouth that reduced the bird monsters to ashes. The surrounding creatures took this as their cue to leave, running for their lives. No prey, however appetizing, was worth dying for. The ferocious beast kept its silver eyes on Xellos and Filia as it made its approach at a luxurious, almost mocking pace. It knew that there was no way the living creatures before it could manage to run away. 

"Xellos..." Filia let out what she felt could be her last breath as she clung to him. This was it; they were both going to supper a painful gruesome death at the claws, teeth and raw strength of that terrifying creature! The beast looked as if it would pounce, making no effort to hide its intentions. Then it happened, the creature jumped and Xellos pushed Filia out of the way, being tackled into the ground. "Xellos!" Filia cried out in horror. Then she heard something peculiar... 

"Haha, stop it, hahaha, c'mon, quit it, that tickles! Hahahaha!" Filia stared with wide eyes as the ferocious beast licked Xellos like some kind of puppy that was all too glad to see its master. "Get off Fang, you're crushing me!" The creature complied, sitting obediently by Xellos' side as the man sat up with a hand on his torso. "Ow, I think you messed up my ribs worse than they already were. Human bones are so terribly fragile." Xellos finally got to his feet, using the animal sitting on the ground beside him for support. 

"What just happened?" Filia was dumbstruck beyond understanding. "You know this wolf?" She demanded. 

"Fang is a fox, or a monster fox at least," Xellos explained as he gave the beast called Fang a pat on the back. "He's one of Lord Beast Master's pets." 

"You idiot!" Filia screamed in enraged agony. "I thought we were going to die and it turned out one of your allies was here to save us all along? Why did you have to scare me like that?" She reproached harshly. 

"How was I supposed to know Fang would come?" Xellos argued. "Besides, given my current form, he could have betrayed me and bitten my head off. I guess he's especially fond of me since I would play fetch with him when Lord Beast Master was too busy." He maintained a calm expression, it seemed that the tragedy had passed, at least for now. His cheerful face didn't have a single hint of the deadly fear he was unfortunate enough to experience before. Yet strangely, his senses felt heightened and precise beyond what his exhaustion should allow. He attributed it to a human's stubborn desire to survive even when the situation was apparently hopeless. 

Filia was fuming with anger, "liar! You knew we were safe from the second you saw that, Fang monster thing!" 

Fang growled at Filia and she let out an undignified little squeak. For a second she thought the beast would attack her. She needed to watch herself or that thing really would bite her head off. She needed to remember that Xellos was not Fang's master, Zelas was. Plus Xellos was not truly her general at the moment; he was a human who couldn't stop Fang if he decided to act out of line. Then the large beast let out a little whimper and lay down at Xellos' feet like an injured puppy. 

"Look what you've done, you heartless dragon," Xellos petted Fang's head gently. "It's okay boy, I still appreciate you. I'm not a terrible ingrate who would be mean to the one who just save me from a painful death. Don't take it personally; golden dragons are just cruel by nature." 

Filia felt a heavy wave of guilt fall upon her. "I'm sorry," she approached Fang cautiously. "I'm really sorry I was mean to you, Fang. I'm not angry with you, I was just worried that Xellos and I were going to die and the scare made me act and speak harshly." It didn't look like Fang was going to attack her, so Filia tried petting him. "Will you forgive me?" Before she could even blink, she found herself on the ground with the large animal on top of her, having tackled her in a similar way to Xellos earlier. The creature licked her face and wagged its two tails. The being looked like a wolf, Xellos claimed it was a fox, but it was acting just like a dog. "Okay, okay, I get it, hahaha, we can be friends, hehehe, that really does tickle." When Fang finally released her and Filia was on her feet again, she observed, "you two really are similar. Fang guilt tripped me just like you've done before." 

"He's a smart fox," Xellos grinned. "Also a very powerful one, he's a high level monster. Only those at the level of the monster lords and generals would be safe if he ever got really mad. He doesn't usually go into combat though; he's more of a show pet than anything else. Nonetheless he's trained to fight if needed." 

"A show pet..." Filia could almost picture the monster lords walking their pets in front of an audience of high level monsters, waiting to be judged. She pushed the silly thoughts away; they weren't completely safe just yet. "Can Fang get us out of the astral side?" 

"Of course, well Fang, get us out of here. I still have some business to take care of on the other side." The beast held his right paw over his black nose and whimpered. "What? Are you trying to tell me I smell like a human? Quit covering your nose, I know the scent of humans doesn't actually bother you, you're just throwing my condition in my face, you ungrateful mutt." 

Fang's next action left Filia staring in amazement, "did he just blow raspberries at you?" 

"He can be a little too playful sometimes. C'mon Fang, I really need to go back," Xellos insisted with a growing worry in the back of his mind. Fang lowered himself to the ground next to Xellos, making a little growling noise. He looked at Xellos then looked forward. "I see, you want me to follow you and you'll even give me a ride?" Fang nodded. "I can walk on my own." Xellos crossed his arms and pouted. 

"Quit being stubborn and just get on," Filia insisted. "You know we both can barely stand and Fang is our only hope of survival in this place." 

Xellos looked at the monster fox then gave Filia a meaningful look. "Unless he's delivering us to our doom. If my lack of progress has truly disappointed Lord Beast Master, she might want to finish me off with her own hands..." 

To be Continued


	15. Chapter 15

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 043: Monster Spa! Survival Is A Real Chore

Fear invaded Filia's face at the thought of Zelas losing her patience with Xellos and his curse. "No way," she desperately tried not to fall into hopelessness. "She sent Fang to save you. You should go report and I'm sure she'll forgive you." 

"There's no point in questioning that," Xellos truthfully stated. If Lord Beast Master wanted him to report, even if he wasn't supposed to do so until his curse had been broken, then he should accommodate to her change of mind and go report... or else. If she wanted him dead, she could hunt him down to no escape, so running would do more harm than anything. "Let's go," they both rode on Fang's back and were taken towards a building in the astral side forest. Taking a golden dragon to see a monster lord sounded like a terrible idea, but Filia couldn't be left alone or she would be devoured by the monsters. Besides, surely Lord Beast Master was well aware of the specifics of the curse. If it was for the sake of something like that, perhaps she would excuse Xellos bringing his dragon companion along. 

Fang stopped when they were sufficiently close to the building. It was an elegant structure surrounded by a crystalline water filled moat with a wide bridge leading towards its front entrance. The moat's water flowed in circular motions as if driven by a gentle magical current, making the soft sounds of a tame river constantly. The walls were a pure white and the ceiling sky blue. The details of the ceiling protuberated in a sort of blue skirt around the building at each floor in all seven. The architecture had a look similar to the buildings found on the eastern edge of the main continent. Pale green vines wrapped themselves around the walls with little pink flowers blossoming on them. The glass windows were perfectly clear and there were two lines of vases on the left and right edges of the bridge. "Those vases!" Filia pointed in disbelief. "They're the vases you bought!" What was up with her vases showing up in the most unexpected places? 

"You mean the ones you made me buy," whenever he was bored and popped out of the astral side, teleporting to see Filia, for entertainment purposes only, she often made him buy a vase. She would protest that he couldn't be at her shop because he wasn't a customer and argue about it until he purchased something. She wouldn't sell him maces, so vases it was. "I put them away at HQ, but Lord Beast Master said they were taking up space and that she was putting them someplace else. This spa is run by a monster that works for her, so it's technically hers." 

Filia pouted and placed her hands on her hips, "my vases are decorating monster property." 

"I'm sure Zelas laughs at the golden dragon race every time she sees them," Xellos grinned. 

"She's quite the business woman, isn't she?" Filia commented, trying to focus on not thinking about Zelas as a ferocious beast, which she certainly was when she felt like it. 

"Not only of negative emotions does a monster live," Xellos asserted. Fang was getting impatient, hence without further ado, they went inside. 

The elegant marble interiors possessing a collection of paintings were impressive to say the least. Monsters of all shapes and sizes walked around the large lobby, chatting and gossiping. Xellos and Filia received many stares of disapproval, but a warning growl from Fang was all it took for the variety of monsters to return to minding their own business, though the whispers still lingered. Filia approached one of the paintings on the walls. It was very large and it depicted a sort of wolf with wings, standing majestically beside a large tree. Very small, barely noticeable in the right bottom corner of the painting, there was something written on darker green on the depiction of the grass. It looked like the lines were part of the drawing of grass at first glance, but a closer inspection revealed a message. "To the great Beast Master Zelas Metallium, from her servant the Green Alchemist, a painting by Venus." 

"It's a new one," Xellos observed. If he was surprised by the message, he didn't show it. "Zelas must have received this painting while I was away. Venus was sprouting some nonsense about the Green Alchemist taking my place, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he would send a gift. It's a pretty accurate painting for Zelas' true form. There's quite the collection of art related gifts Lord Beast Master has received in this building as decorations." 

"Somehow, I thought a spa owned by a monster lord would be far creepier, the building itself I mean," because the guests were certainly creepy. 

"Xellos, I'm glad you're here, now all this stuff can be done. You brought a helper along, good, good, that makes things easier." The being that addressed them had the voice of a woman and was about as tall as Gourry. Her body from the waist down was that of a snake and she was covered in turquoise scales all over. She wore a golden bustier to cover her shapely torso and matching golden armlets. Her face was completely hidden behind a thick black veil that just barely touched her shoulders. In her hands she carried a rolled up scroll, which she gave to Xellos. 

"What happened to welcome great general Xellos, how may I serve you?" Xellos teased, feeling more like his old self. 

The snake woman rolled her yellow eyes, invisible behind her black veil, yet somehow Xellos knew the gesture was made. "I've never been a hypocrite with you and I'm not about to start now." She placed her hands on her hips, or where her hips would be, as she pointed that out. 

"Same old Galathia," while Filia looked back and forth between the snake woman, who was apparently called Galathia, and Xellos, the monster turned human examined the scroll. "These are all spa chores," he pointed out with mounting dread. 

"Well of course," Galathia laughed, "nothing too difficult since you're..." she searched for the right expression, "ill. Anyway, Lord Beast Master doesn't want you slacking off, so she asked me to compile a list of things for you to do. She looked over it, added a few items and approved it. In other words, I'm just the messenger in this situation, these are orders from above." 

So much about being treated normally. "You heard the lady, get to work, dragon," Xellos shoved the scroll into Filia's annoyed hands. 

"You're not throwing your chores on me!" Filia screeched. "Besides, you haven't even introduced me to..." now it was Filia's turn to search for the right word, "your acquaintance." 

Again Galathia made another invisible roll of the eyes. "Who wants to meet a golden dragon? Only Xellos, he's the oddball of the family. In fact, there's this dragon girl I suspect he has a thing for." Never mind that Galathia not so secretly found dragon men attractive, she was just being annoying. "She's the one who made those vases decorating the bridge. She's..." Galathia paused and gave the situation some more thought, "she's you, isn't she?" 

Ignoring the mocking tone in Galathia's voice, Filia firmly stated, "my name is Filia Ul Copt." 

"Galathia Gorgon, spa manager," the snake woman replied in a similar tone. She was a gorgon, a snake with a head full of snakes. That would explain the veil which she probably had on for the benefit of the lower level monster clients, and also for Filia and Xellos. "Is it true that you're Xellos' lover?" 

"That's not true!" Filia yelled much louder than needed. "We're just..." friends? Was it even okay to say that? He was an actor, a liar, his situation was no different from Hanna's. He was just tricking her into caring for his own benefit or worse yet, his own mocking amusement. 

Seeing as Filia was taking a moment to elaborate upon her argument, Xellos finished it for her. "We're friends with benefits." 

Filia paled, even more than she already was from exhaustion and Galathia nodded in understanding. "I see, it looks like a lot has been going on in your life recently. A lot has been going on around here too. Did you know that Lord Beast Master has a new intern? Don't worry, he's not trying to steal your place, he says he's serving the internship as Zelas' minion to better understand monsters and how they think for the sake of the greater good, something or other. He's a strange one that one, but very handsome. Ah, but enough talk. I won't steal away your time anymore, I'm sure your anxious to work on your... mission." With an obnoxious laughter like that of Martina and Naga, Galathia walked away. 

"What's up with people, and monsters, laughing like that? It's so annoying!" Filia grumbled. She then looked at the scroll Xellos had given her. "These are your chores, don't expect me to do all the work for you." 

"Fine," Xellos greedily snatched away the scroll. "I'll do all the chores all by myself, so I'll be the only one who's being useful to Lord Beast Master. That means I'll be the only one she'll keep alive!" 

With a look of wide eyed realization, Filia snatched away the scroll. "We'll split it fifty-fifty. We're both exhausted anyway, so we might as well help each other!" Thus a new ordeal began for Filia and Xellos. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia never knew that the art of folding towels was such a tedious one. She felt silly doing chores in her purple spa employee outfit, which was really a pretty purple yukata with a black waist bow and the letters BMS on the top left encased in a round logo with Beast Master's true form silhouette in the background. The logo aside, the outfit itself was beautiful and that's what made it feel so out of place given the task at hand. She supposed that in a high scale monster spa, even the employees of the lower rank who didn't get paid with anything other than the opportunity to keep their lives, needed to look decent on the job, even if said job took place mostly behind the scenes. 

Xellos was wearing a similar attire to Filia's while making a mess of the simple task of folding the towels. With a prominent frown, Filia shook her head, "you're doing it wrong and let me tell you, I'll be very upset if Beast Master kills us because of your poor towel folding skills." She picked up one of the tiny squares with a decorative pattern that looked like a tribal sign version of Zelas true form, barely perceptible in the few lines. "Look, it's just like the moth-wolf lady said; you have to fold this way." Filia demonstrated the proper folding technique that was explained by the strange anthropomorphic black wolf with the moth face, red bug eyes and lavender moth wings, when they showed up following the list of chores. She handed them they're uniforms and pointed them towards the locker room, commenting that Galathia had mentioned them. Once they were changed, the moth-wolf monster folded a towel as an example and left them to their task. 

Xellos observed the towel Filia had folded. He attributed the fact that the puzzle escaped him to his exhaustion. "I don't get it," he admitted with a frustrated frown. "These little towels that people love to steal as souvenirs are square. How do you turn them into triangles when you fold them?" 

Filia almost growled in exasperation. "You just saw me fold one. Weren't you paying attention?" She groaned and continued folding at full speed. "Why do they have these little towels here anyway? You said it yourself, people steal them as souvenirs. Who would try to dry themselves with a towel this tiny? They're like handkerchiefs made of towel material. They're too small." 

Xellos picked up another mini-towel and attempted to fold it like Filia did. This mission made all his past missions as a monster seem too easy. By the time he turned the little square into a lopsided diamond and was close to achieving a triangle, Filia had already finished folding the rest of the little towels. At long last triumphant, Xellos placed his triangular folded towel on top of the pile in the little cart. 

"Delivering this to the proper place like the moth-wolf lady said is going to take some time," Filia observed. Carrying the towels in a pile in their arms was out of the question, as that would not help them stay neatly folded. "These carts are too small." Nonetheless, Filia wasn't about to complain to her superiors and Xellos was smart enough not to get cocky about Lord Beast Master's lenient punishment for his delay. Thus the unfortunate pair pushed the carts full of tiny towels away to the proper storage, finishing the delivery after a few trips back and forth. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Once the towel folding and storing chores were done, Xellos and Filia moved on to the next task, which involved cleaning the spa's hot tubs. The cleaning supplies came in cute little sample sizes which looked absolutely adorable sitting on the cleaning supply cart, but were ultimately an annoyance to use. This time it was a spider-like being who spoke in earsplitting whistles that appointed them the task. Filia wasn't sure if it was a he or a she, all that mattered was that he she it left them alone to their work and after a while the painful ringing in her ears should cease. 

With a frown on her face that she secretly feared would become permanent, Filia glared at the cleaning supplies. "The cleaning products are too small. Sure, there are many of them, but they're so small, why not put it all in a big container?" 

Xellos shrugged, "for decorative purposes, I would assume. Of course, golden dragons are known for their lack of taste, so I can't expect you to understand." 

"That's obviously a lie," Filia countered. Golden dragons loved to decorate their temples in elaborate ways. "I run a successful business, I'll have you know, and my vases are very decorative." 

"If you're such an expert, then why not make this messy tub more decorative looking," Xellos picked up a cleaning brush that was on the cart and handed it to Filia. 

Filia glared at the brush as if it had personally offended her. "This brush is too small. They're probably doing this on purpose to make the cleaning process terribly difficult." 

"Shh, keep your voice down," as much as Xellos wanted to keep teasing Filia and continue amusing himself with their argument, he felt that he was being watched. "They're watching us; we better start cleaning before they decide to make us clean with a toothbrush." 

Filia did not like the idea of having to clean hot tubs with a tooth brush. She quickly started cleaning without further complaints. Xellos wanted to stand there watching, but he knew it was in his best interest to help, he didn't want to anger Lord Beast Master any further. Thus the pair cleaned and cleaned, until there were no tubs left to clean. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The next few hours transpired at the same pace with Xellos and Filia following a very Cinderella-like routine. Filia, unlike Xellos, was experienced in performing household chores, since she had her own house and shop to manage. Xellos on the other hand, never had to worry about clean-up duty before; there were low ranking monster servants to take care of that. There was even a specific servant whose job was to clean up the ashes of Lord Beast Master's cigarette. His lack of expertise shone through in every chore and his exhaustion didn't make it any better. However, with a lot of help from Filia, they managed to get through. 

The last task on the list after the dish washing activities were completed, was folding napkins behind the kitchen of the spa's restaurant. A chef that looked like a green troll with a brown bull's head and three tails was cooking busily, the heat of the stoves and ovens making Xellos and Filia feel like they would be cooked alive in the backroom. "Xellos, you're not supposed to fold these like the towels. These napkins are super tiny so it's difficult to fold them, but not impossible. If I was a customer I would excuse the napkins' lack of functional size because they're so cute, but they're so difficult to fold, I might never look at mini-napkins the same way again. You're supposed to make it so that they can stand up on the table, like this." Filia showed him her mini-napkin tower perfectly balanced on the palm of her hand. 

"Your hands are burned," Xellos observed. Sure they had gotten cleaned up before they changed into their uniforms, but other than washing off the blood and sweat they couldn't do much else. There was no first aid kit to be found in monster territory. Who would fear a monster with a band-aid anyway? Thus their cuts remained without bandages and their bruises visibly continued the process of going from red to purple to black. 

Xellos didn't know recovery magic, plus he was too tired anyway, and Filia's magic was still sealed, her hair still white. Filia put down the mini-napkin she was showing Xellos and picked up the next one to be folded. "I got it from the mace." 

Xellos remembered the event that Filia reference as he tried with futile effort to fold a mini-napkin like she did. With the skin of her hands so burned and exposed, even the lightest brush of fabric would hurt, he could tell just by looking. Yet there was Filia, speedily folding napkins as if it was nothing. Her face was blank, but upon close inspection, there was a look of pain in her eyes that escaped Xellos' notice before. She got that back when she used the hot mace to hit the seed. He had heated it too much to the point where it hurt her, but she focused on the battle and didn't complain. When it came down to it, Filia was very strong in many ways. Xellos knew that before, he just didn't dwell on it. 

Time passed in silence until the final task on the chore list was finished. The tired pair reported to the tall chef and he sent them on their way to report to Galathia. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After a quick search, Xellos and Filia located Galathia, who seemed surprised that they finished their assigned tasks so soon. "I guess I underestimated you, Xellos." 

"Indeed," Xellos grinned, yet the look Filia was giving him spoke volumes. 

Galathia grinned behind her veil. "You really trained your dragon pet very well to have her do the majority of the work." When the meaning of her initial statement was revealed, Filia pouted in indignation and glared daggers at Xellos, who made no effort to voice any corrections. Ignoring the dragon's obvious anger, the gorgon continued, "you two can rest now, I'll show you to some quarters you can use. Lord Beast Master will see you later." 

Knowing that they had no choice, Xellos and Filia followed Galathia to their quarters, which was more like a dungeon-like walk-in closet. At least they were given the chance to get cleaned up again, since their uniforms were full of grime and sweat from all the chores. They changed into new purple yukata uniforms with the same BMS logos. Their original clothes were too full of tears and blood to be worn again. At last, they lay down on the thin mattress of their so called room, certainly ready to finally get some rest. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 044: Confusion! Perspectives and Perceptions

"This bed, if we can even call it a bed, is too small." Filia complained as she tried to shift her position to get more comfortable. No matter how subtle her movements were, she always ended up brushing against some part of Xellos, who was next to her. "I think I'll sleep on the floor, the bed, or rather the mattress, is simply too small for both of us." Honestly, she wasn't in the mood to argue about who would get the so called bed. Besides, the mattress was so thin, it barely made a difference anyway, plus she was so tired she would fall asleep anywhere, it was Xellos' closeness that was keeping her awake. 

"What an ungrateful dragon." Xellos teased. "The towels were too small, the carts were too small, the cleaning supplies were too small, the brushes were too small, the soap was too small, the sponge was too small, the napkins were too small, the mattress is too small. Is there anything at all in this building that's not too small for your liking?" There was a quiet pause and some blushing from Filia, who didn't answer. "You have your mind in the gutter, don't you?" 

"What? No!" Filia immediately argued. "I'm just... feeling like an ingrate, that's all. We're alive, so what if we're in a harsh situation? At least we're alive and... and... I'm going to sleep now." 

Xellos got closer to Filia, if it was even possible to get closer to each other than they already were. "Are you sure you're that tired?" 

"Yes!" Filia squirmed a little, but didn't push Xellos away, her face still scarlet. 

"What are you thinking of?" He inquired in a rather seductive tone. 

"A bunny rabbit!" Filia exclaimed in a squeak. 

"A rabbit?" Xellos questioned with the raise of an eyebrow. "What does this rabbit look like?" 

"It's a cute pink bunny," Filia tried to picture the adorable fuzzy animal in her mind to distract her thoughts from the still clear image of Xellos fan service that would probably never fade from her memories. "She has a cute outfit with little bows on her ears." 

Filia's imagination was a scary world of fuzzy creatures, Xellos already knew that. Two could play that game, maybe if he ruined Filia's mental image she would stop thinking of animals and think of... well, him. "I'm thinking of a skunk," there, something stinky to get Filia out of an animal thinking mood. 

Unfortunately for Xellos, Filia was often unpredictable. Instead of criticizing his choice of animal, she curiously inquired, "what does it look like?" 

"It's purple," Xellos replied with a hint of amusement just to see Filia's reaction. 

"With a pink bow on her hair," Filia added, immediately making Xellos' imaginary animal to be cute. 

"Never mind the skunk, I'm thinking of a..." Xellos needed to come up with another animal, something that Filia's cutesy mind couldn't ruin. "A tasmanian devil," that should do it, something ferocious. "And it's purple," okay so maybe making it purple would take away from the terrifying image of a dangerous beast, but Xellos liked purple. 

"He has a cute yellow hat and despite having a big appetite, he's a total sweetie," Filia elaborated. 

"Your ability to ruin my imaginary animals is uncanny." Xellos mocked. 

"I'm making them better!" Filia insisted. She didn't know how the conversation went from a forbidden path to a cute path, but she was going to keep walking down that cute path full of adorable fuzzy animals for as long as she could. 

"Fine, now I'm thinking of a mouse," Xellos stated, "it's not purple," he added mainly because he couldn't take anymore creatures of his favorite color being desecrated. 

"It's-" Filia was suddenly interrupted. 

"Not pink," Xellos put more of a warning tone in his voice that one would think the description of an imaginary animal should merit. 

"Fine," Filia conceded, "it's yellow then, with adorable rosy cheeks." 

"Are you basing this animal on yourself by any chance?" Xellos teased and other than the usual joking mockery, Filia could perceive nothing else in his voice. Was he calling her a mouse or saying she looked cute when she blushed? This was Xellos; it had to be the former, rather than the latter. 

"No," Filia decided to continue with the description before the fantasy petting zoo imagery lost its effect. "It has an adorable zig-zag tail and it's super cute." 

"It's powerful too," Xellos grinned. "He's a beast of war summoned by its master to battle. He has electrical powers that could destroy anything and-" 

"Don't ruin my cute and fuzzy imaginary animal," Filia pouted. "He's powerful, but he's good. He only fights to defend his friends or spars for the sport of it." 

"Now you're ruining him and he was my imaginary animal to begin with," Xellos argued. 

"Let's just say they belong to both of us," Filia settled. She had relaxed sufficiently to finally fall asleep. "Now let's get some rest. We can talk about colorful imaginary animals later." 

"Not happening," Xellos assured with his usual overly cheerful grin. "The imaginary animal conversation I mean," he clarified. "Getting some rest is not a bad idea." 

Yes, getting some rest was a very good idea. Unfortunately, getting a decent amount of rest in the immediate future was not something that was about to happen. The door to the walk-in closet sized dungeon-like room was suddenly opened and there stood Galathia with an amused smirk that none could see behind her usual veil. "Xellos!" She shouted as if he was far away, though she knew he was right there. How she could see beyond the thick veil was anyone's guess, yet somehow she could. "Lord Beast Master will see you now. She said to bring your pet along." After having passed on the piece of information, Galathia began making her way towards the monster lord's location, correctly assuming that her temporary employees would be swift to follow. 

Xellos and Filia were indeed exhausted, but not tired enough to let themselves be killed over being late to see the one in charge. With growing nervousness, Filia walked alongside Xellos as Galathia led them to the seventh floor of the building. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The gorgon-like monster spa manager stood aside in front of a pair of golden double doors. She nodded and left, indicating that her job escorting them was done. Xellos then stepped forward to open the doors and found that they were far heavier than he remembered. Seeing his difficulty, without a word, Filia joined Xellos in pushing one of the massive doors of solid gold open just enough for both of them to squeeze in. 

The black marble room behind the golden doors was an elegant throne. A scarlet carpet reached from the door to the elaborately carved large golden throne at the opposite end of the room. The throne was big enough to fit three humans comfortably, thus one would think that it would look a little empty with just Beast Master sitting on it, as her human form was the size of an average woman. However, her imposing presence made the large room feel almost crowded. Crimson curtains fell from the ceiling around the throne, opening in the middle and cascading down the seven stairs of the throne's platform. 

Lord Beast Master gave Xellos a curious look, conveying with her eyes the question of what was taking him so long to recover his power. Her eyes paused on the dragon beside him, who stood there staring curious yet petrified, not literally, thankfully. "Working on it, I see..." 

"Yes, Lord Beast Master," Xellos respectfully replied, not saying more than he was prompted to speak. 

"Come here, I have a task for you both." There was a malicious smile upon her face that almost made Filia's heart stop. The golden dragon pushed herself to walk as she and Xellos approached one of the most powerful monsters in existence. Perhaps even the most powerful one, given Shabranigdu's broken state. "Nails," Zelas finally stated when the pair was standing closer to her throne. 

The word interrupted Filia's debate if she should bow as if in the presence of royalty or not. Zelas was a monster, but maybe swallowing her pride was a wise idea least she kill Xellos over her disrespectful disregard. Ironically, though Filia was well aware of the fact that her life was perhaps in more danger than Xellos', her thoughts automatically gravitated towards him. 

A long silent pause passed until Xellos finally concluded that it would be okay to voice a confused, "Lord Beast Master?" That encompassed his puzzlement over the general situation and her unusual and seemingly incomplete request. 

"Come here and do my nails," Zelas repeated in slow motion, pausing after every word as if addressing someone particularly stupid. 

Xellos and Filia blinked in confusion before Xellos finally reacted with a well practiced, "yes, Lord Beast Master," and made his way up the stairs followed by a stunned silent Filia. Behind the red curtains that surrounded the throne, Xellos was able to spot a little cart with several manicure related supplies. Zelas was obviously just amusing herself; if she wanted different nails she could simply change her appearance. However, he wasn't about to try to argue with her. He didn't argue when he was a powerful monster, though certainly less powerful than Beast Master, and he wouldn't argue when he was a fragile human. 

"Manicure," Zelas waved a hand at Xellos. "Pedicure," she crossed her tan legs, lifting one bare foot in Filia's general direction. 

Xellos gave Filia a mischievous mocking grin. He got to do the manicure while she was stuck with the pedicure. Never mind that he didn't know the first thing about caring for a woman's nails and Filia had plenty of experience caring for her own nails. 

Without further ado, Xellos and Filia set out to accomplish the task at hand, and foot. Time passed slowly and silently until Filia announced with quiet satisfaction, "finished." So what if it would be seen as degrading for a golden dragon to care for a monster lord's feet? At least Zelas' toenails turned out cute. 

Zelas examined her toenails, they were neatly filed, painted white with little pink hearts on all of them. She then took away the hand that Xellos was still working on. The purple nail polish was not only on her nails, but also on her fingers. "Xellos, your cosmetic skills leave much to be desired." She criticized. 

"My apologies, lord Beast Master," Xellos automatically voiced, in disbelief that Filia could actually be beating him as a servant of Lord Beast Master. 

"Never mind, I didn't expect you to be any good at this. Take the nail polish remover and clean up this mess." Zelas pointed at the proper bottle. 

Xellos obediently picked up the bottle of nail polish remover and took off the cap, immediately being assaulted by the scent of pure acetone. Filia didn't appear to be bothered by it at all, she was a dragon, but still a feminine woman, thus such products were not alien to her. 

"As for you," Zelas gave her verdict on Filia's job while Xellos cleaned up his messy manicure. "What monster lord goes around with little hearts on her toenails? Do it over, all twenty and made them sharper." 

Filia simply didn't feel right repeating Xellos' line of 'yes, Lord Beast Master.' Thus she settled for quietly nodding and getting to work. 

"What should I do when I'm done cleaning off the purple?" Xellos inquired, annoyed that Filia was doing a better job than him. 

Zelas chuckled, from her perspective, Xellos was like a jealous child who craved attention right now. "Shoulder massage." 

Never mind that it was uncomfortable to try to give such a massage taking into consideration the size of the golden throne's backrest, Xellos wasn't about to protest that second chance of sorts. "Yes, Lord Beast Master." 

Once again, time passed in silence until Filia's task was completed. "Not bad," Zelas examined her matching manicure and pedicure. Her nails were filed to a sharp point, painted in a shimmering gold that went well with her bronze skin. "Have you ever heard of the well of recovery?" 

Realizing that Zelas was directly addressing her, Filia spoke for the first time since she had arrived in the monster lord's presence, "yes." She voiced only a single syllable, exactly what was needed and no more. 

"What have you heard?" Zelas pressed for more information. 

"The well of recovery was a source of magical water with powerful healing properties. It was also the cause of a terrible war between neighboring kingdoms as they fought for the well, which was located between their borders." Filia recalled the history lessons from her education at the dragon temple, carefully editing out anything that might offend Zelas. "Amidst the war between the two kingdoms, the well mysteriously disappeared, leaving the warring countries with many injured people and no magical water to help them." Then a peculiar detail surfaced in Filia's mind and she couldn't help it but to voice it. "It is said that the water from that well can not only heal illnesses and injuries of the physical sort, but also of the magical sort, that it can break curses." 

Xellos' full attention had been captivated as he paused in his task of massaging Zelas' shoulders. The well of recovery, he knew about the war and the truths behind it, he had even participated in the conspiracy, but it all happened so long ago he didn't even remember it anymore. It had been at least a thousand years, probably more, since he last thought of the well of recovery. What if his cure was right in front of him all along? 

"Not exactly," Zelas corrected and Xellos' hope plummeted to rock bottom. Zelas smiled as if sensing Xellos' despair, tasting it like a delicious delicacy, she was a monster after all. "It cannot break curses, but it can cleanse them. That is to say, if a valid curse with a specific process to break it, is placed on someone and it is particularly powerful, it will not be broken. However, if it is a curse meant to last through time and fade away slowly with no specific process established in the casting that could break it, then that situation is different. Such a type of curse as the one upon you is similar to a magical illness that can fade in time or be healed. It is different from the curse upon Xellos that requires a specific process to be broken." 

Zelas continued elaborating. "There are cons and pros to both types of curses. Curses that require a specific process to be broken are easier to figure out and generally involve having the victim accomplish something that might not be pleasant to them or go against their priorities. However, even if they are easily understood, they are very difficult to break by alternate means. On the other hand, curses that don't have specific cures may seem difficult to break, for lack of antidote to aim for, yet they are more vulnerable to being broken by alternate means." 

"In other words," Zelas finished, "specific curses have a glaring weakness, even if it is difficult to aim for it, while the non-specific curses are weaker overall, but distressful to those who may not have the intellect or resources to come up with alternative curse breaking methods. Those none-specific curses are also easier to cast and require less power from the caster. As such, they can be overwhelmed more easily." 

Filia nodded in realization, "then what you're saying is that the well of recovery's water could cure me but not Xellos." 

Zelas feigned shock, "oh my, would you look at that, a golden dragon with a brain! This is quite a rare find indeed! I've only seen about three of them counting this one. Then again, I did considerably reduce their numbers in the past, so three might be a good percentage overall." Technically, it was Xellos who did the deed, but it was on Zelas' order and he was her general, thus his power was hers, though she had plenty more power of her own. 

Filia had an absolutely furious and frustrated look in her face. She was pouting deeply while trying to restrain her words from pouring out in a very dangerous flood. From behind Zelas, Xellos shook his head frantically at Filia, hoping that she could manage to keep her temper under control and not say something that they would both regret. 

Without even turning to look at him, Zelas mockingly inquired, "what's wrong, Xellos? Did a bug crawl into your hair?" 

Xellos immediately stopped his frantic negative head signals and remained as still as a statue, "no, Lord Beast Master." 

"Good," Zelas lightly turned in her throne, ignoring Filia's barely contained rage. "It would be a pity if that were the case. Even against all odds in such a pitiful weak form, you've managed to keep your hair pretty enough." She ruffled his hair, which took both Xellos and Filia by surprise. By the time Zelas retired her hand from Xellos' head, his hair was a big disheveled mess, which was clearly getting on his nerves. Filia had caught him smoothing out his hair with his hands countless times while they went about their chores before. Thus Filia concluded that Zelas was annoying Xellos on purpose, no real surprise there. 

Zelas then turned her gaze back at Filia. "About the well of recovery, its true location is right here in my private space in the astral side. I simply made it appear as if it was located between the two kingdoms by opening a portal to a limited area of astral space. Humans walked in and out without realizing it. After the well had served its purpose, I shut off the portal to the astral space." 

Filia's expression went from angry, to surprised, to angrier. "You caused the war that ultimately destroyed those two kingdoms." She clenched her teeth and fists in rage. She had a thing or two to tell Zelas about her actions, but Xellos' constant almost pleading look was holding her back. 

"Correct," Zelas smiled cheerfully in a way that reminded Filia of Xellos. 

The golden dragon told herself that Beast Master could kill her for her insolence if she dared to express her strong disapproval for her evil actions. Then again, Xellos could have killed her in the past too and that didn't stop her from calling him raw garbage every now and then and threatening him with her mace. "You're terrible! I see where Xellos gets his obnoxious personality; it's from his malicious mother! Except you're a million times worse, a despicable monster!" Filia snapped venomously. 

Xellos' jaw dropped, his face undergoing another of those occasions when his expression changed on its own outside of his control. His eyes were wide and worried, his entire body tense. "She... didn't... she's..." he stuttered to find the words that would hopefully save Filia's life. "Don't listen to her, Lord Beast Master. She's just a stupid dragon, too stupid to even be worth killing!" 

Zelas looked enraged, in a matter of seconds her face went from overly cheerful to cruel beyond words. Her eyes were suddenly glowing with an evil light they didn't have a few seconds ago. She pulled Xellos away by the arm, causing him to stand next to Filia in front of her as she stood from her throne and glared down at the two. "Are you defending her, Xellos? Are you willing to risk your own life to plead for hers?" 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 045: Stubborness! Broken Denial

Filia had gone through a number of scary situations in life ever since she ventured out of the sheltered safety of the dragon temple and into the realities of the world. She had witnessed many battles and helped stop what could have been the end of the world. All those experiences were frightening indeed, but they were different from this. Back then, there came a point where she was so regretful for what her people had done to the ancient dragons that, though she tried to survive with all her strength, she didn't fear death. She wanted to live, but if she died, it would be retribution for her people. There was no such a situation now. 

If Filia died now at the hands of Lord Beast Master who stared at her, through her, with angry eyes, it wouldn't serve any purpose. She would be painfully dispatched and Xellos would probably follow. She would never see her friends again, she wouldn't be able to raise Val, she would be gone and so would Xellos. With no consolation, not even the slightest hint of a microscopic silver lining, Filia feared death like she had never feared before. 

The terrified golden dragon slowly tore her gaze away from Beast Master with no small effort. She glanced at Xellos, who was as still as a statue and as quiet as one. It was as if all his trains of thought had derailed and he couldn't process anything anymore. For him, there was always a possibility, always a strategy, always an option. Even when the situation was dire, there was always a plan B, but not this time. This time, no matter in how many mental circles he went, he couldn't think of what to do or say to repair the situation. 

Filia tried to get him to snap out of it with her eyes. She couldn't find her voice, her throat painfully dry. Why wasn't he saying anything? If she was doomed anyway, he could at least ask, or better yet, beg, for Beast Master's forgiveness. He could at least save himself if she had been inevitably doomed by her own temper. 

"Kill her," Zelas' order sounded cold, cruel and definite. 

Xellos seemed to wake up from his desperate thinking, searching for a solution that wasn't there. "Kill?" 

"Kill this golden dragon, just as you killed so many of her kind before," Zelas made her order clear beyond a doubt. 

Xellos looked at Filia and she nodded slightly. She no longer had any anger in her eyes, only quiet resignation. He realized that she wouldn't hold a grudge in the short remainder of her life. She wasn't full of the hatred one should have for one's own soon to be murderer. She was telling her with her silent expression to do it, to kill her and save himself. 

So what if his cure was eradicated? What good was a cure if he was dead? Beast Master was certainly aware of the specifics of his curse, yet she gave him a direct order. Even if he was healed, even if he was at full power, he couldn't defy Zelas. What was he supposed to say? That he didn't currently possess the power to kill a weakened dragon? That would just get them both killed faster. 

There was no choice, he couldn't do anything to change this, it wasn't his decision to make and Filia understood that. His energy was still dangerously low, using the Dragon Slave to end Filia in one swift painless blow might drain away his very life and leave him in a critical condition, but a multitude of Fireballs for a slower death wouldn't do. "Darkness beyond twilight... Crimson beyond blood that flows..." 

Loud laughter interrupted Xellos' spell as Zelas fell back into her throne holding her sides in extreme amusement. To top it all up, her laugh was similar to Naga and Martina's with more of a roar to it, but right now it wasn't full force or else they might be left deaf. "Alright, alright, that's enough, stop before you ruin my hourglass figure," she joked. With a smile, she looked at the confused and shocked Xellos. "Of course, if you had argued back, I would have killed you both, but you already know that, don't you?" She sighed contently, very much like Lina after accomplishing the near impossible, filling her stomach. "Ah, what a satisfying meal, such delicious despair! You better be on your way now Xellos, before I'm tempted to keep you as you are." 

At long last it sunk in that Zelas wasn't going to kill Filia. She was just feeding off her despair as well as Xellos'. Still in shock, Xellos managed to say, "yes, Lord Beast Master." His expression once again acted on its own, conveying his relief at the same time that Filia let out the breath she had been holding all along without realizing it. The golden dragon was certain she had been a small step away from a heart attack. 

"One more thing," Zelas added casually. "Fang! Here boy!" The monster fox obediently appeared, teleporting to his master's side. "Fang needs to be walked. I will assign this task to you, Xellos." 

"Yes, Lord Beast Master," Xellos didn't even have the energy to say anymore than that one phrase, but it was enough. He exited the throne room along with Filia and Fang. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Once they were away from Zelas, Filia finally regained the ability to speak after her near death experience. "That was scary," she stated the obvious. 

"Are you suicidal?" Xellos reproached with full seriousness in place of his accustomed sarcasm. "We got lucky that Lord Beast Master was feeling exceptionally merciful today!" 

"I know; it was stupid of me to try to argue with her." Filia made no attempts to excuse her behavior. "I could have gotten us both killed after we were so close to being spared. I realize what I've done." She held back late frightened tears as it all sunk in. "I'm sorry." 

"Don't do anything insane like that again," Xellos warned. They continued walking in silence until they exited the spa. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos and Filia had been walking along with Fang for a while when they reached a well. "Here it is, get yourself cured." 

Filia stared at the well, taking a moment to process Xellos' words. "This is the well of recovery?" 

"The flowing energy of the astral side is what gives it power. Drinking a little water from it should free you of your curse. I think I'll drink some too," Xellos decided. 

"Zelas said it wouldn't break your curse," Filia reminded. 

"I know that," Xellos was not pleased to have the fact thrown at him again. "I'm just thirsty." 

"We shouldn't drink from this well without permission," Filia warned. Her near death experience was still fresh in her mind. Regardless of how much time passed, she had a feeling that the event would still be eerily clear in her memories. There were some things that were simply too impressive to forget. "What if Zelas gets angry?" 

"She gave us permission," Xellos assured as he let down the bucket attached to a rope on top of the well. He brought it up filled with water and set it on the well's edge. Cupping his hands together he took some water to drink. The water was very good, better than any other drink he had before. It was water, thus flavorless, yet it was refreshing beyond words. "Drink, like I said, we have permission," Xellos assured. "Zelas wouldn't have brought up the well if she didn't intend for it to be used. She also said she was sending me on my way and gave me Fang. He can take us out of the astral side. Our job here is done, we can return to town." 

"The town..." Filia stepped forward wordlessly and drank some of the water from the well of recovery. She immediately felt the results as her magic was unlocked, but she was deadly quiet. Her hair went from white to blond almost instantly, with the true power of a golden dragon once again eradiating from her, but not strongly yet, she was still tired. The water cured her curse, but it didn't do much in terms of restoring her energy. "I'll heal you now," she offered, looking over the signs of their past battle still present on Xellos. 

The entire process of Xellos being healed with Filia's recovery spells went by in silence. It was obvious she was still tired; Xellos could feel her pushing herself to the limit. When she was finished, she merely nodded, not bothering to heal herself, she had no energy left for that. She would just have to heal herself after she had some time to rest. 

"Stupid dragon," it was a wonder Filia had managed to live as long as she had. She had a dangerous temper that made her pick fights with deadly foes, such as himself when they first met and more recently Zelas. Plus she was always putting others before herself and carrying the consequences of her foolish selflessness. 

Filia made no reply towards Xellos' words as if she didn't hear him. Ever since he mentioned returning to town, her mind was thrown to a different place, a tragic place. The tears that had been slowly escaping little by little barely perceptibly, suddenly started to flow out like rivers. 

"What are you crying about now?" Xellos inquired with a clear hint of exasperation. "Stupid dragon, the worse is over, we survived reporting to Lord Beast Master, be grateful for that." 

"Shut up, you piece of raw garbage!" Filia retorted in sobs. "It's not over. I trust that Gravos and Jillas have protected Val, Elena and Palou. Naga must have been of help too. I trust that Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis are alright, they'll be ready to complain about missing the action when they get back from their spicy herb hunt. But I'm not alright. Hanna tricked me, I cared for her like a mother, I loved her like a child to a parent and she betrayed me. I've been too busy trying to survive to even begin to mourn her. She was a liar, an actor, just like... just like you." 

The comparison was less than flattering; it made Xellos glare and growl the inquiry, "how so?" 

"She tricked me into caring for her, she tricked the whole town. You don't even make an effort. I know you lie, I know you deceive, I know you're only using me for your own benefit, to rid yourself of any annoying foes that might come your way seeking to kill you. Then you can conserve your energy for an emergency. I know you wouldn't even look at me if you didn't want something from me. A meal and amusement back when you were a monster, a disposable pawn to fight for you now. I know it all too well, but I keep falling for it like an idiot!" Filia sobbed uncontrollably, letting out her sorrows and insecurities full force. 

So she was afraid of being used and betrayed even if she fully expected it? "Stupid dragon," Xellos hugged her, to which Filia surprisingly didn't resist. "If I'm so horrible and you know it, why don't you just cast me aside? Why do you stay by my side when no one is forcing you to?" 

"Because I'm an idiot," Filia bitterly stated, her words somewhat muffled as her face was buried on Xellos' shoulder. She was an idiot, she realized, only an idiot could care for a monster. She couldn't deny it anymore. She was focusing on blissful possibilities that she kept well hidden in the back of her mind, subconsciously tricking herself into believing that the impossible was possible. She thought it was harmless to care for Xellos just a little, because she was in denial about caring a lot. She was simply being open-minded by giving him just a miniscule hint of appreciation and fondness in the privacy of her mind. 

There was nothing wrong with a little attraction, it was purely platonic and could never be anything else. Filia was aware of that fact and wouldn't allow her feelings to grow out of control. Yet they proved to be too strong. She feared for his life more than her own. She would forgive him if he was ordered to kill her, if she was doomed anyway, she could only wish for his safety. When he had begun chanting the Dragon Slave she no longer feared the pain of death, she just kept wishing with all her might that this would be enough for Zelas to spare Xellos' life. 

Filia's denial was broken, shattered into a million pieces. She was falling in love and she knew it. It was the stupidest thing she had ever done. Loving a monster, it was both wrong and ridiculous. It was made worse by the fact that she was certain he didn't care in return. He was a deceiving liar, yet the look on his face when he thought he had no choice but to end her life, or else Beast Master would, spoke of more than simply the resignation of knowing his place, it held sorrow. She couldn't get that expression out of her head. 

When Filia felt Xellos' kissing her, she only tightened her embrace. She knew it would hurt her more if she didn't fight back, but she didn't want to. If she was going to be heart broken anyway, she might as well allow herself this bittersweet pleasure. Her denial was indeed broken, but it wasn't lost. She clung to every shattered piece of denial, every single one. She believed her actions to be nonsensical and fought to crush her own hope. She might have been falling in love, but love is not true love until it is embraced and accepted; admitted. She would draw the line there; she would acknowledge the facts, but not accept them. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"I can't believe you two!" Lina's upset voice made Xellos and Filia cease their passionate kissing. 

They were no longer in the astral side near the well of recovery. They were in the ruins of a large dried tree made from many thinner trees wrapped together. A large stone golem was cleaning up the remnants of trees around town with Naga riding on its shoulder and directing it. They looked at Fang who gave them a large toothed grin and wagged his two tails playfully. He must have taken them back to the town while they were distracted with each other. 

"Unbelievable!" Lina continued to dramatize. She did take notice of the monster fox, but it looked harmless enough anyway. "Not only do you fight without me, but then you go on a date and leave the clean up duty to everyone else!" 

"What happened?" Filia inquired with a red face, her need to know overpowering her embarrassment. 

"Maybe if you weren't so busy sucking face you would have noticed!" Lina was clearly in a bad mood after missing the fight. She was the star of the show, she should be the one Dragon Slaving the villains into oblivion, yet she had barely made any appearances lately. "Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis and I fought a bunch of monsters that were after Xellos. Apparently Zelas was the one who arranged it for them to believe that Xellos was with us. After that fight was over, we saw a flash of light coming from the direction of the town, so we came to investigate. By the time we got here, the battle was over and there were nothing but dead chimera trees all over the place. We regrouped with Jillas, Gravos and Naga. Val, Elena and Palou are safe. They couldn't find you two so we were searching. It's been almost an hour since the battle ended. Where did you disappear to and what's with the purple yukatas? What does BMS stand for? If it's bondage-maso-sado, I don't want to hear it!" 

"What?" Filia's face turned a deeper shade of red. "That's not what it stands for! And what do you mean an hour? It's been longer than that." 

"BMS stands for Beast Master Spa," Xellos calmly explained with his usual overly cheerful expression once again invading his features. "Time passes differently in certain parts of the astral side, so the time that transpired here was shorter." 

Lina felt her eye twitch in annoyance. She couldn't find the spicy herbs Elena needed for her special dish, she ended up destroying said herbs if they were even in the mountain to begin with. She had been absent from the main action for a while and her so called friends went off to a monster lord spa without her. It was probably a high end luxury spa too. They probably had really good snacks and delicious little mint filling gourmet chocolates in pretty wrappers! With an indignant growl, Lina turned around and walked away off to vent before she Dragon Slaved the whole town into nothingness. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Aya, Kyle, Alys and the traveling merchant were all dead. The one to blame was Hanna, alias Venus, who had also perished in the end. Filia didn't have the heart to tell the townspeople the truth. The bodies were recovered from the ruble and given proper graves. The townspeople mourned them all, blaming the mysterious Green Alchemist for their sorrow. Filia promised to make justice, to seek out the master mind behind the tragedy and deliver a well deserved punishment. Amelia was all too quick to agree and offer her full support. Hanna's good name was preserved for mercy to those who cared for her and because few to none would believe the truth even if they knew. 

It was time for Lina's group to move on again, their destination was Seyruun. It was the place where they always went for answers. Those targeting Xellos were expected to follow them there, to a place with much better defenses than any other, thus significantly reducing civilian casualties. The Green Alchemist had to be stopped. Naga decided to stay in Filia's town and help rebuild with her golems. Val would remain in the care and protection of Jillas and Gravos until Filia had returned. Elena and Palou would be there to support Jillas and Gravos too and help the townspeople assimilate their loss. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Xellos and Filia set out early the next morning. Filia had taken a moment to say a few words of comfort to Val's egg and reassure him. "Mommy will be back soon. Uncle Jillas and uncle Gravos will be here with you. I'll miss you sweetie, have pleasant dreams. Mommy will make sure you hatch into a peaceful world." 

"And daddy will be there to make sure she doesn't mess up." Filia jumped several feet into the air at the sudden voice from behind her. Even in human form, Xellos was getting the hang of sneaking up on her. 

The golden dragon gave the monster turned human a sharp glare. She had warned him before that dragons could hear what was spoken around them before hatching. She knew he was just being annoying as usual, but she didn't want him to be a pest around Val. After a good night's sleep, Filia was more determined to rid herself of her feelings for Xellos, yet she knew it would be a difficult decision to carry out. Even when she was angry at him because he was such an annoying pest, she still found his vexation somewhat charming. It was official, Filia had lost her mind, and if by any chance she managed to find it, she was sure Xellos would swiftly make her lose it again. 

To be Continued


	16. Chapter 16

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 046: Virus! No One Is Immune

Time passed and Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Xellos, Filia and Fang journeyed all the way to Seyruun, making steady progress. They fought a few monsters on the way, but it was nothing particularly note worthy. When they finally reached the territories in the outskirts of Seyruun, the group found themselves running as fast as their legs could carry them. It wasn't due to being pursued by dangerous foes, but rather because of the massive downpour that caught them on the road. They ran and ran, longing for the shelter of Amelia's nice warm castle home. 

When they finally arrived at the castle gates after rushing through the streets, a pair of guards in bright yellow rain coats let them through. Albeit the guards eyed Fang suspiciously for a second, they soon disregarded any mental alarms and assumed the being was another of the princess' unusual friends. Once the group was indoors, they squeezed the water out of their capes and shuffled towards their usual frequent visitor guest rooms, leaving little puddles of water in their path with every step. They already had dry clothes identical to their usual traveling outfits waiting for them. It was all thanks to their repeated visits to Seyruun, which had become expected, and Philionel's generosity. 

Once the group was dry and changed, they went to see Philionel, who was all too happy with their arrival. "Welcome, welcome!" His loud voice echoed across the banquet hall where the castle cooks were busily bringing over dish after dish to satisfy, or attempt to satisfy, Lina's and Gourry's nearly insatiable appetites. "Amelia, I'm so happy that you've returned, my dear daughter!" 

"Daddy, I'm happy to see you too and I have news!" Father and daughter shared a loving hug, while Amelia cheerfully threw a hint at Zelgadis that completely flew over his head. 

Zelgadis and Amelia were already used to being in each other's company and very much enjoyed it. Other than the occasional blushing, everything flowed very naturally between them. With all that had been going on and after spending some more time together as an official couple, Zelgadis had relaxed to the point where he forgot his fears about facing Phil. 

"What's this news you've brought me?" The Seyruun prince curiously asked with an overjoyed tone. If his dear daughter was so happy, then it had to be good news. 

Amelia glanced at Zelgadis, who seemed to be merrily enjoying the chocolate covered strawberry that sat atop his chocolate chip vanilla cake, oblivious to the rest of the world. Of course, his table matters were proper, unlike the lack of table manners displayed by Lina and Gourry. Seeing that Zelgadis wasn't exactly in attention, Amelia decided to deliver her news last and first shared a different set of events. "Actually it's more than one news. When we were at Filia's home town, we ran into Naga." 

"You did?" Contrary to what some believed, Naga did occasionally write letters to her father. She made it clear she wished to continue traveling and had no intentions of claiming the throne. Phil respected that and they remained in communication. "How is she? What did she say?" 

"She's as well as ever. She hasn't changed at all," Amelia smiled. "She mentioned staying at the town for a little while. I think she was having a lot of fun helping out at Filia's shop with Gravos and Jillas." Naga was especially fond of Gravos, but like a good sister, Amelia kept her mouth shut about that to their father, until Naga decided to mention it. 

"That's good to hear," Philionel had a bittersweet expression, that was finally filled with accepting joy. "As long as she's happy, I am happy for her." 

Amelia gave her father an understanding look before moving on to the next piece of information. "This other news will come as a surprise," she paused to glance at Zelgadis to see if he was getting the hint. He gave her a fond smile when he noticed her gaze, then took a sip of tea, with too much calm to be aware of the situation. "Miss Lina and Mr. Gourry are engaged." 

Lina paused in her eating, her face turning bright scarlet. "They are?" Philionel was surprised in a happy way. "Congratulations!" 

Lina chuckled a little nervously, "thanks." Then in true Lina fashion she ceased the opportunity, "is there any chance of a congratulatory dinner?" 

"Of course!" Philionel laughed heartily, while the cooks that were delivering additional food cringed. "I never would have guessed I would receive such wonderful news. Today is a happy day!" 

"That's not all," Amelia continued, "there is one more thing I wanted to tell you about." She blushed and looked at Zelgadis just as his fork caught another portion of cake and his expression showed how delicious it was. "It's more like Zelgadis and I both want to tell you." 

Upon hearing Amelia's words, Zelgadis put his fork down and looked at her curiously. Then the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. They fit in so naturally together, it was as if they were meant to be since forever. In truth it had been a long process of getting to know each other and developing a growing admiration and appreciation that eventually turned into love. Then it dawned on him that Amelia's father was still unaware of their status as a dating couple. The scarlet glow on his face and the sudden fit of nervous fidgeting were clear hints that Zelgadis was no longer unaware of the coming revelation. 

Amelia took Zelgadis' hand under the table to help put him at ease as she revealed, "Zelgadis and I are now a couple." 

"A couple!?" Philionel jumped from his seat, his chair falling to the floor behind him at the sudden motion. 

The sight of the crown prince towering before him at the head of the table, made Zelgadis automatically jump to his feet blabbering incoherently. "A-amelia... lo-love... ve-very much... yes... sir... p-please..." 

Philionel approached Zelgadis in a way that made him fear his head would soon end up laying by his feet completely detached from his neck. Then the tall gruff prince wrapped his massive arms around the chimera, nearly crushing his bones in the process. "Welcome to the family, my son!" 

Zelgadis once again found himself in one of those special occasions when he was glad to be a chimera, because a fragile human would have surely been crushed to death by Phil's mighty hug. "Thank you," Zelgadis managed to choke out with what small traces of air he managed to keep in his compressed lungs. 

"My little Amelia is all grown up," Phil sniffled a little before all out crying tears of joy. "I'm so happy! We must have a party to celebrate all these joyous occasions tonight. We'll have a double banquet for the royal engagement of my Amelia and Zelgadis and for the engagement of our dear friends Lina and Gourry!" 

"A double banquet?" Gourry's eyes shone dreamily along with Lina's. 

"Phil, you rock!" The redhead cheered. 

Zelgadis noticed that Philionel immediately assumed that he and Amelia were engaged, not just dating, but neither half of the royal couple made an effort to correct him. Zelgadis thought that maybe this was the way it worked for a princess. She could be married, engaged, or not involved at all. Royals did tend to marry off quickly, thus perhaps their dating stage was particularly short, or they skipped it altogether. 

The table overall was filled with joy, except for Xellos. The events and the happiness they caused didn't bother him. It was his human body which was bringing him misery. He had his head resting on his arms on the table face down in despair. His snack remained ignored; he wasn't in the mood to eat. His head hurt, his throat burned, his whole body ached and his brain felt slow as if he was in a constant daze. His eyes were watering and he had used up all the napkins on the table trying to keep his nose under control. He produced a pitiful groan while Filia, who had scooted her chair close to his, continued tracing circular patterns on his back in a futile effort to console him. 

"Excuse me," Filia finally spoke. "I think Xellos and I must retire. It looks like he's sick with a cold, so I'll go tend to him." 

Philionel gave the agonizing man on the table a curious look. He had learned from Amelia's stories that Xellos was a high level monster, thus strong enough to enter Seyruun without a problem. His nature aside, he was in more or less acceptable terms with the group most of the time. He seemed similar enough to a human, he smiled, told the occasional sarcastic joke and apparently was even interested in the very human activity of caring for his appearance, as he had dyed his hair, Phil assumed. Thus the kind prince ultimately accepted Xellos with the same hospitality he had for his daughter's other traveling companions. 

"Monsters can catch colds?" Without waiting for a reply to the rhetorical question, Philionel continued, "you know what they say; no one is safe from falling in love or catching a cold. I'll send for Kally, she's been studying to become a doctor and is very good at mixing remedies. Just make sure you do not say the word octopus around her. The poor girl is terribly allergic to them and suffers from a bit of a trauma." 

"I understand," Filia spoke for herself as she led Xellos away. He would probably shout out 'octopus' the second he saw the girl. Or if he was smart, he would wait until after she was done preparing a remedy for his cold and then shout out the O word. It would be ungrateful and cruel. At least he wasn't protesting to having Filia help him, humiliation or not, he was too sick to care. 

After Filia and Xellos left, Lina and Gourry continued pigging out. Fang also had a place on the table, because pets were people too, according to Phil. The monster fox was enjoying a nice juicy steak, which he closely guarded from Lina. After informing one of the castle attendants to send Kally to tend to the ill guest, Philionel continued the cheerful conversation. "Looking forward to the crusade?" 

"Oh yes! I mean eventually," was Amelia's blushing reply. 

"Ah, you have more plans right now?" The crown prince asked, not really needing an answer. "Maybe you could even count it as part of the crusade, even if it is early." 

Zelgadis gave his future father-in-law a curious look. "Crusade?" 

"Oh yes, it's tradition," Philionel looked like he was taking a quick detour down memory lane, before becoming once again focused on the present. "When a Seyruun royal is married, he or she must venture in a crusade around the world to learn about Seyruun's position in it, experience different cultures and witness varying points of view. That would help when it comes to the eventual ruling of the kingdom, especially now that the barrier is gone and the outer world is open to us." Seeing Amelia's worried face, Phil quickly added, "don't worry, you can take your time with the crusade, I'll hold the fort here until you're ready. Of course that's after you're married, but the tradition can be bent a little. You could go on an engagement crusade instead of a marriage one. " 

"Or both," Amelia cheerfully suggested. 

"Or both," Philionel agreed. 

So even if he married Amelia, the thought of which made Zelgadis blush bright red, he didn't have to stick around the castle right away? He could continue traveling around the world with Amelia and still be somehow fulfilling his new royal duties by doing so? Oh yes, life was good, all the trouble he had endured in his existence was well worth it for what was to come and for what was transpiring in the present. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

It didn't take long for Kally to arrive at Xellos' room, where Filia was taking care of him. She wasn't wearing her cloak, which had been tossed in a corner of the room in disgust. Xellos had caught her off guard when she was helping him to his room and blew his nose on it. Even so, constantly watching over Xellos wasn't going to make it easier for Filia to eradicate any possible feelings she knew she had for him, but she couldn't help it if she was a merciful creature. Maybe she could hammer it, metaphorically, into her own skull that Xellos was an annoying problem and that she was better off without him in her life. She thought that he reminded her of that constantly with his words and actions, yet it refused to sink in. 

Some quick introductions were exchanged with Kally. The shrine maiden, now an apprentice doctor, had mid-back lenght reddish-brown hair, big green eyes and a freckled face. She chattered away about the biological aspects of the common cold and why it was so common. While she was giving her lecture, which no one had requested in the first place, she also occupied herself in laying out her tools and supplies on the table and mixing herbs. Once the mixture was done, she handed Xellos a most unappetizing green goop in an oddly shaped cup. 

Xellos gave the medicine a disgusted look, then gave Filia a mischievous glance. "Octagon..." Filia was ready to pounce on the unsuspecting Kally and cover her ears, but she stopped last minute in an odd position behind the girl with her hands left and right of her head. 

Kally blinked as Filia pretended to stretch and scooted away. She then addressed Xellos' comment. "It's a superstition really, there's nothing scientific about serving medicine in an octagon shaped cup rather than a circular one. The herb mixture is a product of research though, but I thought, even if the octagon might not help, it certainly won't hurt." 

"I see," Xellos sniffed the odd concoction and even more disgust invaded his features as he wrinkled his nose and stuck out his tongue in a facial sign that anyone would understand. 

"It's as bitter as it smells, but it works wonders against the common cold, even if it'll make you a bit sleepy at first," Kally insisted. "These herbs grow exclusively in the fall. It's summer now, so last year's supply is running low. It's okay though, we should have just enough to last until this fall." 

"October," at the well pronounced beginning of the word Filia almost tackled Xellos to cover his mouth, once again stopping at the last moment, frozen in a peculiar posture. "Is one of my favorite months of the year," Xellos finished with a smirk, while Filia continued to pretend she was stretching. 

"Mine too!" Kally cheerfully agreed. "By the way, Miss Filia, you seem to be rather stiff. I could brew you a remedy that will help your muscles relax." 

"Don't worry about me, I'm just fine," Filia laughed awkwardly. She knew Xellos was throwing false alarms around on purpose to embarrass her. 

"If you say so..." Kally noticed that Xellos still had not consumed his medicine. "Come now Mr. Xellos, you don't even need to drink it all. Just one or two drinks will make you feel all better. Make an effort for your health." 

A long moment passed, during which Xellos didn't do anything. "Oh for crying out loud!" Losing her patience, Filia snatched away the octagon shaped cup from Xellos. "It's not so bad, watch." She took a swig of the green goop and her face soon turned the same color, but she swallowed it anyway. "See? I'm braver than you!" 

Feeling challenged, even if he knew it was obviously a trick, Xellos snatched the octagon shaped cup back and drank. He needed the medicine anyway to help heal his current body, so it was in his best interest to endure the foul taste. Just as Kally was looking rather pleased that her patient drank his medicine as he should, Xellos voiced a peculiar word, "pulpo." The word caused Filia's eyes to open as wide as moons as Kally let out an earsplitting shriek and ran out of the room in a frantic panic. 

Filia twitched in frustration as she noted, "you're bilingual." 

Xellos grinned in amusement and added, "apparently so is Kally." 

Filia frowned deeply, "you cruel piece of raw garbage!" 

"Sweet dreams to you too, Filia," Xellos shifted positions on his bed and got comfortable. Those herbs were making him more than just a little sleepy. He better be cured by the time he woke up or he would chase Kally all over Seyruun singing Amelia's octopus song. 'Octopus, oh my, oh my, when you got two it's an octopi!' He patted the empty space on the bed next to him in an obvious invitation for Filia to join him. "My evil plot to give you my cold was foiled when you greedily drank some of my much needed medicine. That's okay; I'll forgive your terrible lack of consideration for my health and still kindly offer you a place on my bed." 

"I have a bed of my own to sleep on." The golden dragon responded with a glare and tried to firmly maintain it no matter how strangely amusing Xellos' overly cheerful grin was. She used to hate that painted grin. When did she stop hating it? She gritted her teeth to stop herself from stupidly grinning back and initiating a pillow fight that she knew she would win. She was feeling a little sleepy because of the herbs, but it was evident that Xellos' human body would succumb to the side effects first; he could barely keep his eyes open. 

Filia's assumption was proven to be true as Xellos helplessly fell into a deep slumber, while Filia was still glaring at him. She could leave him to his rest and retreat to her own room. Yet she did take that nasty remedy, so she should be protected against the possibility of catching his cold. She could take a nap next to him and it wouldn't be harmful to her health, only to her sanity, but hadn't she already lost that anyway? She grumbled a few incoherent insults directed at Xellos' sleeping form and finally gave in. She wasn't accepting her feelings, not by a long shot. 

She was just taking a nap and guarding Xellos at the same time because he was evil and needed to be guarded. If she left him alone he might miraculously recover from the remedy's sleepy side effects, find himself completely cured of his cold and go on a Dragon Slave rampage through Seyruun. Filia was bravely guarding a horrible criminal for the sake of protecting the fair kingdom. She was making a noble sacrifice by sleeping next to Xellos. 

Filia repeated the notion in her head a few times until she realized that it was futile to try to trick herself. It was a pity because she used to be so good at it, but not anymore. Maybe Xellos cunning rubbed off on her and she became harder to trick, even by herself. Then in a very uncharacteristic burst she thought, 'forget excuses' and laid down next to Xellos just because she felt like it. She even allowed herself to wrap her arms around him and cuddle close. The only thing she didn't allow herself to do was accept that her feelings were more than just a passing phase of extreme idiocy. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 047: Good and Bad! Rain and Sunshine

The rain that fell over Seyruun had stopped and the skies became sunny and clear. It was as if the weather was mocking the travelers it soaked by turning nice shortly after they finally reached shelter. Weather sarcasm aside, Zelgadis and Amelia were in a good mood as they took to the streets of the fair kingdom with Fang by their side. The monster fox had curiously followed them out and Amelia, who was rather fond of animals, took it upon herself to show him around. Zelgadis didn't like the idea as this was Zelas' pet that Xellos was supposed to walk. Yet not even the chore could ruin his overall good mood as he walked through town next to Amelia. 

"Can we stop here a moment? I need to get something." Zelgadis pointed at a large warehouse. It was mostly a place where merchants left their goods, though it could also be used as a storage room for personal property. "I'll be right back." 

"Sure," it didn't look like Zelgadis wanted Amelia to tag along inside, so she waited for him on the street, rocking back and forth on her feet. A few noises were heard from inside the storage as if an avalanche of things fell over. Fortunately, Zelgadis emerged unharmed soon after. "This is where you keep the things you've picked up on the road, right?" 

"Yeah, I sometimes did a little treasure hunting on the side while looking for a cure," Zelgadis revealed. 

"What did you need to get?" Amelia curiously inquired. 

"This," Zelgadis showed her a map. "It's only a standard map of the continent, but it's good to have it on hand, just in case." 

"You've always been a great navigator," Amelia recalled how Zelgadis would study their surroundings when they journeyed outside of the barrier for the first time. 

The pair happily continued on their way until they reached the Seyruun main park. Zelgadis was a bit uneasy, but Amelia seemed to trust Fang to behave well enough. The kingdom's children recognized the princess and immediately surrounded her in hopes of hearing another of her adventure stories and more so hoping they could play with the big animal that accompanied her. The near by parents were a little anxious, but trusted Amelia's judgment. 

It turned out that Fang was rather easily amused. He seemed to be pleased enough playing fetch with the kids and was seemingly strong enough not to be too bothered by their constant squeals of joy, despite being a monster fox. Who knows, maybe he wasn't even pure monster, but some kind of monster and fox chimera or something. Amelia and Zelgadis were too focused on each other to question Fang's nature as long as he didn't attack anyone. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Amelia and Zelgadis spent a nice afternoon at the park while Lina and Gourry continued pigging out. As for Xellos and Filia, the side effects of the medicinal herb remedy they drank were already wearing off. Xellos has felt irresistibly sleepy, but his need for rest was satisfied after a short time. He was feeling much better when he woke up, his cold was gone. Unfortunately, that didn't mean he wasn't in pain, for it was precisely a jolt of pain which had woken him up. "Filia, wake up, lover..." 

Filia opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was Xellos' face very close to hers. "Lo-lover? Liar!" She jumped out of the bed, no such terrible things had transpired, she had to reassure herself of it. 

"It looks like I'm cured from my cold, but I need to ask a small favor of you." Xellos had the same tone of voice he used when he was pretending to be somewhat nice right before embarrassing Filia. 

The golden dragon knew it was coming, Xellos was surely about to say something that would make her blood boil. "What?" She snapped angrily. 

"Could you take care of this?" Lacking a proper explanation from Filia's point of view, Xellos began to take off his shirt. 

"Take care of what? What are you doing?" Filia frantically questioned in a panic. 

"This," Xellos pointed to his back where there were several fresh cuts. 

"Oh," Filia examined the cuts in perplexity. "How did you get those? They almost look like claw marks." She reached out to gently touch the affected area and froze when she saw her hands. Her gloves were torn at the fingers. She must have slipped her hands into his shirt when she was hugging him in her sleep. Then she must have undergone a partial transformation, which was further emphasized by the fact that her tail was still out, though her dragon claws and fangs had shrunk into human nails and teeth. Filia felt her face turned even redder than it already was. She felt like all her blood had rushed to her cheeks. 

"I think you know how this happened," Xellos teased. "Don't worry, when I recover my monster powers you won't have to hold back. Look forward to it," he winked. 

With gritted teeth and a growing amount of mortification, Filia considered running away and finding a deep hole to hide in for the next decade or so. Yet she didn't, instead she forced herself to remain rooted to the spot and heal Xellos. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Where are you going, Filia?" Xellos inquired as he followed her like a second shadow. 

Fed up with him and in desperate need of some breathing room, Filia quickened her pace across the Seyruun gardens until she came to stand in the shade next to a storage room. "Stop following me! Go away raw garbage, you're so annoying!" 

"I know you don't mean that," Xellos gave her an infuriatingly flirty look, which made Filia growl loudly. "C'mon Filia, you know you want me." 

A murderous glare with clenched teeth and fists was Filia's reply accompanying her threatening growl. Some time ago in the era of her grandparents' youth, some of the golden dragons made a movement that eventually banned human cuisine. Filia herself had never tried the delicacy, but she was sure some dragons were skilled in preparing it in secret. Right now, she was tempted to try. Since Xellos was fully human at the moment, she wouldn't even have to worry about him being a poisonous monster if she devoured him. 

"You must really have a lot of bottled up passion," Xellos curiously observed. "You look like you want to literally bite my head off and your fangs are showing." He winked again, then kept his eyes open afterwards in an unblinking direct amethyst gaze that seemed to draw her in. "If you've truly fallen desperately in love with me, I might be willing to do you the honor of accepting your affections." 

"I wish I knew exactly what you're feeling when you lie like that, you cold hearted trickster." Filia snapped, near the point of frustrated tears of anger. A pulsation of energy filled the air, ignored by both halves of the argument. 

Filia was making even less sense than usual as of late and it was getting to Xellos. Her emotions were ever changing, a wild roller coaster that he couldn't keep up with. His empathy was making him dizzy. "I wish I knew what it's like to be a golden dragon, because then I might actually understand your nonsensical randomness. I'm offering to give you what you want, so why don't you just take it? Are you so obsessed with your golden dragon ideals that you can't even realize your own lust, even if it's so obvious." Another pulsation of energy occurred, making the storage room next to them tremble. 

"It's not lust!" Filia yelled, lust was impure and unworthy of a dragon. Then again, to say she lusted for a used to be monster, might be less horrible than to say she felt an unacceptable love towards a used to be monster. Especially when sooner or later the human would become a monster again, and a high ranking one at that, with a long list of crimes against the dragon race. Both possibilities were terribly wrong by themselves, thus both possibilities occurring simultaneously were certainly too much to bear. 

"Are you in love with me then?" Xellos argued back. His careful tone was gone as he got into the heat of the disagreement. Another pulsation of energy occurred, followed by a bright light coming from the windows of the storage room next to them. The light invaded their senses along with a strange kind of resonance that made them lose consciousness. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"C'mon Xellos, if you die now, I won't get paid!" The upset greedy voice of Lina Inverse brought Xellos back from his short coma. 

Xellos' eyes focused on the redhead hovering over his still form. "I'm alive," he stated the obvious. 

"What happened? Did the bleach fumes make you pass out or something?" Lina curiously inquired, her question making no real sense to Xellos. "Filia was out like a light too." 

"Where am I?" Filia started waking up, feeling rather disoriented. She was arguing with Xellos, the atmosphere felt heavy, there was a bright light from the storage room and that's all she remembered. The next thing she knew, she was waking up and Lina and Gourry were already there. 

"Lina and I saw a light, so we came to see what it was," Gourry explained. "Was the light from a spell? I didn't know there was a bleach spell." 

"Bleach spell?" Filia blinked in confusion. 

"What's all this about bleach?" Xellos inquired, he couldn't find a way to link something like bleach to the current situation. 

Filia stared at him, "your hair," she reached over to pet his hair with her gloveless hands. "You're blond now." 

"Blond?" Xellos allowed a strand of hair to fall over his face, looking a little cross-eyed as he attempted to examine it. Now the bleach comments made sense, except he held no memories about bleaching his hair. "I don't know how this happened. Filia?" 

"Don't look at me, I was unconscious too ever since that light came from the storage," Filia reminded. Her confusion had a companion in the shape of more confusion. She blinked, that was odd; aside from her own feelings it was as if she felt someone else's. It was as she imagined empathy to be, except there was only one extra set of feelings, even though there were three people in the immediate area next to Filia. 

"Maybe the light had something to do with it," Lina theorized. "Let's go ask Phil what he's keeping in the storage." 

Xellos and Filia got to their feet and walked off with Lina and Gourry, off to find Philionel. They had only taken a few steps when a ripping sound was heard like torn fabric. All eyes landed on Xellos who shook his head, though he was well aware of the fact that the sound came from behind him. Everyone was staring with slacked jaws and wide eyes. He could barely find a way to discretely confirm if his pants had a hole in them or not, though at that point he was pretty sure they did. It wouldn't make any sense; the pants fit him just fine a few minutes ago. Even if Filia turned out to be right in her warning about the eventual consequences of his growing sweet tooth and recent pie addiction, his pants were baggy to begin with, so there was no reason for them to stop fitting all of a sudden. 

"Tail?" Xellos grabbed the appendage, feeling his own grasp, confirming that it was indeed a real tail attached to him in the area where tails are usually attached. The tail was long enough to touch the ground if he let it down. It was a dragon tail very similar to Filia's tail covered in golden scales, minus the pink bow of course. "Why in the world do I have a tail?" Xellos looked rather comical running in circles trying to get a better view of the tail's origin. "Where did it come from?" 

"Your behind, apparently," Lina pointed out the obvious with a very Gourry-like tone of voice. 

"I know that," Xellos snapped, "but why is it there?" 

Filia placed her hand on Xellos' shoulder, her expression still frozen in shock. She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. "Listen carefully," he nodded; she sounded serious, as if she had a theory about what was going on after all. "Take a deep breath, like this," she demonstrated the breathing exercise which Xellos copied. Filia then placed a hand on his chest. "Do you feel that warmth in your diaphragm?" Again Xellos nodded. "Focus your energy there, then look straight up to the sky and exhale strongly." 

Xellos followed the instructions exactly as he was told, with Lina and Gourry watching the scene unfold with curiosity. A beam of laser was shot straight up into the sky from Xellos' mouth. "Was that a laser breath?" Now it was Filia's turn to nod silently. This couldn't be happening. Being turned into a human was one thing, but this was too much. If Lord Beast Master heard about it, she might be angry, probably, most likely furious. "I'm a..." Did he even dare to say it? "I'm a golden dragon? How is this even possible?" The curse was supposed to turn him into a human. He could still feel the curse, but it was being suppressed by another magical force. It was a powerful force that kept him as a member of the golden dragon race. 

"Wow, can you give us rides like Filia?" Gourry's well intended question was met with a piercing glare from Xellos and not further dignified with a verbal response. 

"This is some twist," Lina observed. "We better hurry up and find Phil. He should be able to tell us what's in that storage that could have caused this, assuming the timing of the light wasn't just a coincidence... Nah, it would be too convenient to be just that." The group hurried away to pull the monarch away from his duties and seek a much needed explanation to this new development. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"In conclusion, it is Seyruun's duty to help the outer world towns that are suffering as a result of this year's spring and summer harvest, or lack thereof." Philionel was just finishing off an inspiring speech to his royal council, at the head of a long meeting table. 

"You can't go in there!" The voice of the guard at the door was heard. 

"It's an emergency!" Xellos pushed past the guard with ease, literally pushing him into the opposite wall of the hallway. 

"Control your strength!" Filia scolded, as she, Lina and Gourry followed Xellos into the meeting room. 

"Believe it or not, that wasn't on purpose," Xellos had become used to needing to put extra effort into everything to get his human body to respond and the additional strength of a dragon came too suddenly for him to be immediately adjusted to it. He didn't even want to think about what it would be like during his first few days as a monster again, because he was still determined to return to his original species. 

Would he go around clumsily breaking things until he relearned to control his massive monster power? If he broke one of Zelas' favorite bases she would have his head... Then again, if that happened, maybe he could teleport over to Filia's shop, as he would once again have easy access to the astral side, and get her to fix the vase or make a replica. Then he could replace it before Zelas even noticed... Albeit she would probably notice anyway, but maybe she would forgive him since it was already fixed. Okay, now he was getting way ahead of himself. 

The meeting room was filled with urgent and alarmed murmurs as all those present wondered about the emergency. "What happened?" Philionel urgently asked. He blinked as he did a double take on just who had arrived. "You're Xellos, aren't you? I almost didn't recognize you with your new hair color; I wasn't even completely used to picturing you with black instead of purple yet. You have a tail too, is that the latest fashion among monsters lately?" The crown prince spoke very casually for someone who was addressing a monster general, whom he thought was still a monster. He seemed to realize he was getting off topic and quickly returned to the discussion of the apparently urgent matter on hand. "You said there was an emergency?" 

"Yes," Xellos replied with emphasis, "I'm a golden dragon." 

Philionel blinked in confusion, mimicking Gourry's expression. "You're not Xellos? You look just like him, except for the hair and tail." 

"I am Xellos!" His fangs and claws started peeking out as he became exasperated. 

"Calm down or you'll transform!" Filia warned. She had a feeling that Philionel might want to keep the ceiling of his meeting room exactly where it was. The royal council members didn't look too eager to become close witnesses of a fully transformed golden dragon throwing a hissy fit over his current species. 

Xellos took a deep breath and paused before exhaling. Maybe it was too much of a deep breath. He could feel the same warmth as before crawling up his throat. He raised his hand in a sign of 'just a moment' and approached the nearest window. He opened it, released an accidentally charged laser breath into the sky and returned to his previous position addressing Phil. "I suspect a light that came from the storage room near the garden is responsible for turning me into a golden dragon," Xellos half growled and half spoke. He tried to force himself to appear cool, calm and collected but something was bothering him. It was Filia; she had a rather peculiar scent to her that he had not noticed before. It invaded his senses and was driving him crazy. "I would appreciate it if you could explain what's in there that could have caused this." Xellos finished with forced politeness. 

"What about the emergency?" Philionel questioned with fading alarm. 

"That's the emergency," Xellos confirmed. 

"I see," Philionel looked at one of the guards, who was standing around idly in a corner. "Kalio, please fetch me the key to the storage in the garden and bring it to me there." 

Kalio, a young man with light brown hair, blue eyes and a rather silent personality, nodded quietly. Unlike his sister, Kally, he wasn't allergic to octopus or afraid of them. He did have a deep hatred for the sea creatures because of the pain his dear sister had to endure. The mere mention of an octopus made him feel angry and on edge. He became a vicious berserk swordsman if he ever saw an octopus and would stop at nothing to slay it. He ran off to accomplish his assigned task swiftly. 

"Let's go, I'll show you what's in the storage," Philionel offered. 

"Your majesty, what about the meeting?" One of the royal council members seated near Phil's place on the table inquired. 

"We will continue it once I return, I won't be gone long. Let's take a fifteen minute break everyone!" Once the crown prince announced the break, the royal council members were all too eager to shuffle out of the meeting room and get themselves some coffee refills for their cups and perhaps donuts. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 048: Dragon! A Golden Opportunity

Xellos kept annoyingly wagging his dragon tail with every step he took alongside Filia, Lina, Gourry and Philionel. The group was almost to the storage at the Seyruun royal garden when Filia finally stopped and grabbed Xellos' tail. "Would you stop that already? Why are you so fidgety? Even if this is unexpected, I can't imagine the," cue heavy sarcasm, "great Xellos getting nervous." 

Xellos cringed at the sudden contact and gave Filia a rather predatory look that instantly made her let go of his tail. As soon as he was free from her grip, he went over to the opposite side of the group, which put Lina and Gourry between him and Filia, while Phil continued to lead the way. He stopped the wild tail movements, but the appendage still twitched now and then. 

Filia couldn't help it but to stare. She felt as if he was fighting against something he kept well hidden. Why she had such a feeling, she didn't know. It couldn't be simply because Xellos was a golden dragon, Filia had been around plenty of golden dragons before and they didn't give off such a clear aura that resonated with her own. 

"Here we are," Philionel announced as he stopped in front of the storage. Kalio was already there, ready to hand the monarch the requested item, the storage key. "Thank you Kalio, that will be all for now." Kalio nodded and went on his way to do his castle guarding rounds. Phil held the small key to the lock on the storage door. Though the keyhole was appropriately small, the lock itself was rather large, making the lock and key seem mismatched. His large hands grasped the key too strongly and it snapped in half. "Oops..." Phil examined the smaller half which belonged inside the lock. He wouldn't be able to push that end of the key far enough into the lock to make it work now that it was broken. It would probably make things worse if a piece of key got stuck in the lock. 

"Forget the key, I'll break down the door!" Xellos snapped, stepping forward to do the offered deed. 

"Stop it!" Filia slipped his arms under Xellos' from behind, holding him back. "You're giving golden dragons a bad name!" 

"The golden dragons have done enough of a good job giving themselves a bad name!" Xellos retorted. Filia's closeness bothered him for some reason. It was a sensation that was not alien to him, but felt amplified and out of control. Then there was that scent, was it some kind of perfume he never noticed? It was all over Filia and it was pushing him to the edge of insanity. It's not that it was unpleasant. The problem was that it was too pleasant, too attractive. He was supposed to make Filia go to him, he wasn't supposed to... Wait a minute, was that lust? Well it wasn't a virtue, not that a monster would care, but Xellos was collected enough to keep such things under absolute control. He simply had no time for distractions in his line of work. This was different, it was instinct, he realized. His face turned scarlet against his will. 

"What's wrong with you?" Filia released Xellos as she realized he had stopped struggling against her grip. "Do you have a fever?" She touched his forehead with one hand and her own with the other to compare the temperatures. "You're warm, but that's normal for a dragon. Are you in any pain?" 

Yes, not that Xellos would ever admit to it, plus it wasn't pain in the usual sense. "Hands off," Xellos growled. 

"Hmp!" Filia made an exasperated sound and threw her head back in indignation, hands on her hips. 

This dragon instinct or whatever it was, it was terribly annoying. Sure, Xellos was a monster. Who cares about being proper? But that wasn't the point. A conscious decision to throw all restraint out the window, while retaining the ability to summon it back at a moment's notice was one thing. Giving into some wild uncontrollable animal instinct was a very different thing. It was... it was... degrading. 'No wonder golden dragons are so repressed,' Xellos mused. 'It's their means to retain some dignity and be civil. Who wouldn't be temperamental like this?' 

"Hi, what's everyone doing?" Amelia approached with a friendly smile, Zelgadis and Fang next to her. After letting Fang play for a while, they returned to the castle. Her eyes landed on the blond Xellos with the dragon tail and she blinked in confusion. "Mr. Xellos?" 

"I'll have an explanation just as soon as your father decides to share it." Xellos gave Philionel an impatient look. 

"I would, but the key is broken," Philionel showed the tiny remains of the small broken key in his massive hands. 

"That's no problem," Amelia removed a hairclip that was unnoticeable on her hair and began to work on picking the lock. She twisted the clip this way and that, until a click was heard and the lock was open. "There," the princess happily announced. 

"That was unexpected," Lina commented. 

"Just like you sharing your cheesecake." Gourry added something to the list of unexpected events. 

"What's this I hear about Lina sharing?" Zelgadis made a surprised expression. "You're joking, right?" 

Lina pouted, "what's that supposed to mean? I'll have you know I'm a very generous person!" 

Gourry nodded in agreement, "she's usually very selfish, but today she improved. She let me have a slice of cheesecake. It was a small slice and she ate the rest, but that's more than she would normally share with anyone." 

"He kept giving me the most pitiful look!" Lina pointed at Gourry while reenacting his expression with big sad eyes. 

"The greedy Lina shared food, the justice obsessed Amelia picked a lock, the gloomy Zelgadis is cheerful, the virtuous Filia is bursting with lustful desires." At that point Filia interrupted Xellos' speech to protest, but he ignored her and continued. "And Lord Beast Master's general is a golden dragon. The world has been turned upside-down and it makes no sense what so ever. What can I say? Gourry, you're a genius!" 

As expected, the obvious sarcasm flew over Gourry's head, at least that much still made sense. Gourry didn't know why Xellos was giving him a compliment, but like a polite person would do, he said "thanks," with a smile. 

"How did you learn to pick locks, Amelia?" Philionel curiously asked. 

"Zelgadis taught me," the princess smiled and blushed. 

Zelgadis wondered if he should start coming up with an excuse for teaching Phil's daughter skills that were usually associated with thieves, but it didn't look like it would be needed as Phil laughed in good humor. "You must teach me that trick one day, my son. It would be quite useful since I'm always accidentally breaking these fragile little keys or losing them and I wish I didn't have to trouble the local locksmith so often." Not that it was any trouble at all for the locksmith to get hired for a relatively simple job and earn some extra coins ever so often. 

"Sure," the world was definitely smiling on Zelgadis at long last. 

After the, in Xellos' opinion, unnecessary suspense, Philionel finally opened the door to the storage to reveal a world of crates and dust. "Amelia, do you happen to remember where that glowing pearl-like jewel was?" 

"The fickle wish granter?" Amelia inquired, wondering why her father needed such a thing. She soon connected the dots when she took into consideration Xellos' appearance. "It's way in the back. Did something happen with it?" 

"Maybe," Philionel began to move large crates around with impressive strength. "The story goes that there was a light coming from the storage when Mr. Xellos over there got his makeover. I thought it might be related to the jewel. To think it would still perceive the wishes of people outside the storage room even if it's buried under all these crates. Maybe we should move it to the deepest castle basement and put it under a magical barrier." 

"If it's still causing trouble, I think that would be best," Amelia agreed. 

Philionel managed to reach the proper crate containing the jewel. It was easy to tell apart from the other wooden brown crates due to the word 'danger' being written all over the crate in red paint. "Ah, here it is," though the crate was nailed shut, Phil easily opened it. Inside there were ribbons of paper and a massive amount of cotton. 

"Be careful, daddy," Amelia cautioned. 

Philionel took a deep breath, rolled up his sleeve and reached into the box. He retrieved a glowing pearl-like jewel about the size of a marble. 

"That's it?" Lina frowned in disappointment at the anti-climatic device. Sure, it was glowing and it looked pretty, but bigger more valuable jewels could be made to glow like that by embedding a light spell into them. Jewels made excellent containers for spells. 

"This is it," Philionel announced ominously. "Amelia, would you like to tell the story?" 

"Of course," Amelia cleared her throat and began the legendary tale. "As you might already know, pearls are formed by clams as a defense mechanism against an irritation. There is a legend that a mermaid once cried a bitter tear and it fell into a clam. The clam defended itself against it, but the mermaid tear was so pure despite its sorrow that instead of a white pearl, a crystal clear pearl was produced. The mermaid wished that no one had to suffer as she did, that tear, was the last tear she cried before she died of broken hearted sadness. The tear carried her will and her spirit before she banished in the bottom of the ocean. The tear became a wish granting pearl. However, the pearl which held the mermaid's spirit would only grant the wishes that she believed were necessary. The legendary clam holding the magical pearl had been sought out after for a long time, until one of Seyruun's fishing boats finally found it." 

Filia sighed deeply, she was reminded of the mermaid story that she read back at the aquarium. "What a tragic story." 

"What a stupid story," Xellos just had to ruin the moment for Filia, who gave him an intense glare. "So the mermaid cried, her tear fell inside a clam and somehow this all happened under water? If the mermaid was under water, what difference would it make if she cried or not? She would already be wet. Besides, wouldn't the tear dissolve as it mixed with the sea water around her? Plus tears are just salty water anyway, why would it irritate the clam?" 

"It's magical!" Filia argued. "It's hard to explain, that's why it's a legend, but the pearl jewel is real enough if it did this. It granted your wish when you said you wanted to know what it's like to be a golden dragon." 

"That was sarcasm!" Xellos almost yelled. "Stupid mermaid spirit, I wish I was a monster again!" The pearl maintained its relatively dim glow and ignored Xellos' wish. 

"It doesn't work that way Mr. Xellos, the mermaid spirit will only grant the wishes she feels like granting," Amelia pointed out. 

"I want to try it," Zelgadis saw it as an opportunity to be cured of his chimera condition and wondered why Amelia had not mentioned this to him before. "I wish I was human! I wish I wasn't a chimera! I wish you would grant my wish!" It figured, the pearl completely ignored him. 

Amelia sighed and soon revealed the reason why she had not bothered telling Zelgadis about the fickle magical artifact. "I already tried that. I thought it would make you happy if I could cure you with a wish and spent a whole week wishing day and night, but the pearl ignored me." 

"I see," Zelgadis let out a breath of resignation. "It's okay, I appreciate that you were trying to help." 

"Does this mean I'm stuck like this?" Xellos complained. 

"Being a golden dragon isn't a bad thing. You might get to like it," Filia teased. 

"Lord Beast Master would not agree," Xellos reminded. It was the main reason why it was necessary for him to return to his monster form as soon as possible. He wasn't just in danger of being killed by other monsters, but also by Zelas herself when her patience ran out. Xellos knew that she didn't have much of that left. 

"Right, she might kill you for this," Filia realized, feeling Xellos' frustration pour into her. She decided not to point it out aloud, but her wish was apparently granted as well. It wasn't granted to the whole specifics of her words, but it was more or less granted in the fickle style of the mermaid spirit. She was a Xellos exclusive empath. This would be both interesting and insightful. Maybe if she saw how much he didn't care, how he was cruelly using her, then she would successfully rid herself of her unacceptable feelings for him. 

"You shouldn't worry too much," Philionel assured, "the effects are only temporary, or at least they have been so far." 

"That's right, when I was sitting in the garden with the pearl in my hand, wishing and wishing, a few people came by," Amelia recalled. "I remember Kalio passing by, saying he wished he had a bigger sword and his sword turned huge. He couldn't even lift it. Then just as suddenly it turned back to normal. Then Kally wished that a tree near by would grow plums and it grew a lot of plums for the next four days, which is odd, since it was actually a young oak tree. In other words, the effect of the granted wish can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few days." 

"Then I just have to wait it out," Xellos concluded. He could live with that... hopefully. "This was a most informative chat. I guess I'll be on my way now." With those parting words, Xellos walked away from the group. 

"I'm coming with you!" Filia was quick to follow. "I know what you're planning to do." There was a certain edge to the way Xellos felt. Maybe he was plotting something. Once that theory formed, a theory about what he was plotting was easy to come up with. "You're going to use this change of species as a disguise to cause all sorts of mischief and give the golden dragons a bad name. I will not allow that!" 

Xellos felt his eye twitch in annoyance, his dragon tail swishing from side to side. "No, really, I just want to be alone right now, as in away from smelly dragons like you." 

"I don't smell!" Filia glared. "And I won't be tricked," she added adamantly. "Like it or not, I'm sticking to you like glue." With her determination firm in place, Filia followed Xellos as he walked away. 

Xellos quickened his pace across the Seyruun garden and Filia matched it. He moved faster and so did she. He finally broke into a run, as did Filia, and they stubbornly ran out the castle gates and into the city. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After Xellos and Filia were gone, Philionel went to see to it that the pearl jewel aka the fickle wish granter, was locked away as planned. He had a meeting to go back to after that, as it had been more than fifteen minutes already. Lina and Gourry went their own way, off to pester the castle kitchen staff into giving them more food. Fang found a comfortable spot under the shade of the young oak tree that once produced plums and lay down for a nap. 

Zelgadis and Amelia took a walk around the Seyruun royal gardens and hung out together for a while. She noticed that he was kind of uneasy and nervous, even if she had thought he was over that. "Are you feeling okay?" 

"Yes, I'm fine," Zelgadis blushed. "Your father thinks we're engaged," he brought up a subject that he knew they would have to discuss eventually. 

"He does..." Amelia asserted with a blush of her own. "Is that okay?" 

"Yes," Zelgadis immediately nodded, his blush deepening. "I mean, if it's okay with you, to be engaged to me." 

"Of course it is!" Amelia exclaimed all too eager. "Um... but... you know... it's not like I'm trying to rush you or anything. I mean, I'm happy with dating, and daddy isn't going to rush us into getting married. We could go on the crusade anyway and get... you know, engaged for real later down the line." 

"Or sooner..." Zelgadis' hint was barely audible. 

"Yes..." Amelia nodded lightly, "sooner or later or sooner..." Zelgadis said something that Amelia didn't quite understand. "Excuse me?" 

"Right now?" Though his tone was still barely audible, Zelgadis' words reached Amelia that time. 

"Really?" Amelia gasped in joyous surprise. 

"If you want to," Zelgadis offered, finally gaining the courage to stop staring at his feet and look at Amelia's loving eyes. 

"I do," Amelia smiled, her eyes never leaving his. 

"Then I should do this properly," Zelgadis went down on one knee, taking Amelia's hand in his and slipping a beautiful diamond and sapphire ring into her finger. He had that ring for a while, secretly fantasizing about giving it to Amelia one day. When he left it along with a few other belongings at the Seyruun storage he didn't think the thought would ever be anything other than a distant fantasy. "Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, will you marry me?" 

Amelia let out a happy squeal of absolute joy, "I will!" As Zelgadis stood, she tackled him in a hug with such a force that they both fell down. Deciding that they were comfortable enough, they stayed there, laying on the ground at the royal gardens in each other's arms. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, Xellos and Filia had prolonged their stubborn race to the edge of the city and beyond. Xellos exited Seyruun territory with Filia still chasing after him. The citizens would speak of the speedy golden tailed blurs that passed through the streets without stopping for anything until they had left the city. 

There was a group of monsters waiting in the outskirts of the city. Xellos came to a full stop when he saw them, which caused Filia to stumble as she tried to halt her own advance. She collided harshly with his back, causing them both to fall in a heap on the path. They got to their feet as quickly as possible, with Xellos looking especially irritated and somewhat twitchy. 

A considerable amount of frustration was emerging from Xellos, there was something he was strongly holding back, something that he wanted to hide even from himself. Filia was determined to find out what it was, she just had to get the hang of her newly granted emphatic abilities, learn to interpret them and read between the lines. A lot of reading between the lines was needed with Xellos. However, for the time being, it looked like they had some more murderous monsters to deal with. 

To be Continued


	17. Chapter 17

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 049: Lust! The Scent Of Passion

The monsters ahead of Xellos and Filia in the outskirts of Seyruun were varied in size, similar to minotaurs. They came mostly in dark colors such as black, gray and brown, except for the fuchsia one, who appeared to be their leader. Seriously, who would listen to a fuchsia minotaur? The brightly colored monster pointed an accusing troll-like finger at Filia. "There she is! She's the golden dragon who's been protecting Xellos. Look, she's got another dragon with her. That must mean it's true! Xellos somehow obtained the protection of the golden dragons, that disgusting traitor!" 

"Xellos doesn't need any protection from the golden dragons, I mean, us, he doesn't need any protection from us." Xellos was at least grateful that the stupid monster didn't recognize him. What he couldn't' accept was their accusations. Maybe Filia had protected him, but she was an exception, the golden dragons, as in the stubborn ones who were the monster race's enemies, were a whole other story. Xellos was sure he would never seek or accept their help, not that they would ever offer it. 

"Lies!" The fuchsia minotaur accused. "Attack, destroy the golden dragons that protect Xellos!" 

That was it, Xellos was pissed off. There were about a dozen of those monsters, but he didn't care. He would Dragon Slave them into nothingness... and hopefully not slay himself in the process. Then again, maybe the Dragon Slave was over kill, after all, the monsters were so small. They were in fact a lot smaller than they were a second ago and so was Filia. 

"For goodness' sake Xellos! Don't transform like that without a warning, I didn't need to see that again!" Filia yelled with a scarlet face. 

Great, just great, now he was really a golden dragon, a fully transformed nemesis of the monsters. He might as well play the part and start getting rid of the minotaur monsters. He stomped on some, batted others away with his tail and fried quite a few with his laser breath. He wasn't thinking, he was just angry and decided to take his frustrations out on those monsters. By the time he was done with his hissy fit, the monsters were long gone from the world of the living. 

"It's about time you calmed down!" The relatively small Filia levitated in front of Xellos with an angry expression and her hands resting on her hips. "That was very uncivilized." 

"You're right; it was just like the temper tantrums you throw. How terrible of me to follow your wild example," Xellos retorted. 

Filia growled, her temper was always lost with Xellos. No matter how prepared she thought she was, he always managed to find new ways to frustrate her. "Just stay here and don't cause any trouble while I go get you some clothes. Unlike me, you weren't carrying a jewel that stores your clothes when you transformed," she pointed at the torn shreds of fabrics that were the unwearable remains of Xellos' clothes. 

"Fine," Xellos sat on the ground, crossing his clawed scaly golden arms in indignation. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

It didn't take long for Filia to return to Xellos' location on the path just outside of Seyruun with some clothes for him. He took the garments which looked quite small held by his large golden paw, then focused on changing back. It was a slower process to change back into a human-like form, or rather elf-like given the pointy ears, but he managed. 

"Couldn't you have gone behind those bushes on the side of the road?" Filia complained. "What if someone was coming?" 

"I checked, no one was coming," Xellos assured as he got dressed. He still couldn't get his tail to go away and thus ended up with a hole in his pants to accommodate his anatomy. 

"I'm here!" Filia emphasized. 

"So?" Xellos tried to get back into the habit of playfully teasing Filia and embarrassing her, but it just wasn't working. Her scent was too distracting. "It's your fault for stalking me. Now I'm going back to my room in the castle and sleeping until this," how could he describe being a golden dragon? "Horrible illness wares off." 

"I'll see to that," Filia warned and the pair returned to the Seyruun castle. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Once at the Seyruun castle, Xellos headed straight for his room with Filia still following him. In the room they found Fang and Phythan sleeping on the large purple sheet covered bed. "What are you two doing here?" Xellos inquired in annoyance, his patience was already all used up for the day. 

Phythan woke up with a big yawn. "Hi, Xellos, Filia." He blinked away the remaining sleep from his eyes. "Xellos, that really is you, isn't it? You're a... a golden dragon?" 

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Xellos replied sarcastically. "Did you come all this way just to point that out?" 

"Actually, I'm here to pick up Fang, I just didn't want to leave without telling you, in case you needed Fang around for some reason. Lord Beast Master needs him for a pet show and I'm her assistant." Which meant that he got to follow Zelas around carrying her oversized purse and making a fool out of the dragon race, but he didn't see it that way. 

"Assistant?" Xellos and Filia questioned in unison. 

"Yeah, it's all part of the internship I'm doing. I hope to better understand monsters so that I may be a better defender of justice in the future!" Phythan cheered. Apparently, by some twisted logic, serving a monster lord was somehow a loop hole shortcut to justice. 

"You're her intern?" Xellos couldn't believe it. He recalled Galathia's description of Zelas' intern; he was a strange one alright. 

"Do you have any idea what this could be doing to the reputation of the dragon race?" Filia dramatized. 

"Showing that the golden dragons are open minded beings willing to look beyond the superficial differences of race and ready to learn about a different culture." Phythan recited as if he was repeating something that someone else told him. 

"It's good to know that the golden dragons are improving themselves. This is an example to follow, don't you think so Filia?" Xellos teased while Filia's face fell into distress and Phythan, who thought he was being sincerely complimented, smiled proudly. 

"Well, I won't intrude anymore. C'mon Fang, Zelas is waiting for us to return." Before leaving, Phythan grinned cheerfully and voiced a happy, "congratulations, Filia." 

Filia blinked in confusion, "congratulations for what?" 

Ignoring the seemingly random congratulation, Xellos interrupted. "Before you leave, I need to have a word with you." He glanced at Filia, then looked back at Phythan, "out in the hall." 

Filia crossed her arms and pouted, "what are you plotting Xellos?" 

"Don't meddle this is a man to man, or dragon man to dragon man conversation." With that ambiguous excuse hanging in the air, Xellos was about to exit the room when Filia interrupted. 

The female golden dragon pouted deeply and sharply declared, "you can talk here. Fang and I are going to my room. C'mon Fang, only dragon men are allowed to stay here." Throwing her head back in indignation, Filia marched out of the room, followed by Fang. 

Once Filia was gone, Xellos asked the question that had been bothering him since he saw Phythan. "Do you, by any chance, perceive that peculiar scent coming from Filia?" 

"Yes, that's why I congratulated her," Phythan answered as if that alone was enough to explain everything. 

"What is that smell? Doesn't it bother you?" Xellos insisted. Phythan was a male golden dragon, so if this was some crazy mating season scent, shouldn't it drive him crazy too? 

"Why would it?" Phythan looked confused. "It's the scent of a woman in love, it's a happy scent. It smells nice." There was a long pause during which Xellos tried to come up with another way to phrase his interrogations that wasn't mortifyingly embarrassing, but specific enough to get some useful information out of Phythan. Before such an idea came, Phythan realized something. "Oh, I get it, no wonder you're so twitchy, it's you. Don't hold back, go to her! Although you weren't a golden dragon before, so I guess you're not used to being one." 

"I won't be a golden dragon forever, just for... a few more hours, or days." Xellos didn't know and the uncertainty bothered him more with each passing second. "Either way, what did you mean to say just now?" Xellos was visibly annoyed and not happy with having to have this conversation. Yet the need to understand what was happening plagued him. 

Phythan paused as if to gather his thoughts, then began the explanation. "When a boy dragon and a girl dragon like each other and the girl dragon falls in love, her scent changes. All the dragons can notice the change, so they know the girl dragon is in love, but only the boy dragon that she fell in love with can perceive the scent of her love to its full potential and that's only if he returns her feelings. The two dragons in love are in a sense linked to each other you could say, they share a special connection, it's like magic. Anyway, when the boy dragon notices the scent of love that means that the girl dragon is ready to become his bride. The boy dragon should go to the girl dragon and declare his feelings for her. Then they can get married and live happily ever after. That's how it works, it's just like with birds and bees and other species." 

Xellos could almost feel himself twitch. He could not believe that Phythan had just given him the dragon version of the birds and bees talk. "To summarize, it's an overload of bottled up lust." Mutual lust, but he didn't need to point that out aloud. 

Phythan frowned in indignation, "golden dragons do not feel lust. Golden dragons fall in love and it's nice and pure and good," he emphasized. 

"Right," Xellos decided not to dwell on the story too much. He would never understand golden dragons and their extreme obsession with pretending to be the purest creatures in the world, even if they were in the end, living beings with their own, often repressed due to their peculiar culture, needs, wants and desires. "That's all I needed to know." The conversation was over and Xellos wouldn't have it any other way. 

"I'm glad to be of help," Phythan smiled with the smallest hint of teasing in his eyes. 

Xellos and Phythan went to Filia's room, where she and Fang were. Upon entering the room, the monster turned dragon and the innocent dragon were left in shock. Fang whimpered and bolted towards the new arrivals, hiding behind them. "Filia, what have you done, you cruel dragon?" Xellos was half teasing and half sincerely horrified. 

"Don't you think Fang looks cute like this?" Filia smiled proud of her work. A pink bow sat atop Fang's head, tied around a tuff of fur. His once white claws were a metallic silver color and each of his two tails had a big pink bow on it. "If he's getting ready for a pet show, I thought I could help. Zelas liked her manicure and pedicure when I painted her nails golden, so she might like Fang with silver claws. They match his pretty, expressive eyes. I thought the bows were a nice touch too." 

"If you're trying to get on Lord Beast Master's good side, you're doing a fine job of sabotaging yourself," Xellos commented. He wasn't supposed to feel compassion, but how could he not feel sorry for Fang? 

"Men don't understand fashion," Filia stubbornly held her ground. "I'm sure Zelas will appreciate my help." 

"I guess we'll see..." Phythan patted Fang on the back with the silent promise that he could take off the pink bows as soon as they were away from Filia. Though he could be ferocious, Fang was mostly a spoiled show pet and was trained not to put up a fight when he was being groomed. The golden dragon intern and the monster fox faded to the astral side and were gone. 

Xellos and Filia stood in silence for a few eternal seconds until Xellos determinedly announced, "I'm going to take a nap now." He left Filia's room and headed for his own. As expected, Filia followed him suspiciously. 

In his room, Xellos kicked off his shoes and laid down on the bed. Maybe if Filia saw him fall asleep she would go away. Except sleeping with her around would prove to be very difficult. He closed his eyes and remained as still as a statue, wishing that sleep would come. 

Filia watched Xellos with an unblinking expression. He was laying there with his eyes closed, but he didn't look or feel relaxed. He was too tense; he couldn't be actually trying to fall asleep for real. She stared at him some more, which seemed to put him more on edge. She was right; he had to be plotting something. No doubt about it, the second she left him alone, he would run off to cause trouble in the name of the golden dragons. She remained in the same position, glaring at Xellos for a while, until she got tired of it and shifted. More minutes ticked away and Filia shifted some more. It looked like stubborn Xellos was still not sleeping. 

She sat down next to him and he tensed further. She waited until he moved, until he admitted that he had no intentions of falling asleep, but he didn't. Filia was getting impatient; she laid down next to Xellos, wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes. "What are you doing?" He asked in a low tense whisper. 

"Taking a nap," Filia replied as if it was the most natural thing. Taking a nap might have been natural, but taking a nap hugging a monster, even if he was currently a golden dragon, shouldn't be. "I'm tired of waiting for you to try to sneak away. This way if you move, I'll notice. I'm guarding you for the sake of the golden dragons!" 

"How noble," Xellos grumbled sarcastically. He wondered for how long a golden dragon could go without oxygen. If he held his breath until his face turned blue, than maybe he wouldn't have to breathe in that vexing scent that was too close for comfort. 

A few more minutes passed and Filia was getting a little two comfortable, yet she could still feel Xellos on edge. What was it that had him like that? Suddenly, she found herself pinned to the bed with Xellos giving her a peculiar look of... desire? "What are you doing?" 

"Didn't I tell you?" Xellos half growled. "You smell, your scent is... is... it's driving me crazy!" 

Filia opened her mouth to speak and promptly closed it again. She was given Xellos exclusive empathy, but not understanding, not the power to interpret what she sensed. Furthermore, she had no previous experience in tasting emotions like Xellos did, thus she was having trouble discerning Xellos' feelings from her own. Maybe that unbearably strong attraction wasn't only hers, maybe it was his too. Yet he didn't have as much control over the strong instincts of a dragon because he wasn't used to being a dragon. She blushed scarlet. She couldn't deny that she was attracted to him when, due to his current form, he could perceive her telltale natural scent. She couldn't blame it all on him when she felt the same way. 

"Just calm down." Filia's heart was pounding fast. A male golden dragon shouldn't be able to perceive a female's scent so strongly unless he returned her feelings. After she realized that the golden dragons were not as noble as they claimed to be, Filia questioned all their teachings one by one. She wondered if that story about the scent of love was nothing but a sugar coated version of the natural processes of life. Yet she had recently spoken to Phythan and he was just fine, he even congratulated her. He must have been able to notice her scent, but it didn't bother him. Xellos on the other hand had been all twitchy and tense from the start. That couldn't be only a coincidence, could it? Maybe there was some truth to that story about dragons and love after all. But then that would mean that Xellos had feelings for her, feelings that maybe he wasn't fully aware of himself. 

"Easier said than done," Xellos admitted. 

Filia could feel Xellos' warmth breath on her lips. She wanted to kiss him, but she couldn't. Xellos had told her before that monsters were not meant to resist temptations, he made it clear that he had no intentions of resisting. She had to be the one to keep a cool head and diffuse the situation, even if she didn't really want to, she simply had to. "Hold your breath, close your eyes and don't move." Slowly, excruciatingly slowly, Filia manage to slip away. "I... I'll leave you alone now. Just try to sleep it off," she advised with a crimson face, then swiftly exited Xellos' room, closing the door behind her. 

The second Filia was out of sight, Xellos felt the irresistible need to go after her, but he resisted it anyway. Why was he resisting again? She was just about to give in and both of them knew it! There was a reason why nothing had happened and he needed to make sure he didn't push things. What was that reason? The reason he was in this whole situation to begin with. Oh yes, the curse, how could he forget about that? Once his temporary dragon form was gone, he would be a human again. He needed to earn Filia's love, as in not just her lust, in order to be a powerful monster again or he would surely be killed, probably sooner rather than later. He couldn't make her angry, or rather angrier. 

Filia would harbor regrets, blame the whole incident on him and hate him with a passion, but passionate or not, hate was still a step away from love and it was evident that it wouldn't be enough to break his curse. Xellos buried his face on his purple pillow in frustration, screaming into it. The pillow smelled like Filia, it was most vexing. Then he felt something odd. Unlike before, he wasn't knocked out this time, but he felt himself change. His golden scaly dragon tail was gone, though the hole in his pants where it used to be still remained. He examined his hair and it was black, he was a human again! 

Xellos knew he shouldn't be able to perceive that infuriating scent of Filia's anymore. He smelled his pillow. The acute scent of a female dragon in love was gone, but Filia's sweet scent was still there. It was okay, this was a normal scent, it was how she had always smelled to him. Then why wasn't he calming down already? Maybe it took time. He would take a nap and feel better when he woke up. He closed his eyes and stayed still, hoping for sleep to overtake him, but it refused to come. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 050: Love! Undeniable Emotions

At the moment, according to Filia, everything that went wrong in the world was Xellos fault. Xellos, the most infuriating living creature in the universe, the one who turned her world upside-down and made her throw all logic out the window. The golden dragons had to be wrong about their naive theories of love, they simply had to be. It made a lot more sense for the ancient traditions to be a bunch of lies than for her to be loved by Xellos, consciously or not. It was just lust and Filia was a golden dragon, she couldn't be influenced with only that, she refused to be. 

The door to her room was quietly opened, though it wasn't silent enough to be constituted as sneaking. The person invading her Seyruun quarters was purposely making his arrival known as he joined her by the window. "What are you staring at out there?" Xellos casually inquired. 

"Nothing," Filia truthfully answered and moved on to more important observations. "Your hair is black and your tail is gone. You're human again," she concluded. 

"Yes," Xellos never did manage to get any sleep, but he did calm down in time. By then dinner had passed. Not the double banquet, that had been set up for the next day, though Filia observed that Philionel looked nervous upon the announcement and he did emphasize the word maybe. Xellos had been absent from the dinner table, instead taking a detour to the kitchen before going over to see Filia. He needed a full stomach to have the energy to argue with her. Lina would probably be angry if she found out he ate the last pie, but she didn't need to know. 

Filia remained silent. She was simply too confused to get into an argument with Xellos at the moment. At least he was sane again... mostly... if randomly kissing her out of nowhere could be counted as sane. "Xellos!" Filia fixed him in a firm glare. She could tell the difference though, this wasn't the crazy Xellos from when his dragon form was troubling him, this was the cool, calm and collected Xellos who was always in control of every situation. He was the Xellos that knew exactly what to do to push her over the edge. The Xellos who made her hate him with a passion one second and kiss him passionately the next. This was her Xellos... Wait, where did such a terrible thought come from? He wasn't her anything! 

Filia needed to focus. She needed to find the malicious cruel intent that she knew was lurking in Xellos. She needed to get a good feel for it and convince herself beyond a doubt that he was pure evil and that nothing but the most painful of heartbreaks awaited her if she didn't kill her feelings for him soon. "Could you..." How could she properly phrase it? Could you quit pretending you like me and show me all the horrible thoughts about how terrible you're planning to be to me? No, that was too specific. Yet she had no patience left to be anything other than direct. "Focus on being evil." 

"What?" Of all of Filia's random strange requests, this one was definitely the most unexpected. She was so full of surprises; it made her unpredictable and strangely addictive. 

"Humor me," she insisted. "Just focus on being evil. Think of something traitorous. Imagine that Zelas ordered you to exterminate all the remaining golden dragons in the world. Picture that." 

"Okay..." Xellos gave Filia a look that clearly communicated he thought she was insane, but humored her none the less. He remembered his previous mission involving the destruction of many golden dragons several years ago and used that as a reference to imagine this new mission that Filia proposed. 

Filia shuddered; there was cruelty and an absolute lack of mercy. Then the initial reaction wore off and she felt no fear. "You're not doing it right, you're murderous and I'm not scared." 

"Maybe because this is only an imaginary mission?" Xellos suggested. "Besides, why do you want to be scared?" 

"I don't, I just want the truth," Filia argued nonsensically. "Now do what I say and focus on killing me, in your imagination that is." 

The strange suggestion triggered memories from when Lord Beast Master ordered Xellos to kill Filia. Those were unpleasant memories. He was completely at Zelas command; Xellos knew it and he accepted it. It didn't really bother him most of the time, except for those rare occasions when he was stuck doing something he didn't want to do. 

"Don't get sad, you're supposed to be a vicious monster!" Filia scolded. 

Xellos ran a hand through his hair in exasperation, "I really don't know where you're going with any of this, Filia. Yes, I killed a lot of golden dragons in the past, and yes, I might have to do something like that again in the future, though I can't imagine why Lord Beast Master would give me such an order any time soon. If this is some strange tactic you're using to try to guilt trip me, then it's not going to work. I know you're a wimp who seems to care about every living creature under the sun, but I'm not. Those dragons were nothing to me." 

"Just like I'm nothing to you..." Filia whispered, though she was still not convinced. Her logic was telling her one thing while her empathy sang a whole different melody. 

A theory to explain Filia's random behavior emerged in Xellos' mind. "I see, so that's it. You're angry at me because I was going to Dragon Slave you back at the Beast Master Spa. I didn't have a choice! Zelas ordered me to kill you and if I didn't she would have killed us both, very painfully. Giving you a swift painless death was all I could do for you back then. If you would put that one and only brain cell of yours to work, you would understand that! Idiot dragon, what did you want me to do? Say let's be tortured and die slowly, agonizing together? You were the one who told me to do it! I thought you understood the situation!" 

Filia stared at Xellos through his entire outburst until he fell silent giving her a frustrated glare. The sorrow she had seen in his eyes when he began to cast the Dragon Slave resurfaced. She could feel it now, as it was recorded in his memories, it was as if he was reliving the moment. He was right and she knew it, back then he was giving her the only mercy he could possibly give her. She wouldn't have wanted him to fall with her; that had been her biggest fear. She felt cruel for making him remember that frustrating helplessness. "What would you have done after I was gone?" 

"I don't know," frankly Xellos was sick and tired of this topic. "Continue looking for a cure I suppose, a disposable cure I could use and throw away." She didn't understand the meaning behind those words or the contrast they presented. "Maybe I wouldn't even find it, a cure such as the one I need is... extremely rare, more so than I initially thought. Maybe it's even impossible to obtain." He thought Filia would be an easy shortcut, but she wasn't. "Then again, maybe I'm just as stubborn as you are for taking this route, for all I know; there could be far easier possibilities out there." 

He knew much more about his cure than he hinted at. Maybe he knew enough to find it on his own, or perhaps it was something that he had to do alone. He hadn't really revealed the specifics about his mysterious cure in all this time since his curse was revealed to the group. "Why don't you take an easier route then? I think you've made it clear that you really want your monster powers back. Furthermore, you need to be a monster or Zelas will kill you. What are you waiting for? Get your cure and get out of my life!" 

Xellos gave Filia an interesting look, the way she said that last part almost made it sound as if she knew. How could she? "Do you know what my cure is?" 

"I don't," Filia replied truthfully. "You've always kept it a secret. Why won't you tell me?" He kissed her in a silent reply. She considered pushing him away, but she simply didn't have the will to do it. They parted several minutes later. Though her thoughts were not as focused anymore, Filia wasn't going to let things go. "Don't try to change the subject. Why won't you tell me what your cure is?" 

"It's not something I have to look for, it's something I have to... achieve, figure out. I think it will only count if I do it myself, it's the only way it would be... genuine," Xellos vaguely explained. 

"I see," Filia accepted the answer, "then I won't ask you to tell me anymore, for now at least. I suppose I'll know it when I see it happening. What are you going to do after you're cured?" 

"I'm sure Lord Beast Master has a huge pile of assignments waiting for me." Xellos grimaced just thinking about how busy he would be. Some missions were fun, most of them amused him, actually, but not when he had a dragon pet to play with. Zelas kept dragons as pets, sort of. Rather than an intern, Phythan was no doubt a pet from Zelas' perspective and Tiffany was kind of a pet too. Maybe he could say the same about Filia, then it wouldn't be odd if he popped up for a visit far more often than ever before. "When I'm done with work, I'll be sure to get back at you for being so random and annoying. You better be ready for some frequent visits and don't try to hide because you know I'll find you." He joked trying to add some of his usual sarcastic mockery to a situation that was too serious for his liking. 

"Why don't I feel disregarded, used or betrayed?" Filia thought aloud. 

"Maybe because no one in the immediate time and place is disregarding, using or betraying you?" Xellos suggested. Then again, wasn't he using her as a cure? Well, yes, technically he was. Yet accepting some survival assistance from Filia without her knowing she was assisting him, given the fact that she did want him to live, didn't seem like something particularly traitorous. It's not like it was counterproductive to her purposes. As for being disregarded, haven't they been spending a lot of time together lately? 

"I see..." Filia allowed everything to sink in. She had hit a wall trying to get her way with her heart a long time ago. Then when she finally tore that wall of impossibilities down, she found that the other side of it was exactly the same as the side where she stood. The so called lies, the truth, the perceptions, the possibilities, the hope, the plan, it was all too similar. He couldn't care less about the dragon race as a whole, but she was different. He would keep her safe if it was within his power to do so and it would deeply hurt him if it wasn't. She couldn't explain it, yet if she had changed so much, then maybe so had he. "I give up on being stubborn. I'll trust what I feel... what you feel." 

"What do you... mean? ...Filia?" Something changed in her and it was too sudden, too powerful. His empathic abilities were overwhelmed. What was this deep affection that was unleashed? Where did it come from? Was she hiding it all along? "What did you do just now?" It was so strong it was almost frightening, yet trilling and irresistible. 

"That's right, you're an empath. You can sense what I feel. All my stubborn confusion must have been stressing," Filia admitted. She loved Xellos and she wasn't trying to change that anymore. Instead, she embraced it. "I'm not running away anymore, I love you." She kissed him before he could voice any reaction to the revelation and from that point on, they didn't hold back. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A loud insistent knocking on the door woke Xellos and Filia from their comfortable sleep the next morning. The knocking was followed by the insistent voice of Lina Inverse. "Filia, Xellos, hurry and get up! Phil doesn't want us to start eating breakfast until everyone is at the table. He said he had to tell us something and won't let us start eating until he does! Get over here, I'm hungry!" More knocking followed, a little more and she would tare down the door. She probably already would have if it was a flimsy inn door rather than a sturdy Seyruun castle door. 

"We're coming!" Filia called out, then covered her mouth in realization. She didn't mean to use a plural. 

"Hurry up!" Lina insisted one last time, before her footsteps echoed down the hall as she marched away in a stomping fashion. 

"You just messed up your chance to keep it all a secret," Xellos teased. 

Filia, who honestly wasn't in the mood to get up yet, laid her head back down on his chest and closed her eyes for a few more seconds. Her tail had come out at some point during last night and she never bothered making it disappear, it was currently wrapped around Xellos. "It doesn't matter. It couldn't have been a secret forever anyway. Besides, if I said, let's keep this a secret, you would just blackmail me." 

"Maybe you know me better than I imagine," Xellos grinned. 

Filia's empathy was gone; it had worn off at some point after she fell asleep. At least she got to keep it for most of the previous night, that certainly made things interesting and insightful. The ability that Filia had once thought was flawed, because she didn't sense what she expected, had become a source of security for her after she completely let go of the broken pieces of her denial. It was okay though, maybe she didn't need that ability anymore. Maybe she should just keep practicing reading between the lines and figuring out the difference between what Xellos said and what he meant. To look beyond what he appeared to be doing and catch a glimpse of what he actually intended to do. 

"Let's join the others for breakfast before Lina breaks down the door and drags us to the table." Filia suggested, finally making herself get untangled from Xellos and out of bed. She was tempted to take the sheet with her, but Xellos ripped it out of her hands, "Xellos!" She instinctively tried to cover herself with her hands and tail. 

"What?" He feigned innocence as if he had no idea what he did to provoke the annoyed tone in Filia's voice. 

"Nothing," Filia decided it was best to just get dressed and not mind Xellos too much. There was nothing new to see anyway. She still dressed in record breaking time, even if she felt a little silly for rushing so much. She glanced at Xellos, who was still only half dressed. "I clawed you again, didn't I?" She admitted, more so than inquired, with a certain amount of embarrassment in her apparent lack of control. Her face was flustered at the memories from the previous night. 

"It's okay, I caused it," Xellos seductively admitted, which made Filia blush deeper. 

"Either way, let me heal you," said and done, Filia casted a recovery spell on Xellos. 

Something was off, something was definitely very out of place, something made no sense what so ever. His hair was still black, his body still human. Distractions aside, the realization hit Xellos like a ton of bricks. Why wasn't he a monster? Why wasn't the curse broken? Filia claimed to love him and kissed him immediately after. That was basically the best example of a willing kiss and there was a lot more than just kissing afterwards. He decided not to let things get to him yet. No one ever said the curse would be broken immediately. Maybe it took a little more time or maybe there was some kind of loophole that he still remained unaware of. Whatever it was, he had a feeling that Zelas' patience was at its end, so he better turn back into a monster soon. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos and Filia joined Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis and Philionel at the breakfast table. "Finally!" Lina loudly exclaimed and immediately picked up her silverware. 

"Miss Lina!" Philionel scolded, making the redhead freeze. "I must insist that you listen to what I have to say before you begin eating." 

Lina frowned and put down the silverware, she didn't want to upset Phil into canceling the double banquet. That would be horrible. She just kept focusing on the banquet being tonight. "I'm listening," she prompted impatiently. 

"Thank you," Philionel nodded formally and cleared his throat. "I'll keep this short and to the point." 

"Please do," Lina muttered in a barely audible tone. 

Philionel continued as if he had not heard Lina. "As I'm sure you are all aware, helping each other is a vital part of building a better world. As the crown prince of Seyruun, it is my duty to teach such a lesson to my people with the example." Amelia's eyes shone in admiration as she listened to her father's speech. "Our neighbors from the outer world are suffering the effects of a bad harvest. The spring crops were scarce and the summer crops almost non-existent. As a result of the dying vegetation, the livestock has also been severely affected. Their land is being hit by a terrible famine and one farmer after another has been forced to sell or even abandon their land to try to earn sustenance for their family elsewhere. We who have the privilege of sitting at the table with all this delicious food before us must give thanks for our blessing." 

"Amen!" Lina exclaimed and once again attempted to begin eating. 

"I'm not done yet!" Philionel insisted and once again Lina paused. "It is my duty not only as the acting monarch of Seyruun, but also as a living being," because to say human being was considered politically incorrect these days, "to give help to those who are in need. In light of the situation, I have made the choice to postpone the promised double banquet until further notice, so that Seyruun will have more food to share with those who are in need of it." 

Amelia wiped an inspired tear from her eye, "that was such a moving speech, daddy, I'm with you all the way!" 

"What?" Lina's furious voice echoed all over Seyruun castle and beyond. "You're giving away my double banquet to a bunch of strangers? Unacceptable! Isn't celebrating the engagement of your own daughter and dear friends, to whom you owe your life may I remind you, more important? You made a promise as the ruler of Seyruun to give me a double banquet and you must keep that promise!" Lina was now standing on her chair in absolute fury. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 051: Perseverance! A New Mission

Lina Inverse was pissed off and the waves of energy radiating off her were terrifying. She stood on her chair at the breakfast table of Seyruun castle in the company of Philionel, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Xellos and Filia. Her breakfast was growing cold on the table, but she was too angry to enjoy it, as Philionel had announced that the promised double banquet that was supposed to take place that night had been postponed for an undefined period of time. 

Philionel lowered his head submissively, "you have my most sincere apologies, but my decision stands." He raised his head, meeting Lina's deadly challenging glare. "I will keep my promise of a double banquet; in fact I'll make it a triple banquet! However, that can only be done when the food is plentiful for everyone. We must not allow anyone to starve because of our own selfish gluttony!" 

Lina hopped down from her chair, sat down and began to eat breakfast. Given where she was going, this might be her last decent meal for a while. "Stop staring at me and finish your breakfast everyone. If you don't want it, just pass it over to me. We're leaving as soon as I'm done!" 

"We are?" Zelgadis questioned, Lina was speaking in her leader voice that dictated that the whole group had to tag along with her. 

"That's right, we're going over to those farm lands and finding out what's wrong. Look, we have a dragon with us and she knows holy magic." Lina pointed at Filia with her fork, before moving it to catch another piece of syrup covered pancake. "We have a white magic expert shrine maiden too." She lifted her glass of orange juice towards Amelia before taking a big drink. "If they bless the land or something, the bad crops might be fixed. A famine is my worse nightmare and I won't let it spread. If Seyruun keeps donating its food, there won't be any left for my triple banquet and I want to have it as soon as possible!" 

"Miss Lina, I knew you had a good heart!" Amelia cheered adoringly. "Let us all embark on a journey of loving kindness to help the people who are suffering from the famine! With the power of justice, we shall heal the farm lands!" 

Xellos was not currently a monster, thus not affected in a negative way by the positive emotions, but he still found Amelia's determination to be very creepy. "I'm skipping out and staying here." 

"I'm going," Filia assured; if Xellos thought he could distract her from the noble mission placed before her, he was very wrong. 

"Both your bodyguard and your lover are going, are you sure you want to stay behind, Xellos?" Gourry innocently inquired. 

Filia's face turned scarlet, "must you refer to me as Xellos' lover?" 

"Lina said you are," Gourry calmly pointed out. "When you were late for breakfast she said that 'the lovers' will be here soon and that she would make sure of it. Then she stormed off to find you." 

Filia gave Lina a distressed look, which the redhead disregarded. "What? It's not like I lied." 

Xellos interrupted after giving the situation some additional thought. "Fine, I'm going too, but I'm not helping, I have my principals." He better stick close to Filia, just in case it was somehow required for his cure to finally take effect. Plus having Lina's power to back him up in case of an emergency was a convenient aspect too. 

"Just don't cause any trouble," Filia warned, "I mean it, Xellos, I don't expect you to help, but don't mess this up!" 

Xellos rolled his eyes, "how can I? Isn't the harvest, or lack thereof, already as messed up as it can get?" 

"You have your ways of making a bigger mess of things and we all know it." Filia gave Xellos an intense look. "I'll be keeping my eyes on you." 

"And your hands too, I'll bet," Xellos teased with a wink. 

Filia's blush deepened as she muttered something that sounded to be along the lines of "stupid piece of raw garbage." 

"Before I forget," Philionel pointed out an envelope that had been placed next to Lina's plate. "That letter was brought while you were reminding our guests about the importance of being punctual to a meal." Phil eyed Xellos and Filia as he mentioned it. Lina might have been selfish, but anyone could count on her to show up on time, or even early, to a meal. "Since you were away, it was left there for you." 

"Yeah, yeah, I'll read it later. Can I continue eating without interruptions now?" Lina glanced at the envelope in mild curiosity and caught sight of the return address. "Luna!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs, before instinctively diving under the table. Feeling rather ridiculous, Lina crawled out from her hiding place, sat down and tried to compose herself. Luna wasn't hiding inside the envelope of her last letter, so there was no reason for her to be in this one. Taking a deep breath, Lina reached for the envelope with shaking hands. Gourry placed his hand on Lina's shoulder and nodded encouragingly. Lina glanced at him and nodded back in appreciation for the moral support. She opened the envelope and read the letter inside. "Dear Lina, Our parents and I wish to meet your fiance, Mr. Gourry Gabriev. Please come visit us as soon as possible. Love, Luna." In shock, Lina slowly turned her head towards Gourry, "Luna wants to meet you." 

Gourry nodded, "I know, I heard you reading the letter." His carefree smile hinted that he had no idea what he was getting into. "I'll make sure to give your family a good impression." 

Lina just stared at him. He was a fool for not knowing what horrible doom awaited him, but he was also very brave. "You have no idea..." 

"I'll face anything for you," Gourry spoke in his usual casual and carefree tone. 

Yet Lina blushed scarlet anyway. "Thanks Gourry. Then it's settled, we'll stop by my home village, then go on our mission. I don't want to risk testing Luna's patience. Besides, if we're on an important mission, then we'll have a good excuse to leave if things get dangerous." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After Lina devoured her breakfast and predictably attempted to devour everyone else's breakfast, managing to steal quite a bit, the group left Seyruun. Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Xellos and Filia were on the road again on a brand new mission. Lina had offered to deliver Seyruun's good will in the form of food supplies, but Philionel wisely declined her offer and said he would send the food transports along later. 

The atmosphere was generally quiet aside from Lina's grumbling about her Luna related fears. Gourry occasionally gave her a friendly pat on the back. While the action didn't make Lina quiet down completely, it did reassure her enough not to go into a full panic as if she saw a slug. 

Xellos appeared to be in deep frustrated thought if his expression was any indication. He had fallen a little behind from the rest of the group. Filia slowed her pace to walk beside him. "What are you plotting?" She glared critically. 

"Nothing," Xellos sounded more exasperated than Filia expected. 

She examined him carefully. "Something is seriously bothering you," Filia correctly concluded. "What is it?" 

"It's nothing," Xellos insisted. 

"It has to be something!" Filia argued adamantly, her glare intensified and she had her hands on her hips. "If you would just tell me, maybe I could help!" 

Xellos had enough. He was still cursed and it made no sense. He would give this one last try, "do you love me?" 

Filia blushed at the sudden question, then eyed Xellos critically, "is that some kind of trick question? If you're planning to say something along the lines of 'if you truly love me, you'll help me sabotage the mission' then don't bother! I love you, but innocent people shouldn't have to suffer for it." 

Xellos looked into Filia's eyes with sharp determination. "Kiss me," he ordered firmly, which made the crimson blush on her face become brighter. Then he rephrased the request to sound less like an order, forcing a softer tone. "Only if you want to, no pressure." 

Filia didn't understand. Xellos' strange behavior had 'trap' written all over it. Yet if she tried to avoid it, she would probably fall straight into it. Maybe the best way to disable this trap was to trigger it and diffuse it after she knew what she was dealing with. They had stopped walking and the others were further ahead on the path. Filia looked left and right, no one was coming and Xellos' request did sound rather pleasant. "I want to..." She wrapped her arms around him comfortably and kissed him, slowly, lovingly. He wasn't doing anything; she parted and gave him a puzzled look. "Xellos?" 

"Again..." She kissed him again, more passionately until he started to respond. She wasn't sure what he was waiting for before. When they parted, his conclusion took her by surprise. "You don't love me..." 

"Excuse me?" Filia was instantly fuming with indignation. "Are you trying to say I'm a bad kisser?" This had to be Xellos and his stupid criticism. She didn't believe he was sharing a serious conclusion, because she did love him and she was sure of it. She had spent a long time trying to make it otherwise, but she simply couldn't. 

"It shouldn't take this long, I should be able to sense at least the beginning of my recovery, but this stupid curse is still firmly in place!" Xellos had enough; he was frustrated, angry and ready to lose his temper dealing with that infuriating curse. "No matter how hard I try, I can't think of any loopholes, it doesn't make sense." This was what humans would call harshly broken hope. "There's only one possible explanation, you think you love me but you don't." If Filia's deep affection wasn't love, then how much could possibly be needed for it to be? Her strong emotions were overwhelming as it was, what more did she have that she wasn't giving? "Maybe there's just no such a thing as love." 

Filia stared at Xellos with growing dread. "What are you going on about? I don't understand." 

"My cure is the willing kiss of a golden dragon," Xellos finally revealed. "You told me before that a willing kiss was a kiss of love, but I'm still cursed." 

Filia could already feel tears running down her face, "you used me. All you wanted was to free yourself of your curse, all you wanted was a cure. You horrible piece of raw garbage, you never cared about my feelings! I hate you!" She slapped him hard enough to throw him on the ground, given that this was a dragon to human slap rather than a human to human slap. Then she ran ahead with full intentions of running past the others and not stopping until her legs could no longer move from exhaustion. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The rest of the way to the next town on their journey to Lina's home village was quite unpleasant for Xellos. Not only was he terribly frustrated with his curse, but also immensely confused. According to his empathy, the facts that had happened and his common sense, Filia in theory loved him, but apparently she didn't truly love him, because he was still curse. It felt like she was giving him everything she had, but that wasn't enough. 

As if his inner turmoil of angry frustration wasn't enough, Lina, Amelia and even Zelgadis and Gourry, kept pestering Xellos about what he did to upset Filia. They had been walking ahead of the quarreling pair and only caught the loudest offended remarks from Filia, missing Xellos' explanation about his curse and its elusive cure. Needless to say, Xellos was not in the mood to discuss the matters, so his silence let to a lot of tension in the group. 

They eventually arrived at an inn after taking a detour at a restaurant. At the inn, they saw Filia's name in the big book of guest signatures as they checked in. The five travelers went to their respective rooms with Amelia being the first to venture out to try to knock on Filia's door. "Miss Filia, may I speak to you." 

"I want to be alone!" Filia's voice was strong and determined, yet extremely sorrowful and empty. She really wasn't in the mood to be consoled. 

Noticing Lina curiously peeking down the hall, Amelia shook her head. "Whenever you're ready, you know we're here to listen." The princess decided to give the golden dragon some space, making sure to glare daggers at Xellos' door on her way to her own room. 

Once everyone had retired and had no obvious intentions of coming out of their rooms until morning, Xellos set out to see Filia himself. There was a very annoying sensation akin to guilt that was bothering him terribly. He stood in front of Filia's door and considered knocking, but decided against it and tried to open it. Predictably, the door was locked. "Filia?" 

Proving that she was still awake, Filia replied to the familiar voice with a fierce, "get lost, you piece of raw garbage!" 

Xellos knew that insisting at Filia's door would get him no where and he didn't want to talk to her from out in the hall. He made his way outside and around the inn building until he spotted what he calculated to be Filia's window, which was conveniently open. He levitated towards it and let himself in. "For how long are you planning to be mad at me?" 

Filia jumped to her feet from her previous position face down on her pillow. "Forever!" She screeched furiously. 

"Be reasonable, Filia. You can't blame me for stating the facts as they are," Xellos argued with a certain cutting edge to his voice. "Quit tricking yourself into believing you're heart broken, because you can't be heart broken without having been in love. It's true that I only wanted my cure," in the beginning, he added in his private thoughts. "But I didn't go around claiming that I was in love with you, did I? It was the other way around and it was a lie. The curse is proof of it, so don't even try to argue about it." 

"You idiot! You tricked me!" Filia retorted. "I thought you cared about me; I felt you cared about me, I felt you loved me!" 

Xellos knew that arguing with Filia was difficult, especially when she was upset, but he was determined to make her see the logic of his argument. "You're not even an empath. You can't claim I tricked you with false feelings, because you can't tell what I'm feeling, but I can." 

"If you're such a talented empath, then you should know what I'm feeling right now, what I felt back then, you should know!" Filia threw the argument back at him. 

"I do know," Xellos retorted, the volume of his voice escalating to match her loudness. "I know you care about me, I never said I believed you didn't, but it's not love and it's not enough." 

"Hypocrite!" Filia shouted. "During the time that you were a dragon and for a little while after, I was an empath. It's gone now, but I had the ability long enough, or so I thought. The pearl granted my wish too, though it was only your feelings that I could sense. I thought you loved me, but you tricked me." 

She was an empath? That was news to Xellos, rather embarrassing news he had to admit. That meant that she knew of all his debate and confusion and about how overwhelming her rush of love, or rather affection that wasn't quite love, was to him. "Stupid dragon, how can I trick you by using your empathy against you if I didn't even know you had it? This is all news to me!" 

Filia was sick and tired of arguing with Xellos, she was sick and tired of looking at him, of hearing him, she had enough of everything concerning him. She was angry and hurt, she wanted him gone. Filia dried her tears as best she could and tried to retain a serious expression. "Put your one and only brain cell to work, Xellos." She spoke in a serious, almost threatening tone, her dragon fangs peeking out of her mouth, eyes dangerously narrowed. "Have you ever stopped to think that true love is mutual? You keep stupidly blaming it on me, claiming that I don't care enough, but it's all your fault. I'm not saying you don't care about me at all." She mimicked the mocking tone he often took with her when teasing her in hopes of bringing her embarrassment, adding a cold edge to it. "I'm just saying that you don't care enough." 

Xellos remained silent; he couldn't come up with a counter argument for that. Filia looked bitterly victorious as one who has taken revenge and found little satisfaction in it. She turned around and walked out the door. She didn't feel like sleeping anymore and she was sure there had to be ice-cream in the inn's icebox. She didn't care if the snack bar was closed; she was taking that ice-cream and spending the night eating it on some rooftop somewhere. 

What if Filia was right? Xellos couldn't deny the fact that he was attracted to her and he had developed an unnerving attachment to her that could be called affection, but was it love? Could it be? He didn't like the idea, it was unnatural for a monster to love and regardless of the fact that he was stuck in a human body, he was still the same Xellos on the inside, the same living being with the same mind. Even so, if he was going to stay alive and glue the broken pieces of his existence back together into something that vaguely resembled logic, he would have to love her. Perhaps he was his own worse enemy in that department, being too guarded and resistant, trying to stay in control of his thoughts and reactions. 

What about what Filia sensed? She had believed him to be in love. Maybe that love thing was a construct of the mind to define a collection of emotions and attitudes, rather than being one emotion on its own. Maybe it only truly became the thing known as love when it was accepted and embraced; believed. Maybe Xellos was doomed to died a hopeless death at the claws of a monster lord whose patience had ran out. It was that, or figure out a way to crush his own defenses and make himself vulnerable to the horrifying thing called love. Celo wasn't kidding when he spoke those words of warning. 'The cure will bring you to your weakest state before freeing you from the curse...' 

To be Continued


	18. Chapter 18

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 052: Quarrels! Show Me How To Care

Lina's not so merry band of travelers was fully aware of the lovers', or perhaps ex-lovers', spat between Xellos and Filia. The same fact applied to the majority of the inn's current guests, yet the shouting had been so fierce that they dared not complain. At least the quarreling couple had quieted by now. While Filia enjoyed her stolen ice-cream on a rooftop somewhere in town, Xellos proceeded with his investigation. Sure, why not? He had already dragged his stubborn pride through the mud and danced a stupid little dance on top of it. So why shouldn't he ask all sorts of mortifying questions for the sake of survival? 

Besides, he was Xellos; it took a lot to embarrass him. The part that really bothered him was how exposed he had been lately. It wasn't like back when they infiltrated that all female kingdom. He didn't have a big problem with parading around in a pretty dress, because back then he was still the trickster who was somewhat in control of the situation behind the scenes. 

Okay, no more hesitation, Xellos knocked on Gourry's door. The sleepy blond opened it and blinked in surprised confusion. After a few more seconds of trying to figure out why Xellos was visiting him so late and failing miserably to do so, Gourry finally settled for voicing a simple, "hi." 

"Hi," Xellos replied with a painted cheerful smile that was only all too fake. "Can I talk to you?" 

"You already are," Gourry pointed out. He did have times when he came up with smart observations. They were very rare times that came once upon a blue moon. 

"True," Xellos agreed without losing his grin. "I mean that I want to ask you something, not out in the hall." 

"Okay, come in then." Gourry stepped aside, allowing Xellos passage into his room. "So what did you want to ask?" He curiously inquired. 

Xellos figured that he might as well be direct. "How does one go about falling in love?" 

Gourry tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Don't you already know that from experience with Filia?" 

"Apparently not," Xellos admitted, "and I'm afraid I've heard nothing but bad things about the guidebooks they have available in libraries and cheesy bookshops." He was back into trickster mode with his usual abundant cheer and sarcastic remarks. He needed some familiarity in his own behavior if he was going to keep his sanity while facing all these insane hardships. 

"Oh well, let's see," Gourry looked like he was thinking really hard, his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth in deep concentration. "You're in love when you want to be with someone, a lot. The one you love is like a part of your life that you would miss too much to let go of." 

Did Xellos miss Filia? It was a bit soon to tell, he had seen her not too long ago. He did occasionally get a whim to visit her for no reason other than to annoy her in the past, but that certainly couldn't have been akin to love, not back then anyway, it was more like entertainment. As for something more recent, he had come up with a plan to continue seeing Filia even after he obtained his cure. Maybe that counted for something. "I see," it had taken Gourry a lot of effort just to come up with that reply, so Xellos decided not to push the poor guy into working too hard, least his single lonely brain cell die out on him. "Thanks for the information," Xellos smiled cheerfully like he used to do as a monster and let himself out of the room. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos then proceeded to knock on Lina's door and wait. He knocked again until the door was finally opened by a furious redhead. "This better be important!" She growled dangerously. 

"Hello to you too, Lina," Xellos smiled, though he knew he better stop pushing his luck. "I wanted to ask for your insight about something." 

"Something that couldn't wait until morning?" Lina demanded angrily. 

Xellos ignored the complaint and continued. "How does one go about falling in love?" 

"Excuse me? Why are you asking me such a thing?" Lina blushed, her face becoming as red as her hair. 

"You're in love with your boyfriend, aren't you?" Xellos teased. "Oh, sorry, I meant to say that you're in love with your fiance. Lina Inverse loves Gourry Gabriev," Xellos couldn't help it, Lina was too much fun to tease sometimes. 

"Go take out your heartbreak on someone else!" Lina shouted loudly, then slammed the door closed and locked it. Xellos was left standing in the hallway amused by her reaction, but knowing he just wasted his opportunity to get more information. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Next in the agenda was visiting Zelgadis for more information on the same subject. Xellos knew that Zelgadis wouldn't be eager to talk to him, let alone in the middle of the night, but he would try anyway. Thus Xellos knocked on Zelgadis' door. Zelgadis opened the door with a noticeable red tint on his face, "Ame... Xellos?" The red color in Zelgadis' face went from representing infatuation to representing anger. "What are you doing here?" 

Xellos found that maintaining his cheerful expression had become a little easier for the time in which he could witness Zelgadis' embarrassment with mocking eyes. "Why were you expecting Amelia here in the middle of the night?" 

Blushing even more deeply, Zelgadis growled threateningly, "none of your business!" 

"I'm sure it's not," Xellos grinned teasingly. "I don't want to end up playing the third wheel if she does come, which I honestly doubt will happen in spite of all your mischievous wishful thinking, so-" 

"It's not like that!" Zelgadis snapped. 

"Temper, temper, I just wanted to ask you a quick question, then I'll leave you to your much needed rest. You're so very grouchy right now," Xellos shook his index finger at Zelgadis, who was quite tempted to rip it off. 

The chimera glared in a no nonsense sort of way, "ask your question and leave." 

Again, Xellos tried to seek more information about the same matter. "How does one go about falling in love?" 

"What?" Zelgadis snapped in annoyance. "What kind of a question is that?" He soon came up with a theory fueled by his lingering discomfort in his appearance, which Amelia was slowly healing. "Are you trying to tell me that no one could love a hideous freak like me?" 

Xellos had to wonder where did Zelgadis get all that. The chimera had issues. Then again, Xellos was a mocking trickster, except this time he wasn't even trying. "That's not what I said." 

"But you were thinking it!" Zelgadis yelled. 

"No, I wasn't," Xellos pointed out as a matter of fact. 

"Yes you were and I don't care!" Zelgadis shouted at the top of his lungs. "I don't care what you say, Amelia said I was cool, she accepts me as I am and I... I love Amelia!" 

From Amelia's room, the princess loudly declared at the top of her lungs, "I love you too, Zelgadis!" The inn was feeling very much like a soap opera to those unfortunate enough to be stuck spending the night there. Zelgadis' blush deepened as he spaced out for a few seconds, then realized Xellos was staring at him and promptly closed the door on his face. 

The randomness didn't end there, as Gourry suddenly called out from within his room, "I love you Lina!" 

"What?" Lina exclaimed from her own room. 

"I said I love you Lina!" Gourry repeated. 

"Did you eat a poisonous octopus again? Why do I have to pay for the inn?" Lina argued loudly. 

"I'm not speaking octopice, I really do love you!" Gourry replied, yelling to be heard from his room. 

"Why are you yelling that out, you jellyfish brain?" Lina argued in the same shouting fashion that was keeping the whole inn awake. 

"Because Zelgadis and Amelia did," Gourry explained. "Isn't that part of the game?" 

"We're not playing any games! Those two were just being annoyingly random!" Lina yelled in exasperation. "Go to sleep, Gourry!" A few seconds of blissful silence passed before Lina added with a red face that the whole gang could clearly imagine, "I love you too!" 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The last person that Xellos had left to interrogate was Amelia, the ally of justice. Xellos knocked on her room's door and watched as she opened the door as if she was expecting him. "Come in, Mr. Xellos." 

Xellos stepped inside wondering how Amelia had concluded that he would be coming by. "Was I expected?" 

"Sort of," Amelia motioned towards the table where there was a large bowl of cookie dough and a pile of books. "Actually, I was expecting Filia. I picked out a few chick novels for us to read and got some cookie dough so that I could properly console her. I guess I'll console you instead. It must be hard going through difficulties in your love life while everyone else is so in love!" 

"Maybe coming here was a bad idea," Xellos theorized. 

"Poor Mr. Xellos!" Amelia dramatized with big shiny eyes. "I feel so sorry for you even if this whole painful break up was very likely all your fault!" She placed her hand on her forehead as she threw her head back dramatically. 

"Coming here was definitely a bad idea," Xellos concluded. 

"Don't be afraid to cry on a friend's shoulder! I'm here for you!" Amelia insisted. 

"You know what?" Xellos tried to talk some sense into the imaginative hyper princess. "I feel better already just knowing I have the support of such a good friend. In fact I feel well enough to go get some sleep right now." Xellos picked up the cookie dough and took it with him. There was no sense in letting Amelia's kindness go to waste. "I'll see everyone in the morning and I'll be ready to face a brand new day and all that stuff." 

"That's the spirit Mr. Xellos!" Amelia cheered with unnecessary loudness as Xellos made a hasty retreat. At least he got some cookie dough out of his otherwise unsuccessful venture. "Oh, wait Mr. Xellos!" She called out as he reached the door. "Before you leave there's something else I have to say." Taking a deep breath, Amelia dramatically confessed, "I lost the game." 

"You did?" Well, that was random, but then again, Amelia was a very random girl. Even if Xellos knew it, her comment still felt like it came out of no where. 

"Yes, when Mr. Gourry said 'the game', even if he wasn't talking about that game, it made me think of the game," the Seyruun princess explained. 

"I see, that game." The game was something invented by humans. The goal of the game was to not think about the game itself. Ironically, trying to avoid thinking about something, often leads to thinking about it, hence the challenge. Some claim that everyone in the world is constantly playing the game, while others say that only those who know the rules of the game are playing the game. When one thinks about the game, that person must announce to someone else that they lost the game. The game would go on for all of eternity, for as long as a living creature still exists, some would say. Others claim that one day the Lord of Nightmares will publicly announce that the game is up and that will finally be the end of it. Then Xellos realized something, he was thinking about the game too. "I lost the game," he admitted before finally retreating, this time without any further interruptions. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The next day, the group got up bright and early with a chorus of yawns. They checked out of the inn among the glares of other sleepless guests, had some breakfast and left town. Filia was still giving Xellos the silent treatment and refused to look at him, while Xellos had made little progress in devising a strategy to ensure his survival. It looked as if the trip would be quiet and tense, yet uneventful. That perception changed when two fully transformed golden dragons landed on the path in front of Lina and company. 

"Filia Ul Copt," one of the dragons on the path spoke harshly, his voice full of bitter anger. They were both clearly warriors, more ferocious than most golden dragons. "When you left the golden dragons we cut all ties with you and left you for dead. However, the stain you have placed upon the golden dragon name is too great! How dare you spread the word that the priest of Beast Master is under our protection during his inexplicable time of weakness?" 

"Yeah, how dare you?" The second dragon appeared to be even more ferocious than the first with bulging muscles well marked under his golden scales. Unfortunately, he didn't appear to have the brains to match his brawn. 

"That's a lie!" Filia yelled bitterly. "I hate that piece of raw garbage! Besides, the whole misunderstanding started because he disguised himself as a golden dragon. I had nothing to do with it!" 

"Silence traitor!" The leader of the two dragon warriors roared. 

"Yeah, shut up you!" His muscular comrade added. 

"We will clean the name of the golden dragons by destroying the beast priest!" The smarter of the two declared, though given his intended goal, one would have to question his intellect. 

"We sure will, you just watch!" The other dragon emphasized. 

Seeing that this argument would be pointless, Lina quickly devised a plan. She really didn't need the golden dragons making her bodyguard job more difficult than it was. Besides, what if they showed up while she was visiting her family? Luna wasn't supposed to know she was playing bodyguard for a monster! "Excuse me! Can I point something out?" 

"Lina Inverse," the smarter dragon warrior recognized her with disdain. "If you wish to defend the traitor, don't bother wasting your breath!" 

"Yeah, don't bother!" The muscle-head dragon echoed. 

"Actually, I have an interesting piece of information for you." Cue some exaggerated melodrama from Lina. "We're all this horrible monster's hostages! His lack of power is all a lie. Xellos is stronger than ever, he's just hiding his power. Oh please mighty golden dragons, save us from annihilation! Though you might get annihilated yourselves in the process of our rescue, I know you'll be willing to make that noble sacrifice." 

Xellos tried to look as confident as he always was as a monster, hiding his frustration well. He began a quiet inaudible chant. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows, buried in the stream of time is where your power grows." 

Amelia realized what Lina's plan was as well. If the golden dragons thought Xellos was as powerful as ever, they wouldn't dare go after him. "It's terrible, Xellos is too strong for us, but you might stand a chance, with an army or two... maybe." She glanced at Zelgadis to play along. 

Xellos continued his quiet chant while the others distracted the dragons. "I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hands." 

Though Zelgadis wasn't particularly fond of Xellos, since Amelia was asking him to play along, he did. "There was that incident in the War of the Monster's Fall, but I'm sure the dragon race has learned from it and has much better battle tactics now, please save us!" 

Xellos was almost ready to cast the spell. "Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed, by the power you and I possess." 

Gourry wasn't sure what was going on, but that was normal for him. "We're Xellos' hostages? I thought he-" Before Gourry could mess up the act, Lina and Amelia, who were standing in front of Xellos, jumped to the left and right of him, allowing him a clear path to his target. Amelia and Zelgadis Ray Winged themselves away, taking along the distraught Filia. In the opposite direction, Lina casted Ray Wing as well, taking Gourry to safety with her. 

"Dragon Slave!" The massive explosion of Xellos' spell left a large crater on the ground, filled with the ashes of what once was a very buff golden dragon. 

The other golden dragon just barely survived, since he wasn't the primary target. He would be the messenger who lived to warn the golden dragons that Xellos was too strong to pick a fight with. The charred injured golden dragon, got up with some difficulty and a look of horror. "Lina Inverse, you and your perverse companions are on your own. You got what you deserved for siding with that monster. Miss Ul Copt, it still stands that you are not recognized as a golden dragon and I'm sure you will never again be a citizen of our race. None of you are worthy of being rescued by the golden dragons!" With that final declaration, the injured dragon warrior flew away as fast as he could. 

Once the danger of being caught in the blast from the Dragon Slave had passed, the group rejoined Xellos in the middle of the path. There was something that the cursed monster turned human thought was peculiar about what that so called golden dragon warrior had said. "Filia, why did he say you're not a golden dragon?" 

"Because I'm not, but what's it to you?" Filia exploded in anger. "It's not like you care about me! Why would it matter to you that I got kicked out of my own race after the Darkstar incident? I don't need my golden dragon citizenship anyway." She had lost her health plan along with her golden dragon citizenship, but she no longer needed to fill up a yearly income tax form for the golden dragons, so it all worked out in the end. Golden dragon tax rates were killer, how else would they afford all those fancy temples after human slavery was outlawed? Filia knew that managing her shop would be a lot more difficult if she was still a golden dragon citizen. 

"You're not a golden dragon," Xellos repeated. Sure, she was of the golden dragon species, but not officially recognized as one of their own by her race. There was the loophole. His cure was the willing kiss of a golden dragon and since Filia wasn't legally a golden dragon, she didn't count as a golden dragon for the curse. Stupid picky curse. 

Filia decided that she wouldn't dignify Xellos with any more words and set out ahead of the group. Gourry was looking around confused. "Are we really hostages? Because I don't feel like a hostage." 

"No, Gourry, we're not hostages, that was just an act, but it's over now," Lina explained. 

"Really?" Gourry blinked in his usual clueless fashion. "That's too bad, if I knew we were supposed to be acting, I would have put up a really good hostage act!" Oh well, maybe next time he could participate. 

Amelia looked at Filia as she wordlessly moved forward. One way or another she would help Xellos and Filia fix their problems and get together again. She didn't know how, but she would accomplish it. She would have to be sneaky about it, given how stubborn those two were. Perhaps she should let their anger cool off before making a move. The right moment to interfere would eventually present itself. Amelia was sure that she would know it when she saw it. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 053: Visit! An Interesting Detour

Time passed and eventually, the journey towards Lina's village, Zephilia, was over. Filia was still avoiding Xellos, making a prominent point of ignoring him. In the last inn they stopped at before reaching the village, he had snuck into her room, sick and tired of being ignored and laid down next to her on the bed. Filia's only response was to rudely comment about the foul scent of the sheets wondering when was the last time they were washed and proceeding to sleep on a chair, not even directly looking at Xellos during the entire incident. 

"Everyone better behave!" Lina warned as they entered the village. She eyed Xellos and Filia each individually for an extra long ten seconds. "I mean it!" The worried redhead emphasized. "If anyone asks, you're human and you've always been human," she warned Xellos. 

"Understood," Xellos chirped in an overly cheerful voice, though he was actually feeling quite annoyed. Not only was Filia's stubborn choice to ignore him seriously getting on his nerves, but he was already weary of Luna. She was skilled in magic as the initial choice to take care of the Darkstar problem, though she ended up passing the task to Lina. She was the Knight of Ceifeed and thus wasn't supposed to like monsters. If she was as fearsome as Lina claimed her to be, then Xellos knew he better keep his mouth shut about his real identity or he wouldn't have a bodyguard to back him up if he got in over his head. 

The group continued through the village until they came to a charming house with a charming dog house labeled as belonging to 'Spot' next to it and a charming... Wait a minute, that wasn't a charming dog! It was Dilgear in beast form, sleeping with half his body inside the dog house and half out. "Is that...?" Zelgadis couldn't even finish the question. 

"Looks like him," Lina replied quietly. "I told you Luna's dangerous." The door to the house was opened and Lina jumped into Gourry's arms with a loud, "eek!" 

"Lina, it's so nice of you to come! I calculated that you would arrive just about now," Luna greeted, ignoring her sister's obvious bout of fear. "It's a good thing I was right about your time of arrival. It would have been a shame if you kept your family waiting for too long. I even took the day off from my job today so we could all spend some time together. Let us go inside." 

The group followed Lina inside the house, where a man old enough to be Lina's father was happily polishing a sword and a woman old enough to be Lina's mother was humming as she arranged flowers on a vase that Filia recognized. It was the vase she had mailed over to the Inverse household as thanks for their recommendation for Lina who, although she ate all of Filia's food budget in a very short time and ended up being rather unorthodox, eventually helped solve the Darkstar problem in the end. The man placed the sword on a display on the wall, which featured many other swords and bladed weapons that Gourry was eyeing with fascination. "Lina! How have you been doing, kiddo?" He patted her on the head like a father who thinks his daughter will forever be his little girl as most fathers do. 

"I'm so glad you've come to visit, honey," Lina's mother gave her a gentle hug before taking a step back to get a good look at her daughter. 

"Well, Lina? Aren't you going to introduce your friends?" Luna prompted with a carefree polite tone, yet despite her friendly smile, Lina's nerves were on edge. 

"Of course!" Lina began the introductions as Luna would say is proper. "Father, this is Princess Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, Amelia, this is my honorable Father, Mr. Light Inverse. Mother, this is Princess Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, Amelia, this is my honorable mother, Mrs. Labyrinthine Inverse. Luna, this is Princess Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, Amelia, this is my honorable elder sister, Miss Luna Inverse." Proper titles needed to be included of course. Lina continued with the introductions without even stopping to catch her breath. "Father, this is-" 

Light laughed in a very Philionel-like fashion, though his proportions were those of a normal, though well built, man. "I'm glad you remember the good manners your sister taught you, but you don't have to be so formal, not to mention so repetitive." 

"Oh, right," Lina laughed, relieved that she wouldn't have to say such a mouthful of individual introductions and finished summarizing the rest. "This is Lady Filia Ul Copt, whom I think you already met." Filia was a golden dragon, in species at least, thus she should have an easier time getting on Luna's good side. Plus Filia had already survived an earlier encounter with Luna during the start of the whole Darkstar incident and was evidently not traumatized by it. Filia was certainly a very brave soul, Lina mentally noted. 

"Oh yes, we had such a lovely time baking cookies when Filia was last here." Labyrinthine giggled like a school girl at the fond memory. "Dear Filia kept saying she had to hurry on her way, but I talked her into staying for some fireball baking. Nothing like magic to bring out the flavor in food!" 

"I agree!" Filia decided that she wouldn't let her rotten mood concerning Xellos ruin her visit to the Inverse family. "Thank you so much for teaching me that super chunky chocolate chip cookie recipe." 

"You're welcome; I do hope we all get the chance to bake something delicious again. Ah, but we can talk after we're done with the introductions." Lina's mother smiled as she prompted her youngest daughter to continue. 

Lina went on with the introductions. "This is Sir Zelgadis Graywords of Seyruun." Never mind that Luna herself was often less formal than that. Lina didn't want to risk Luna criticizing her if she didn't stretch politeness to the extremes. Zelgadis took his turn to smile and nod as everyone had done during Lina's little role call. 

Deciding that it was best to leave her fiance for last, Lina continued on with Xellos. "This is Xellos Me-" oh no! She almost called him Xellos Metallium. 

It wouldn't do to introduce him just as Xellos, Luna would ask with a critical tone 'doesn't Mr. Xellos have a family name? How could you not know the full name of your traveling companion? That's so terribly irresponsible of you, Lina!' Then again, Lina's fearful mind might be exaggerating, but she didn't want to take any chances! 

"Metalburger," Lina finished, which prompted a discrete raise of the eyebrow from Xellos. He understood why she couldn't use Metallium as his surname, but couldn't she think of something better than Metalburger? 

"Xellos," Luna mused, why does that name sound familiar? 

"I'm sure it's only a coincidence!" Lina frantically insisted. 

"Ah, yes, I remember now, that little girl that lives down the street has a cat named Sollex," Luna concluded casually. The Knight of Ceifeed wasn't easily tricked, but decided to humor her sister just this once. Lina let out a breath of relief, which she thought came too soon, as Luna was still giving Xellos the critical eye. "By the way, Mr. Metalburger..." 

Xellos could feel his eye twitch in annoyance at the silly surname, "just Xellos is fine, Miss Inverse." 

"Likewise, you may call me Luna," she replied still studying him. The group collectively held their breath fearing Luna's conclusion. Then she finally said with a fond smile. "Your hair is very nice." 

"Thank you," Xellos replied with cautious politeness. 

Lina observed Xellos, then Luna, then Xellos, then Luna again. She couldn't help it but to blurt out, "of course you like his hair, it's almost exactly like yours!" Just as quickly as the outburst came, Lina slapped both hands over her own mouth. "I mean, your hair looks very pretty today, Luna." 

"Why thank you, Lina," Luna smiled, "however," her expression morphed into a frown. "I'm afraid I see some split ends on your hair. You must take better care of it. Just look at this young man's hair," she looked towards Gourry, "it's shiny and I'm sure it's silky soft as well. You should follow his example. By the way, you haven't introduced him yet, could he be..." Luna gave Lina a look that told her that this better be her fiance because if he was too cowardly to go meet Lina's family, then Luna would surely hunt him down. 

"Yes," Lina nodded, blushing scarlet. "This is my fiance, Gourry Gabriev." 

The atmosphere stood heavily still as Lina's parents and sister stared at Gourry waiting for him to say something. Finally, he spoke, "Elsydeon, Espelancer, Masamune, Muramasa, Tessaiga." 

'Oh no! All this pressure made Gourry go insane!' Lina thought in agony. 'Poor Gourry, this was too much for him.' A silent moment passed as Lina quietly mourned for Gourry's dearly departed sanity. 

Suddenly, Light loudly exclaimed, "exactly!" In a very cheerful voice and Lina had to wonder if her father had gone crazy during her absence, though neither her mother nor her sister appeared to be alarmed. "You have a good eye, my son. You recognized my best swords right from the start. I have lots more in the basement. I used to be a mercenary before becoming a merchant. I've amassed quite the collection of swords and other bladed weapons over the years. A swordsman who knows his swords this well must be skilled. What do you say we have ourselves a little spar for old time's sake, my boy? I still got some skill left in me. You might learn a thing or two." 

"I would be honored, sir," Gourry politely replied with a friendly smile, while Lina and the rest of her traveling companions stared in awe. 

"Oh, such a smart young man!" Labyrinthine exclaimed. 

"Thank you,..." The name of Lina's mother was too long and Gourry couldn't remember it. He was sure it was impolite to forget the name of one's mother in law, thus he tried to fix his shortcoming as best he could by calling her "Lady Inverse." 

"Aw, and he's so polite too," Labyrinthine giggled. "It's no wonder you've charmed my little Lina. "Please call me mom!" 

"And you must call me dad!" Light added. 

Gourry smiled, glad that things appeared to be going so well. "If it is alright with you both." He was being polite just like his grandmother taught him; she taught him a lot of things that she assured him would be useful to him later in life and this was one of those times. "I appreciate your kindness." 

Lina's jaw was nearly touching the floor, metaphorically of course, though her mouth was literally wide open. She didn't even know Gourry could act this civilized or manage to make himself sound smart by sprouting random sword related facts. She supposed that everyone had to have some subject they were good at, even Gourry. 

"Let's allow the boys some time to talk about swords. Goodness knows that men are always thinking with, I mean about, their swords." Lina assumed that her mother meant to point out that, generally speaking, men were faster to pick fights then women. Although that wasn't really the case in the Inverse family, where the females were considerably more temperamental than the males. "Meanwhile, I can share some recipes with all of you." 

A chorus of agreements followed from the girls who would be all too happy to personally investigate the sources of the appetizing scents drifting into the living room from the kitchen. Meanwhile, the men journeyed to the basement, where Light kept most of his sword collection, though the only one truly enjoying Light's lectures about each individual sword was Gourry. As for Xellos and Zelgadis, they just smiled and nodded politely as they assumed it would be best to do. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The short visit to the Inverse household was much more pleasant to Lina than she imagined it would be. Though Luna did scold her for trying to eat the ingredients when they were cooking, Lina wisely ceased her gluttonous behavior and no real incidents occurred during the cooking process. Several hours later, the whole group consisting of Lina's traveling companions and family, gathered around the table to feast. Lina's table manners were surprisingly perfect. Thankfully, Gourry's survival instinct was strong enough to make him follow the example and behave well on the table too. 

Though Lina was ready to leave right after dinner, her parents insisted that she should stay the night. Honestly, the thought of a delicious home cooked breakfast was very pleasant, thus she stayed. While the guys were given the little house' only guest room to share, the girls roomed with Luna in what Amelia happily declared to be a slumber party. Hair was braided, stories were told, snacks were eaten, teasing was done and there was much giggling. The whole experience helped Filia's mood improve considerably and by the following morning she didn't hold the same amount of bitter anger towards Xellos anymore. 

After a delicious breakfast prepared by Labyrinthine's magical cooking techniques, Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Xellos and Filia were ready to hit the road again. According to the plan, not wanting to push her luck with Luna, Lina used their noble mission to investigate the famine affecting the outer world farm lands in the name of Seyruun as their excuse to leave without any further delays. As goodbyes were exchanged and the charming little house was left behind, Dilgear was content with pretending he didn't know Lina and company, though judging by his expression, he clearly did. The travelers returned the favor by pretending they only saw him as Luna's pet, Spot. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The gang was on the road again, going further away from Lina's home village, back on their way to the farm lands where Elena and Palou used to live. In fact, Zephilia was no longer visible in the distance, proving that they were making steady progress, though a long journey still lay ahead. The trip was made more pleasant thanks to the large load of grapes the travelers were given to consume on the trip. Grapes were Zephilia's signature product after all. The group walked on quietly for the most part, munching on grapes as they went along, trying to protect their portions from Lina's voracious appetite and discussing how delicious Labyrinthine's grape pie was. 

Further along the way they stopped at inns in each town they passed and continued making steady progress day by day. It seemed that neither the golden dragons nor the monsters were in the mood to attack Xellos lately. Lina had brought up the incident that occurred during their herb hunt at the mountains, now plains, near the town where Filia's shop was located. Yet Xellos was quick to assure that it must have all been some kind of misunderstanding and that there was no way Zelas could be secretly guarding him from the shadows. Maybe she even wanted to get rid of him, but if she did, she could have done so easily already. Also, if she wanted to keep him safe, there was no reason why she would have to be sneaky about it. Except maybe for the part about having a weak underling that needed protection being rather embarrassing. 

Yet, if Zelas didn't want Xellos gone, why did she put him in such a risky situation in the first place? Why did he have to choose a dare and get cursed? He couldn't think of any piece of information that was vital enough to be worth his life to protect. What could he possibly know that not even he was aware he knew? He had been so focused on breaking his curse; he had not had time to think about that aspect. What could Zelas' plan be? Whatever it was, Xellos knew it was his role to follow it, but he still wanted to know. After stopping to think about it, the question plagued him constantly. 

Xellos tried to focus on the present. Whatever Zelas wanted from him, she would get it. All he had to do was stay alive and he would eventually become aware of her plans. Assuming he could stay alive. He had been plotting about that too and had a plan in mind. He caught up with Zelgadis, who was holding the map and examined it. 

Zelgadis glared in annoyance at Xellos purposely getting his head in the way, though he was certain that he could see the map just fine without having to lean over it like that. "Do you mind?" The chimera growled. 

"Not at all," Xellos grinned and didn't get out of the way. 

"I know how to get to where we're going," Zelgadis insisted. 

"Can I borrow the map?" Xellos asked, still smiling obnoxiously. 

"No," Zelgadis rolled up the map and put it in his cloak. 

"C'mon, let me borrow it," Xellos tried to steal the map from Zelgadis' cloak. 

The attempt caused Zelgadis to take the map out of his cloak and hand it to Amelia. "Please keep the map safe from Xellos; I'm sure he only wants to tare it apart." 

"Why would you make such a cruel assumption?" Xellos made a dramatic sad face. "You're so mean!" 

"You're so annoying!" Zelgadis mimicked the dramatic tone. "You've also been known to rip apart important documents in the past and you know that's our only map." 

"It wouldn't do me any good for us to get lost," Xellos logically pointed out. He extended his hand towards the map that Amelia was holding. "Let me borrow it, just for a little while." 

"No!" Taking her map protection mission seriously, Amelia tugged it into her shirt in the old trick many women used throughout the ages to keep small items away from men. 

Xellos frowned, "that's not fair." 

"Let's just trust Zelgadis' sense of direction, he's really good at navigating," Amelia encouraged, with Zelgadis clearly appreciating the compliment. 

A few minutes passed in silence until Xellos asked. "Isn't the map kind of heavy, Amelia?" 

"It's made of paper," Amelia pointed out as a matter of fact. 

"If you don't trust me with it, why don't you let Filia help you carry it for a while? It's about time that lazy dragon did something to help out," Xellos slyly suggested. 

"No way!" Amelia refused, "you'll try to steal it from her!" 

"And she'd probably let me," Xellos winked at Filia, who was red with anger. At least she wasn't ignoring him completely. She was making furious faces at him again, that was some progress, even if she still wasn't at the point of words just yet. He could still sense her hurt frustration; she was not ready to excuse his past secrecy and ulterior motives, but she was considering it. 

"I'm keeping the map," Amelia stated emphatically, hoping to stop another fight between Xellos and Filia before it truly began. 

"Fine, be selfish," Xellos pouted with a sad face, hoping that would soften Amelia's determination, but it didn't. He decided to drop the subject for the time being. There would be plenty of time to get a map and elaborate on the plan he had in mind when they reached the next town. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 054: Kidnapping! The Mysterious Lady

In another inn that happened to be in the way to the next town in the journey, Lina and company were sitting at a table surrounding the map that Amelia had kept safe from Xellos. The monster turned human, had run off somewhere in town, joining his companions a while later with his own map in hand. "Since Zelgadis is so terribly selfish and wouldn't let me borrow his map, I got my own," he placed the map on the table. "You're going here," he pointed out the farming village were they were traveling to. I'm going here," he pointed at a location near the village. "So I guess we'll be traveling down the same road for a while." 

"What's there?" Lina curiously asked. It didn't look like Xellos was actually pointing at anything on the map, or maybe something was missing from the depiction. 

"I'll tell you later. We might as well stop at the village next to our destination," Xellos replied ambiguously. "And Lina... you might have to earn your payment when we get there." 

Filia didn't like where the conversation was going. Xellos must be planning to cause trouble if he needed Lina's power to back him up. She frowned, but refused to speak to him. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The journey continued normally until eventually, Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia and Xellos reached the farming village they had been heading for. The place was indeed lacking in food, it was Lina's worse nightmare. There were no crops to be seen anywhere and the numerous healthy cattle that once roamed the land were few and sickly. "Lina," Xellos got the redhead out of her pitiful daze, "it's time to work." 

"I'm not in the mood," Lina groaned. "This place is so depressing!" 

"Come on, Lina, just think of all the money you're being paid for this," Xellos motivated. "If something goes wrong during my mission and I'm outnumbered and killed, you won't get paid anymore!" He reminded with more cheer than anyone should have when discussing their own death. 

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Lina noticed that Filia was giving her a meaningful look, as if trying to silently communicate that she should keep an eye on Xellos. "You guys can get started with blessing the land and what not. We'll catch up later." 

Amelia nodded, all too eager to get really started with her mission, "good luck!" She wasn't sure what she was giving them well wishes to achieve, but she wished them success nonetheless. 

Thus Lina and her inseparable companion, Gourry, followed Xellos to his room at the local inn, where they could privately discuss the plan Xellos had devised. In the mean time, Amelia and Filia went off to try to bless the land with their white and holy magic, with Zelgadis tagging along. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

In Xellos' room, he, Lina and Gourry sat around a small table listening to Xellos' explanation. "Though it's not on any map, there is a small villa in the plains south-east of here. That villa belongs to a golden dragon by the name of Celestina Ilumina. She is the only daughter of Orion Ilumina, a rich golden dragon, closely related to the dragon elders, who commands a vast portion of the golden dragons' market share. He also has participation in the councils of several dragon temples. In other words he's a note worthy politician and a wealthy business tycoon." 

Neither Lina nor Gourry questioned Xellos' information. Lina knew that it was Xellos' business to know these things when he was spying for Beast Master and Gourry never got far questioning anything anyway. "Go on," Lina prompted, indicating with her eyes that she already knew what was coming. Xellos was going to pick a fight with the dragon, though she was yet to understand why it would benefit him to do so. 

"My plan is to kidnap Celestina and hold her hostage to pressure Orion," Xellos revealed. "By those means, Orion will use his influence and bribery to return Filia's citizenship as a golden dragon." 

"But Filia herself said she didn't need it," Lina reminded. "Besides, why would you want her to be a golden dragon? I don't get it. What are you trying to achieve with all this? I thought you might want to stay away from the golden dragons, given your current situation. If a large number of them come after us, I might not be able to effectively play my part as your bodyguard." 

"We should have Celestina in our custody before the rest of the golden dragons even know what's going on," Xellos insisted. 

"What's the point?" Lina demanded. "So what if Filia becomes a golden dragon citizen? Her race might try to take that citizenship away permanently by other methods, meaning by attacking her. Sure we can also use Celestina to protect her, but what would that accomplish? We can't keep her hostage forever, just as I don't intend to keep playing bodyguard for the rest of my life. Don't forget, my contract has a set expiration date." 

"I haven't forgotten," Xellos kept his cheerful expression intact. "After Orion passes the bill to restore Filia's citizenship, we'll only need to keep Celestina for a short while longer. By then I should have accomplished what I need to do to recover my monster powers." That or Zelas would have lost her patience and killed him. "Once I'm a monster again, the golden dragons will not present a problem." 

Lina gave Xellos a suspicious look, "Okay... Now you need to explain that in a way that actually makes sense. There's something you're failing to tell us." 

"My cure..." Xellos half confessed. "Filia can cure me if she's an official golden dragon. There's another detail I need to take care of too, but it's..." complicated, confusing, impossible to explain. "It's nothing I can't handle," hopefully. 

"All of this will be accomplished by some kind of magic, I take it?" Lina theorized. "Have you even told Filia that her participation is eventually expected?" 

Xellos grinned with overconfident mockery, "she'll help out, she loves me." 

"That's going a bit far," Lina couldn't help it but to shake her head. "None the less, Filia is pretty merciful, even if I doubt she still loves you after your harsh break up, she would still help. I guess that even if she's hurt, she doesn't need to be in love to want to save your life. She's helped out before your short relationship after all." Xellos was giving Lina a critical look which made her wonder what she could have said wrong. "What?" 

"Nothing," Xellos pushed the thoughts away. Of course he could still count on Filia; he could always count on Filia... But that didn't mean she would always love him, she was merciful, not stupid, even though he called her a stupid dragon quite often. "This town used to be a place where human slaves were traded by dragons many years ago. In some kind of good will propaganda, it ended up as a town protected by dragons. Celestina trains maidens in magic in her villa, however, only women are allowed in." 

Gourry's face paled as a cold chill went down his spine. "I don't understand what's going on, but I have a bad feeling about this." 

"You're going to have to bear with it, Miss Lala," Lina warned Gourry. 

"You call me Lala when you're about to make me dress as a girl," Gourry grimaced. "I don't want to!" He whined. 

"Too bad, because you have to. If Xellos gets himself killed in this operation, my money's going down the drain!" Lina argued. "Besides, he'll have his monster powers back by the time we're ready to release Celestina." Xellos opened his mouth to suggest something rather Xellos-like, but Lina guessed what it was and shot down the suggestion before Xellos could even make it. "We're not getting rid of Celestina when we're done. I'm not going to pick a fight with the golden dragons for no reason. Besides, I'm pretty sure that would really make Filia reconsider helping you. And if you dare to ditch us after you get your powers back, I will find a way to survive, hunt you down and slay you, even if I have to call upon the power of the Lord of Nightmares and destroy the world along with you! Do I make myself clear?" Lina slammed her fist on the table with a fierce expression. 

"Crystal clear, Miss Lili," Xellos calmly replied. 

"Good to hear that, Miss Lulu." Lina nodded. "Okay, let's go get our disguises ready!" Lina exited Xellos' room, dragging a complaining Gourry along. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Some time later, three beautiful women, out of which only one was an actual woman, left the town and headed for the villa. Gourry was wearing a pink dress, similar to the kind of dresses he was forced to wear in the past for similar situations. His hair was in pigtails and his face was adorned with bright pink lipstick and an expression of misery. 

Lina had simpler attire, though she did change into a light blue skirt to enhance her feminine side, a white top and matching white boots. Her hair was up in a ponytail with a sky blue ribbon and her bangs styled to the side to make her face look somewhat different. To add to that effect, Lina wore some light makeup as well, with pale blue eye shadow and natural pink lipstick. "Seriously Xellos," Lina marbled as she stared at his feet. "How can you walk in those heels?" 

Xellos, who was wearing a rather form fitting red dress with golden lining and a generous slit on the side of the skirt, grinned. "It's Lulu, remember?" He reminded in a very girly voice, batting his long eye lashes, the amethyst color of his eyes standing out against the hint of gold around them. The whole perfect face look was completed with red lipstick. 

Lina rolled her eyes, that model walk of Xellos was simply too convincing. "I'm left wondering if you're a really great actor or..." 

"I'm sure Filia will be able to answer that," Xellos winked. As it was obvious what he was hinting at, and Lina definitely didn't want to talk about it, the redhead decided to drop the subject. 

After a relatively short walk, the three so called girls reached the villa, where they proceeded to call out a greeting from the front gates until a young woman came by to see what they wanted. "How may I help you, visitors?" The girl was a brunette with shrine maiden robes and a cheerful attitude. 

"We're here to learn magic from Lady Celestina," Xellos, alias Lulu, innocently explained. 

"Ah, more students for Lady Celestina's class, how nice." Taking a key from her pocket, the shrine maiden opened the gate. She was very easy to convince. Then again, few people were crazy enough to carry out ill intentions in the home of a dragon, especially in the outer world where magic wasn't as developed as in the lands previously inside the barrier. "Please follow me. My name is Catherine, or Cathy for short," she introduced herself as she led the three guests into the villa. 

"Nice to meet you, I'm Lili," Lina cheerfully declared, as part of her act. 

"I'm Lulu," Xellos added with a cute little giggle. 

Gourry did his voice acting the best he could, albeit he knew it wouldn't be as good as Xellos'. "I'm Lala." 

"Lili, Lulu and Lala, you have such cute names," Cathy commented with a cute giggle of her own. "Are you siblings perchance?" 

"Yes, we are, that's why we look so similar to each other," Xellos, alias Lulu, was being sarcastic, but he didn't allow the sarcasm to become audible past his sweet feminine tone. 

"I knew it!" Cathy dumbly exclaimed, she was a kind girl, but not too bright. 

"Who are the guests, Cathy?" A girl with long blond hair inquired curiously. 

"They're here to become Lady Celestina's students along with us. This is Lili, Lulu and Lala," Cathy introduced them. 

"Nice to meet you, I'm Natalie, but you can call me Natie," it seemed that everyone except Lady Celestina had a nickname in the villa. 

"Natie, could you keep our guests company while I informed Lady Celestina of their arrival?" Cathy requested. 

"I would be happy to. In fact, I just finished baking some cinnamon bread." Natie's words immediately caught Lina's attention. "Would you like to come to the tea room for some tea and cinnamon bread?" 

"We'd love to!" Lina and Gourry chorused, with Gourry's real voice being heard. 

Gourry cleared his throat in the most girly fashion he could. "Oh my, I'm so thirsty my throat feels terribly dry." 

"I'll make sure to add a few drops of medicine to your tea, Miss Lala. We wouldn't want you to lose your voice to a sore throat." Natie kindly offered. 

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Gourry giggled, but really, his voice acting would never be as good as Xellos'. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Lina, Gourry and Xellos, alias Lili, Lala and Lulu, were happily enjoying some tea and cinnamon bread, when Cathy returned to let them know that Lady Celestina was willing to interview them. The interviews would take place individually in the garden. "Why don't you go first, Lulu?" Lina suggested. 

"If that's alright," Xellos agreed, exchanging a plotting look with his bodyguard. The tea room was conveniently located near the gardens that were visible from the tall glass window. In the garden, there was a woman in dragon robes with ankle length white hair, facing away from the window as she tended to the flowers. They concluded she was Celestina. Lina and Gourry would be able to watch Xellos from there and be ready to play their part in their get away. 

"Actually," Cathy interrupted. "Lady Celestina has asked to see Lala first, then Lili and finally Lulu." 

"Sounds like she wants to go by alphabetical order," Lina alias Lili, laughed with slight nervousness as she gave Gourry, alias Lala, a warning look. He better not blow their cover. "Go on ahead, Lala." 

"Yes..." Gourry tried his best to keep up a good act. He could only hope that the questions Celestina asked in the interview were not too difficult. 

After Gourry was gone, Lina casually voiced, "those flowers out there are very pretty. It's too bad flowers won't grow anywhere else around here." 

"Oh yes, Lady Celestina tends to the gardens herself," Natie explained. "It is because of her power that those flowers are able to grow." 

There was a moment of silence in which Lina and Xellos both debated how to carefully inquire about how suspicious that was without directly accusing Celestina and alarming the maidens. "You're wondering why Lady Celestina has not cured the famine of this land, aren't you?" Cathy suggested. "The question is written all over your faces and you wouldn't be the first to ask it. Lady Celestina has told us she is an observer and that should she interfere, all will be lost. I think she means that people need to learn to overcome hardship on their own, rather than relying on the power of the golden dragons for everything." 

Natie nodded in agreement. "It's a valuable lesson." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Gourry had gone out to the garden, occasionally glancing towards the window from which he knew that Lina and Xellos were discretely watching him. The garden was full of beautiful flowers in every color imaginable, making a deep contrast with the lack of vegetation that was all over the rest of the land. "Lady Celestina?" He asked quietly in the most feminine voice he could manage. 

"You are a peculiar being. It was your voice calling her name which gave her the strength to cling to life. Stay strong and pure." Celestina didn't move from her position on her knees tending to the flowers, her back to Gourry, "go." 

Gourry felt strange, as if he was in the presence of a very powerful being. He had this feeling before, but he couldn't remember when. He dared not say any more and simply returned to the tea room. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Gourry quietly returned to the tea room and sat down looking kind of pale. Lina wondered if he had somehow managed to mess up in the short time he was out there, but no one was yelling or freaking out. Next up it was her turn, thus she went out. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Lina approached Celestina, "Lady Celestina?" 

Once again, Celestina did not move or look at her visitor. "You caused me to awaken from my partial slumber. I allowed you to live even after you gave up everything, do not expect it to happen again... go." 

This feeling, this sensation of power, Lina had felt it before, but didn't know when. The redhead sorceress couldn't talk, she simply didn't have the strength to say anything. Celestina was definitely not an ordinary golden dragon. She probably wasn't even a golden dragon at all, but not a monster either. Lina somehow knew that she should heed the warning and quietly retreated back to the tea room. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

When Lina returned to the tea room she had the same pale complexion Gourry displayed. She discreetly shook her head at Xellos, warning him with her eyes. He gave her a hidden look of puzzlement before venturing out to see what had shocked them so much about such a short meeting. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos approached Celestina just as Gourry and Lina had done before him. His empathy appeared to get a clear signal of Natalie and Catherine's innocent cheer, but even when he was only a few feet away from Celestina, he couldn't sense anything at all. There was no emotion coming from her what so ever, but she still held a very strong presence, stronger than anything Xellos had ever felt. He doubted the maidens and townspeople were aware of this, it was as if Celestina was allowing her three special visitors to see her in a different way than everyone else. 

Celestina slowly moved her head to glance at Xellos. Her eyes were a stunning golden color, as if they contained an endless galaxy of golden stars. Then he saw it, a vast blackness with no logic or harmony. In the mist of the chaos there was a single golden light shining brighter than anything he had ever seen. Xellos blinked and the vision was gone, he was in the garden once more and Celestina was once again looking at the flowers. 

"The creatures of this world complicate things far beyond the simple truth." A silent pause passed until Celestina spoke again. "Even so, my dream will continue for the time being. This is all a part of it as well." 

"You're..." Xellos couldn't finish, he simply dared not voice it. 

"Go," Celestina bid him farewell in the same way as the others. Without another word, Xellos retreated to the tea room, where Lina and Gourry were waiting. 

To be Continued


	19. Chapter 19

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 055: Summoning! The Birds and the Bees

Lina let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding, when she saw Xellos return without incident from his short meeting with Celestina. "We should leave," at least he didn't forget his voice acting for Natie and Cathy's benefit. 

"Aw, you didn't pass?" Cathy asked, requiring no answer. "Let me guess, Lady Celestina took one look at you and said 'you are not ready'. Don't be disappointed, I'm sure that with some training, you'll improve your skills and be ready to join our class soon. I didn't make it in until my third interview." 

"It took me five tries," Natie added with a light hearted laugh. "I didn't give up and it was worth it." 

"We'll make sure to keep that in mind," Lina made herself smile for the sake of acting, as she, Xellos and Gourry were accompanied to the villa's gates by the two maidens. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

While Lina, Gourry and Xellos were off in their little quest, Filia, Amelia and Zelgadis were visiting the farmlands. There were few farmers actually still living there, as the majority of the land had been purchased by a young business man called Arcius. The farmers interviewed by the trio of justice, as Amelia would call them, were grateful to the mysterious business man who paid a full price for their land despite the lack of fertility of the soil. Finding the timing to be too convenient, Amelia, Zelgadis and Filia headed to Arcius estate to have a word with him. 

Strangely, getting to meet Arcius was very easy. They strode past the open gates of the estate and rang the bell, until a butler came to let them in, offering no arguments against Amelia's demands to see "Mr. Arcius." That let the princess, the chimera and the dragon to their current situation, seated at an elegant room with sweet tea and oversized chocolate covered croissants on the table in front of them. Lina would love those croissants. 

The room had predominating fiery shades with long crimson and orange curtains all over the walls, even on the side that didn't have windows, making the room look like it was on fire. The plush orange carpet was so soft it made the visitors tempted to take off their shoes, but they resisted the urge. The gold plated table was certainly attention grabbing as well as the golden teapot, cups and plates. The room was a bit blinding, but still impressive in luxury. 

"Thank you for seeing us on such short notice, Mr. Arcius," Amelia spoke, a bit embarrassed that she had assumed that the business tycoon who bought the farm lands had to be the bad guy. 

"It is no trouble at all," Arcius smile politely. He was a tall handsome man with curly blond hair and emerald green eyes. Though he was without a doubt good looking, his taste in clothing and interior decorating left much to be desired. "I try to make it a point to always have my doors open to guests. Is there a specific purpose to your visit? I don't believe I've seen you in town before." 

"We're not from here," Amelia explained, realizing that she was yet to reveal their names, "I'm Amelia and these are Filia and Zelgadis, we heard there was a famine and hoped to help by blessing the land. Filia and I are skilled in white and holy magic, Zelgadis is our protector." It was best to steer clear of the princess deal or else Arcius might keep his guard up. Amelia was no longer assuming he was a villain, but she wasn't ready to trust him yet. 

"I see," Arcius looked sad. "Many have tried to bless the land before, but nothing has come of it. If it will please you to do so, you are welcome to try. But do not be disappointed if it doesn't work. I'm afraid this land has simply given all that it can give. However, even if it can't produce crops, it might still be used for something else." 

"Something else?" Zelgadis suspiciously inquired, "something lucrative?" He questioned boldly. 

"Perhaps," Arcius admitted, "the land must be capable of sustaining its people, though I'm sure it will not be as beneficial as the farms that used to thrive here. Houses, storage rooms, maybe even an amusement park. There's plenty of room to allow various projects to grow and produce jobs for the people who have lost their employment as farmers. The downside is that there's still the famine to consider. I've been importing food from far away, but with the losses from my investments in this land, I'm afraid that I have little to share. Hopefully, I'll be able to recover and help everyone else recover as well." 

"Can you tell us anything else about how this started?" Filia asked, albeit she wasn't willing to let the previous thread of conversation end just yet. "What was your relation with this land before the famine?" 

"I was a merchant who sold the produce of this land." Arcius replied as if knowing that he was about to clear his suspicions. "I don't blame you for finding my timing excessively convenient, but the truth is that if I were in it only for the economical benefit, I was better off keeping my previous position selling the goods that this land produced. As things stand now, most merchants would suggest I was better off retiring from the market and keeping my savings rather than buying barren land. Regardless of what projects I might work on in the future, they are far away and I'll be up to my neck in investment debts before I see any real profits. It's a gamble, but it's all I have to give these people. I am even under a contractual obligation to sell back the land for the same purchase price if any of the previous owners should so request it within the next year. If you are concerned about my actions, please feel free to examine the legal documents related to them." 

Filia, Amelia and Zelgadis looked at each other. It appeared that Arcius' business was very much out in the open and no one had a bad thing to say about him. "It's okay," Amelia finally voiced. There was no need to get too technical in the legal aspects without a good reason. 

"About your other question," Arcius continued, proving that he had no intentions of avoiding the subject, though he had little to say about it. "There is not much I can tell you about how the famine started. The produce decreased and the land died out in a gradual yet relatively fast pace. I have no explanation for this tragedy. As I mentioned, skilled magic users have tried to bless the land before, but they sensed no curses or monsters in it." 

"Curses and monsters are not the only evil in the world," and cursed monsters didn't necessarily have to be detestable, but Filia decided not to voice that last part. 

"That is very true," Arcius agreed, "sometimes natural disasters can be far more tragic. I've been investigating alternative solutions for the problem in hopes of saving the farms before I make any final choices to turn the land into something else. I was just about to try a new method before you arrived." 

"Maybe we can help!" Amelia immediately offered. 

"That would be most appreciated," Arcius glanced at the gray suited butler standing by the room's door. "James, could you please bring the magic book that arrived earlier today? I believe I left it on the desk in the study." 

"Right away, sir," James swiftly exited the room, returning a few minutes later with the requested item. "Here you are, sir." 

"Thank you," Arcius placed the old wine colored book on the table. It was worn and the golden lining that once adorned it had almost completely faded. "I believe this book contains the answer to our problems. It has many spells that borrow power from Lord Beast Master." 

Filia read the somewhat faded title of the book. "The Birds and The Bees?" What kind of book was this? 

"Yes, it's a compilation of summoning spells that call birds and bees for various purposes," Arcius explained as he flipped through the book. "This spell for example, can summon a large bird to carry things. It's quite good to have when going grocery shopping. That is when people actually have groceries to carry. This other spell summons a bird that can sing lullabies, very good against insomnia. There's one that can summon a bird that sings in the morning and works as an alarm clock. You can summon bees to produce delicious honey and even call a hive to aid in combat. I actually lost the auction when I first bid on this book. Then days later the one who beat me at the auction offered to sell it to me. He seemed rather disappointed in the book. I'm not sure what he was expecting from it and I can't imagine why it would be a disappointment. This book is certainly filled with many useful summoning spells." 

"Interesting," Amelia commented, having an eagle sidekick to accompany her in her quest for justice was something she would really like. "What spell were you planning to use?" 

"This one here," Arcius flipped the pages of the book and turned it over so that his guests could read it right side up. "The spell is called Busy Bees. It is used to summon bees that will help fertilize plants by carrying pollen from one to another." The words of the summoning were 'busy bees buzzing, bringing bright bliss, carry the pollen, the harvest assist.' 

"What if there's no pollen or plants in the first place?" Zelgadis pointed out. The land was pretty barren, so there really wasn't much left for the bees to work with. 

"These are special bees, I would assume," Arcius theorized. "I mean, they come from a summoning spell rather than just being regular bees. I thought they might be able to help. Unfortunately, I'm not a skilled spell caster, so I doubt I would be able to do the summoning myself. I've heard the people from the lands that used to be inside the barrier have much greater magical abilities. Perhaps I'll hire a sorcerer from there." 

"I'll do it!" Amelia immediately volunteered. "I grew up in the land within the barrier and I have experience in magic. I can do this!" 

"Really?" Arcius smiled gratefully. "Thank you so much, Miss Amelia! I will be sure to repay you for your efforts!" 

"No monetary rewards will be needed for a defender of justice," Amelia proudly declared. If Lina had been there she would have gladly volunteered to take the reward in her place. "Although..." Amelia eyed the summoning book as she imagined herself in a blue, white and red super hero costume with a majestic eagle proudly perched on her shoulder. "I would really appreciate it if you would let me borrow the summoning book." 

"Certainly!" Arcius agreed. "Thank you again for your kind help. If this works, the farms may be saved. Then the people can go back to cultivating the land, I can go back to distributing their wonderful products and the famine will finally come to an end." 

"Yes, we can do this! We can save the farms!" Amelia happily declared in all out defender of justice mode. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia and Arcius went outside to put their plan into action. Amelia held the summoning book and began to chant the spell. "Busy bees buzzing, bringing bright bliss, carry the pollen, the harvest assist!" Out of thin air, a swarm of bees materialized, buzzing all around. The numerous bees flew in all directions, searching for pollen and plants. 

The group watched as the bees buzzed around for a while longer before flying towards them as a group. The four dropped to the ground, dodging the bees. The swarm turned in the air and went on the attack again. "What are they doing?" Arcius demanded in a panic. 

"I think they're mad!" Amelia exclaimed. 

"Of course they're mad, there are no plants here, there's no pollen for them to work with. They were summoned for nothing!" Zelgadis insisted. "I knew this was a bad idea!" 

"Run for your lives!" Filia interrupted with a very good suggestion. 

The group dashed towards the estate, where James was watching from the door. The butler let Arcius and his guests in, before shutting the door. The noise of the bees colliding against the hard wood was heard as Amelia let out a breath of relief. "That was close..." 

"It's not over!" Filia pointed at the large golden lined glass window next to the door. The bees were ramming it and making cracks on the glass. 

"Oh no! The bees are about to break in!" Arcius exclaimed. "We must depart to a safe place at once. Come my guests, we must retreat deeper into the house!" 

"No, if we do that, we'll get ourselves cornered," Zelgadis argued. "It's time to send these bees back where they came from!" 

"I'm with you Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia cheered. 

"Count me in too," Filia agreed. 

The bees finally broke the glass window, pouring into the estate as the magic using trio shouted, "Fireball!" The spell reduced the bees to ashes, thus solving that problem. Even so, the fact remained that the farmlands were still dead. 

"Impressive!" Arcius congratulated. "You are all powerful sorcerers indeed. Would you consider a long term contract as my employees?" 

"We're not looking for a job," Zelgadis pointed out. 

"But we'll still help with the famine problem," Amelia added. 

"I understand, please let me know if you reconsider," Arcius offered. "Well, that was certainly an exciting event. Perhaps it would be best to rest before the next move is decided upon. I would be honored to provide you with rooms in my humble home." 

"I suppose we should plan things out better next time," Amelia agreed. "Taking a break sounds good, thank you Mr. Arcius. What do you think, Zelgadis, Miss Filia?" 

"I guess we should take a break," Zelgadis agreed. 

"There's actually something I've been meaning to check out in town if there is time," Filia revealed. "There's supposed to be a place called the Golden Dragon Cafe." 

"Ah yes, it's a delightful place with the most delicious coffee, tea, juice and baked treats," Arcius smiled fondly, though his expression soon turned bittersweet. "Or it was when the harvest was good. Now their menu is limited, but it is still a good place to spend some time relaxing. If you would honor me with your company, I would be happy to show you to the cafe." 

Filia blushed slightly and smiled, "I would appreciate it." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After Filia and Arcius left, Amelia and Zelgadis sat down to talk in one of the estate's many guest rooms. "Did you notice, Zelgadis?" Amelia inquired with excitement despite how ambiguous her question appeared to Zelgadis. 

"Notice what?" Zelgadis allowed his eyes to try to examine the room again before he had the need to blink as if to rest his vision. The theme in this particular room was green, blindingly bright lime green. "That Arcius is color blind? Yeah, I noticed alright, how could I not?" 

Amelia examined the room, "well maybe... but that's not what I meant." She frowned in bitter sorrow, though there was fascination in her eyes. "It's so exciting, so amazing, so dramatic!" 

"What is?" Zelgadis wasn't sure what Amelia was getting at and quite frankly, he wasn't sure he wanted to know. 

"The love triangle!" Amelia loudly declared. "Miss Filia and Mr. Xellos have recently gone through a painful break up, but they both still have strong feelings for each other. Now, just as their anger was cooling off to give way to a new flame of love between them, the rival enters the scene! While Mr. Xellos is away, Miss Filia's heart is in danger of being stolen away by the dashing Mr. Arcius!" 

"Dashing?" Zelgadis questioned with an almost amused laugh. "How can a man in a fuchsia shirt be called dashing?" 

"He's dashing in the eyes of Filia's wounded heart!" Amelia insisted. "She blushed when he offered to take her out on a date, I saw!" 

"Date?" Zelgadis questioned, where did Amelia get all these conclusions anyway? "Wasn't he just showing her the location of that cafe she was looking for?" 

"He was going out with her!" Amelia insisted, "and she blushed!" The princess adamantly emphasized. 

"Probably out of embarrassment at the thought of being seen in public with a man who dresses like a clown," Zelgadis concluded. The fuchsia shirt with ruffles around its V shaped neck was ridiculous and the impossibly tight black pants must have been horribly uncomfortable, albeit at least the color was normal. 

"I don't think his outfit was all that bad. It reminds me of the cover art from a romance novel, though the shirt was white instead of fuchsia. I guess Mr. Arcius must like to stand out. Either way, everyone in town seems to be fond of Mr. Arcius, even if he's a bit eccentric. What makes it impossible for Filia to like him too?" Amelia might have an overactive imagination, but she brought up a strong argument. 

"Good point, if Filia dated Xellos then her standards can't be all that high," Zelgadis concluded, feeling sincerely sorry for Filia. "Maybe you should have a talk with her about being more picky with who she dates. She'll thank you in the long run." 

Amelia shook her head. "Love knows no boundaries!" She heroically declared. "If Miss Filia believes that Mr. Xellos has earned her heart, then he has. Who are we to judge the reasons one has to be in love. Love cannot be stopped! Miss Filia is opening her heart to another man too soon; the wound from her previous relationship is still fresh. She might mistake her remaining feelings for Mr. Xellos as feelings for Mr. Arcius. That will only bring pain to both of them when she realizes the truth. I know Miss Filia still has feelings for Mr. Xellos, that's why she's hurting, that's why she's going out of her way to give him the cold shoulder. Mr. Xellos also has feelings for Miss Filia, that's why he's been trying to get her attention even if she's doing everything in her power to ignore him." 

Zelgadis was about to present a counter argument, but stopped. Who was he, a chimera with an expertise in robbery and property damage all for the sake of finding a cure he didn't know existed, to judge Filia for falling in love with an obnoxious monster? If Amelia could love Zelgadis, then the chimera concluded that maybe it wasn't so horrible for someone to love that idiot Xellos. Plus Amelia did have a point, if Filia was over her ex, she wouldn't have been making such an effort to pretend he was invisible. As for Xellos, maybe horrible monsters had some semblance of feelings after all, if only a little. "I can't believe I'm saying this but... I'll help you get them back together, granted that we don't get too involved." 

"Thank you Zel, you're awesome!" Amelia tackled Zelgadis in a big bear hug and planted a kiss on his lips. "Don't worry; I have a plan that requires minimal involvement. I'll write a letter to Mr. Xellos telling him about Miss Filia and Mr. Arcius' growing romance. Mr. Xellos will then realize the error of his ways by taking Miss Filia for granted and rush back to town, determined to win her heart again!" Amelia finished her dramatic speech and watched for a reaction from Zelgadis, who was just smiling and spacing out, "Zel?" 

"Oh, yes, that, right, great plan, Amelia!" Zelgadis didn't quite hear what Amelia's plan was, but in his current state, he would agree to do anything she asked him to. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 056: Get Along! Try Again

Lina, Xellos and Gourry, still in their disguises, made their way back to town. Gourry was all too eager to get there and change, Lina told him to wait until they reached the inn. After all, a guy walking around in his underwear would probably attract more strange stares then a woman in a pink dress, provided that no one knew the so called woman was actually a man. 

"What happened to the plan?" Gourry inquired. The plan was not too clear for him, as nothing ever was. 

"It was canceled," Xellos replied, seeing no need for further voice acting, since no one aside from Gourry and Lina were close enough to hear him anyway. 

"Who was that Celestina anyway? She wasn't normal," Lina shuddered. 

"She seemed powerful," Gourry agreed. 

Curiously, Lina inquired, "what did she say to you?" 

"Um..." Gourry tried hard to remember, his memory was generally very short term. "She said... Oh yeah, she said I was peculiar. Then she said something about my voice calling someone's name or something. Then she told me to stay strong and... and pure... and then... and then... and then... then she told me to go and I did." 

Gourry's explanation was vague at best, not that Lina expected much else. "She told me that she allowed me to live after I gave up everything and woke her. She warned me not to expect it to happen again. It's almost as if she was..." Lina didn't finish. 

"The creatures of this world complicate things far beyond the simple truth." Xellos quoted. "Those are the words she told me. She also said that her dream would continue for the time being, everything is a part of her dream." 

"Her dream?" Lina put all the pieces together and got the same result as her initial theory. The time when she gave up everything, the battle against Fibrizo, Gourry's voice calling out to her. A dream that could be a nightmare for some. "Do you think she's really...?" 

"Some time ago, Celestina Ilumina was said to have been killed by Fibrizo," Xellos revealed. "Then shortly after Fibrizo's defeat, she returned alive and well. She had apparently distanced from all those she used to know and many dragons feared her. Maybe the real Celestina really was killed and the one we saw is only borrowing her identity to observe this world up close." 

"Then she really is..." Lina looked back in the direction of the villa in the distance. 

"I don't get it," Gourry predictably commented. 

"I saw it," Xellos confessed, "it was only for a split second, but I saw it. The gold that shines upon the sea of chaos..." 

"The Lord of Nightmares," Lina whispered. 

"Let's not go back there," Xellos grinned with an exaggerated amount of cheer. It was his way to deal with the overwhelming discovery. 

Lina laughed to contribute to lightening the mood. "I agree; there are things we're better off not getting mixed up in." 

Gourry had his eternal expression of confusion firmly in place. "I don't get it. What does the Lord of Nightmares have to do with anything?" 

Lina sighed, making Gourry understand certain things was simply impossible. "Never mind, the point is that the kidnapping has been cancelled. By the way, Xellos, as deadly dangerous as the Lord of Nightmares is, I can't help it but to think there's a bit of mercy in her. Of course, that is only as long as people don't push it. I have no intentions of disregarding her warning. What I'm trying to say is, she told Gourry and me something related to when we first met her, so to speak, and gave us advice. What if she was giving you advice too?" Though the memories of that occasion were hidden from Lina's conscious mind at first, they resurfaced when she saw Celestina. Those memories felt like a dream, yet Lina knew them to be true. 

"The creatures of this world complicate things far beyond the simple truth." Xellos repeated what he was told. The truth was that he agreed with it. What he wouldn't normally admit was that he too was one of those creatures that brought unnecessary complications upon himself. 

"Maybe there's an easier way to go about this curse thing. Maybe the answer is right in front of you," Lina suggested. 

"Maybe," Xellos agreed. Unless the Lord of Nightmares was referring to the other part of the curse he needed to work on. The part about figuring out how to truly love Filia enough so that it wasn't just attraction or affection, but something strong enough to break the curse. He was at a blank there. He cared about her and he managed to accept that, but how could he make it enough? Wasn't this thing that supposedly wasn't love strong enough already? Maybe all he had to do was stop questioning it. Or maybe what he needed to do was change his angle. 

How to achieve love... how to find his cure... how to... Xellos paused his train of thought as he arrived at the needed answer. He was trying to survive, he went as far as temporarily forgetting his curse when Filia first accepted her love for him, but he was back to thinking about it again soon after. He was disappointed, he accused her, blamed her, he was selfish. Love wasn't supposed to be selfish, love was supposed to be mutual... If Filia had to play her part with no ulterior motives then he had to do the same thing. 

A yellow and white bird flew towards them circling around Xellos until he woke from his thoughts and held out his arm. "What are you doing here Jarde?" The bird, who was carrying some kind of rolled up piece of paper, chirped as if laughing. "Don't tell me you came all this way just to mock me." 

Lina blinked in perplexity as she witnessed the odd exchange. "I take it you know this bird?" 

"Jarde is a courier bird that can be summoned with a spell that borrows power from Lord Beast Master." Xellos took the paper from Jarde and let him perch on his shoulder while he examined the letter. "Dear Mr. Xellos, I regret to inform you that Miss Filia has found a new love. If you do not wish to lose her forever, you must apologize for taking her for granted and win back her heart. Good luck, you'll need it, Amelia." Xellos stared at the letter in disbelief. 

"I didn't know Amelia could summon birds," Gourry casually commented. He made an effort to pay attention to what was being said in case he later got more random questions about what someone told him recently. He caught all the main details, so he felt accomplished. 'Amelia summoned a bird and Filia got a new boyfriend,' Gourry repeated in his mind, trying to retain the facts for more than thirty seconds. 

"A good courier bird could come in handy now and then, but that aside, what's more interesting is what the letter says," Lina gave Xellos a severe look. 

"You don't think it's true, do you?" Xellos considered the possibilities. Amelia would probably say a false letter like this one was an unjust cruel joke. She wouldn't lie... 

'Amelia summoned Filia. A bird got a new boyfriend,' Gourry repeated in his head, but that didn't sound quite right. How did it go again? 

"I think you got exactly what you deserve!" Lina placed one hand on her hip, while she pointed at Xellos with the other, waving her index finger back and forth in an accusing fashion. 

'Filia summoned Amelia to give her boyfriend a bird,' Gourry thought. But why would Filia want to give Zelgadis a bird? 

"Filia's been super nice to you," Lina continued scolding Xellos. "She's been taking good care of you and helping you learn to survive as a human. You haven't exactly been grateful to her." 

Gourry knew there was something about Amelia, Filia and a bird, but it was too complicated. Some kind of love triangle? No, Amelia had Zelgadis, the bird was Filia's boyfriend. That's it, 'Amelia's bird is Filia's boyfriend!' "Lina's right," Gourry finally voiced. "You should have been nice to Filia, then she wouldn't have dumped you and started dating Amelia's bird instead." 

Xellos and Lina both stared at Gourry, "Who ever said anything about Filia dating a bird?" Lina hopelessly asked. "She's dating a man. A man who's probably kind, respectable, polite, selfless, handsome and rich. A man who lives in a mansion where Filia will invite us to have dinner every now and then. Yes, a rich man with lots of food. Way to go, Filia!" 

"I'll believe it when I see it," Xellos grumbled as he quickened his pace to town. Jarde chirped in his laughter way and flew off, disappearing among the clouds above, since his job was done. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos was swiftly on his way to the inn, to change into some clothes that did not include a dress, before going off to search for Filia. He didn't want to think too much about it, but he was worried. Lina brought up a valid point, he had not really given Filia much appreciation and despite how far she had gone to ignore him, Xellos kept thinking she would come around. He even went on to take care of the other preparations for his cure, leaving amending his break-up with Filia for later. He felt guilty; it was an odd and unpleasant sensation. 

Lina and Gourry entered the inn, with Gourry running like a mad man because he couldn't spend another second in a dress. Lina rolled her eyes and walked after him at a more civilized pace, making a point to give Xellos a guilt tripping glare before she left. Xellos would have followed Lina and Gourry into the inn building, if not for the fact that a familiar voice caught his attention. There was Filia, it didn't look like Lina and Gourry had noticed her, and Filia had not noticed any of them. 

Filia was sitting at an out door table across the street in a structure that looked like someone's personal residence, if not for the tables identifying it as a cafe of sorts. It was made to look homey rather than commercial, as part of the message of peace between the humans and dragons it carried. Albeit that made the Golden Dragon Cafe very easy to miss, as it had no signs with its name anywhere. Never mind the cafe, who was that man in the fuchsia shirt standing up along with Filia and offering her his arm? The nerve of him! 

Ignoring the fact that he was still in disguise, Xellos made his way to Filia and Arcius. Filia saw the approaching angry woman and after a double take realized that wasn't actually a woman. Her eyes grew wide in shock, her expression causing Arcius to follow her gaze, curious to see what had surprised her so much. "Xe... Xe..." Filia couldn't get her voice to produce any complete words. 

"Xexe," Arcius repeated, adding a barely audible 'rawr' at the end. With an, according to him, seductive grin, he eyed 'Xexe' up and down. "Miss Xexe, I take it you are a friend of Miss Filia. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Arcius Evergreen, yes, that Evergreen, the one with the big fortune," he laughed as if being a millionaire was no big deal. "I would be more than happy to show you around the town and maybe we can get to know each other better while we-" Arcius was silenced by a solid right hook to the face which carried such a furious force that it threw him to the ground in a daze. "What a woman!" He exclaimed dreamily before passing out. 

Filia was still staring in shock, unable to speak or move. Thus Xellos took it as his cue to say something. "Can I talk to you... at the inn?" 

Filia nodded her head somewhat unsure and pushed her voice to produce a doubtful, "be right there." She didn't know what was going on, but ignoring Xellos wasn't going to solve anything. Besides, she simply had to know what explanation he had for parading around in a dress. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A few minutes later, Filia found herself standing in front of the door to Xellos' room at the inn. She knocked gently, almost unsure if she wanted her presence to be known or not. Xellos opened the door right away, letting her in. Thankfully, he was wearing his normal clothing again and the pretty makeup was gone. "First I would like an explanation," Filia began. 

"Our painful break-up was too much for me and I can never look at a woman the same way again. I thought that if I became one, no one would be able to hurt me anymore," Xellos dramatized. 

Filia let out an exasperated breath, "and the truth would be?" 

Cutting the drama, Xellos grinned in his usual fashion. "I wanted to pressure an influential figure among the golden dragons into restoring your citizenship by kidnapping his daughter. In order to do that, I had to sneak into her villa where only women are allowed to study magic." 

Filia was glaring in fierce disapproval. "Not only do you cause trouble for me, but you get some poor innocent girl involved too?" 

Xellos tried to look innocent, "there's no need to get jealous. I assure you that my interest in her was purely for business purposes. It's a thing of survival and nothing more." 

"Just like your interest in me," Filia reproached, though a part of her kept saying that it wasn't as simple as that. 

Xellos paused. He was a trickster, but he couldn't brush this off with a few sarcastic remarks. "It started that way," he admitted. "But it's... or if not, it will be, different." 

"Because if you don't return my feelings you'll die? That's a hostage situation if I ever saw one, except the hostage is yourself. It's deadly blackmail, it's not willing," Filia insisted. "What about the dragon girl? What happened? Are you holding her hostage somewhere?" 

"The dragon was... not who we thought she was. We realized she was the wrong target and retreated without incident. The kidnapping plan was canceled," Xellos explained while withholding his response to Filia's other remark. 

"Furthermore, even if your crazy plan to get me a golden dragon citizenship did work, it won't do a thing if you end up hurting me so much I start to hate you," she accused bitterly. "You assumed I would help, didn't you? You self centered egotistical piece of raw garbage!" 

"I did," Xellos admitted, "I did assume, but I shouldn't have." He could sense her pain, her anger, her frustration. "You've been helpful from the start and I've been... a selfish monster." 

Filia continued frowning, her eyes analytical and focused. "Concentrate," she wrapped her arms around him without warning, allowing her full frustration and hurt to show. 

"Filia..." It was at times like this when Xellos really hated his emphatic abilities. If he focused on himself hard enough, he should be able to distract himself from sensing someone else's emotions. But he couldn't, Filia's emotions were so intense they just flowed into him. It was over, he lost her. She was giving her a bitter farewell, showing him why he couldn't be forgiven. 

Filia released Xellos and took a deep breath. "This town, it has a dark past in relations to the humans and dragons. In an effort to make amends, the Golden Dragon Cafe was established. It was built to look like someone's home in symbolic peace. They have cards there made of magically enhanced paper often used for legal contracts to ensure their authenticity. They are membership cards that each person can use once. The cards expire twenty-four hours after being signed and the magic in them makes them disintegrate into dust. For one day, the one who signs one of those cards is an honorary golden dragon, recognized as a legal citizen by the constitution of the dragon race." Filia took a small white card with golden lining from her pocket. She gave Xellos a serious look. "If you ever break my heart again, it's over for good, I mean it!" 

Filia placed the card on Xellos' hand. In golden ink, the card read, 'honorary golden dragon' on top, with the silhouette of a dragon below the words and a blank space for a signature under it. "You mean I get another chance?" He wasn't expecting that. 

"Only one," Filia warned. She allowed her positive feelings to shine through, no longer suppressing them with hurt bitterness. It was clear that Xellos was still able to sense it; it still shocked him that she cared so much. 

"How do you do that? How do you change your mind like that, so suddenly? Which is real?" As a monster it was easy to perceive the predominating taste of emotions when all the tastes mixed together. But this was different, he sensed every feeling individually and sometimes it didn't make sense for certain emotions to coexist simultaneously. "And why... why did you...?" 

"It's all real," Filia assured. "People don't feel good and bad exclusively, they can feel wonderful and terrible at the exact same time, sometimes even for the same reason. It doesn't make sense, but feelings don't always follow logic. As for why I'm giving you another chance..." Filia remembered the moment when she accepted her own feelings. "I went through ignorance, confusion, denial and a stubborn resolution to change before I finally accepted how I felt. Nonetheless, even when I was trying to change, it was all still real. I'm not going to hold it against you if you go through the same process a little slower. You were from the beginning very stubborn, selfish, self-centered, prideful, egotistical, overconfident, cold-hearted, malicious, obstinate-" 

"I get the message," Xellos interrupted before Filia continued reciting the whole dictionary of negative adjectives. 

"Arrogant, cruel, uncaring and all around annoying," Filia finished, ignoring the interruption. "So even if you do have feelings for me, you have a whole lot more to overcome before they can truly shine through, because real love is supposed to be pure. There's nothing wrong with wanting to live. Pure love is a dangerous weapon against a monster. It's your natural instinct to guard yourself from it, perhaps without even realizing it. Nevertheless, it's still real and I know for certain that it's there." 

"So my love is poisoned?" Xellos found a creative way to describe it. "But it exists nonetheless?" 

"Am I wrong?" Filia asked, her eyes gently demanding the truth. 

Xellos gave it some thought and after a long moment of silence he voiced, "I think you're right, but is that enough?" 

"It's something to hold on to, something that can grow," Filia replied with a smile. It was a real smile, different from the smile she made herself show for the sake of being polite and not worrying her friends. "Keep the card; I'll sign it when you're ready. Until then, let's just relax and not think about the technicalities." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 057: Bet! Victory is Subjective

Xellos felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Everything was okay now. Well not really, he was still cursed and he still had a way to go before his love could become pure enough to save his life, but he wasn't focusing on that at the moment. He was glad to have Filia back, for now that was enough. "So... does this mean we'll be spending the rest of the day together?" He winked with a seductive grin. 

Filia leaned forward, her face close to his as she returned his mischievous grin, "nope," she winked. 

Xellos was caught off guard, "huh?" That tricky dragon... 

"Amelia and Zelgadis must be done resting by now. Maybe they've even come up with a new plan of action against the famine. If not, then we can always go with the original plan and try to bless the land with white and holy magic," Filia explained with a teasing smile. "Why don't you come along and watch? You might learn a thing or two about white magic." 

Xellos rolled his eyes, "that'll be the day. I think I'll just stick with black magic, it's more my style." 

"That's just because you don't have enough talent for white magic." Filia crossed her arms, giving Xellos a superior mocking look. 

"I could do just fine if I wanted," Xellos returned the challenging gaze. He knew he was walking right into Filia's little trap, but he wasn't about to run away from her challenge. 

"I bet you couldn't," Filia insisted. It was as if their big fight never happened, though the lesson that came of it still remained. They were back to teasing each other, back to acting natural, back to being themselves. 

"I'll take that bet!" Xellos agreed. With some luck and a lot of effort, he might actually win. "So... what should we bet?" 

"That was just a figure of speech," Filia argued, she knew that making a bet with a trickster was a bad idea. Yet maybe if she could arrange things so that a loss wouldn't be a real loss it would be okay. "If I win you have to... take me out on a real date and do everything I ask." 

"Be your slave for the evening? I think I know what that involves," he winked. 

Filia blushed, "that's not how a real date goes!" 

"And if I win?" Xellos reminded that he too needed a prize to go after in their little bet. 

"If you win, I'll teach you a useful spell," a spell of Filia's own choosing that she would conveniently keep a secret until the event of Xellos winning the bet occurred, if he actually managed to win. 

"What kind of spell?" Xellos inquired suspiciously. What was defined as a useful spell varied from one person to another. Xellos had a feeling that the definition Filia would give it was very different from his own. "Is it something powerful and destructive?" 

"You'll have to wait and find out," Filia taunted. "Unless you're making up excuses because you know you don't have the skill to learn a simple recovery spell." 

"I'm supposed to be the one taunting you to make you do what I want," Xellos accused in an 'it's not fair' whiny tone. 

"I guess you must be rubbing off on me," Filia grinned. 

"I'd be happy to continue doing so right now," Xellos offered with a seductive grin. 

"Not happening, I'm busy," Filia headed out the door of the inn room, determined to start working on solving the farm problem right away, before she changed her mind. "Are you coming along or not?" 

"Just watch, I'll win our bet, even if the prize is probably nothing of use, since a stupid dragon can't possibly know any really good spells. All you know is holy magic, it's not as good as black magic," Xellos teased, though he knew it wasn't really true. 

"We'll see about that!" Filia challenged as they both made their way out of the inn. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

On their way out of the inn, Xellos and Filia met up with Gourry and Lina. Filia informed them of Zelgadis and Amelia's location and the six of them regrouped at Arcius estate. Arcius had since returned home and graciously welcome the new guests, not realizing that Xellos was Xexe. Though he encouraged them to investigate the lands and try anything they could come up with to restore the fertility of the soil, he warned them not to feel bad if it didn't work. Claiming he had a pounding headache, Arcius then apologized for not accompanying them and stayed at the estate while Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia and Xellos went out to the fields. 

"I feel bad taking advantage of Arcius' kindness after Xellos punched him," Filia complained, as the group made their way through the vast barren lands that were once productive farms. 

"You mean that black eye was Xellos doing?" Lina frowned. "If he doesn't have us over for dinner because of you..." She didn't even need to finish her threat for everyone to know it was deadly. Messing with Lina's meal, directly or indirectly, was a death wish. 

Amelia, as well as the entire group, had noticed that the atmosphere between Filia and Xellos had significantly improved. Her eyes shone upon the revelation of Xellos having punched Arcius. She felt sorry for Arcius, but his bruised face was only a small sacrifice in the grander scheme of things. "Mr. Xellos punched Mr. Arcius? Well done Mr. Xellos! That's what I call fighting for your love! I'm glad you made up with Miss Filia and didn't let Mr. Arcius steal her away." 

"There was nothing between Arcius and me!" Filia immediately defended. "Besides, it was more like fighting against love, isn't that right, Miss Xexe?" Filia eyed Xellos mockingly. 

"You're really starting to copy me too much Filia, but that's okay, I know you're just jealous because I'm prettier than you," Xellos teased in return. 

"Miss Xexe? I thought Xellos was supposed to be Lulu," Gourry pointed out in confusion. "Or was it Lala? No, wait, I was Lala, and Lina was Lili, right?" 

"Mr. Gourry as Miss Lala... That can only mean there were disguises in our absence," Amelia realized. "I get it; Mr. Arcius doesn't recognize Mr. Xellos without his disguise." Amelia sounded disappointed that she missed out. Those sneaky missions were always fun. Besides, she would never admit it, but she had fun putting makeup on Zelgadis, even if he didn't enjoy it at all. 

"I'm glad I wasn't there," Zelgadis breathed in relief. 

"I was there for the disguises, but I missed the part about Arcius falling in love with Xexe." Lina teased as she elbowed Xellos playfully. "Nice going Xellos, you snagged yourself a rich one. It's a pity his taste in clothing and interior decorating is so bad, but I'm sure that's nothing that a woman's touch can't fix. Make sure to invite us over for dinner at your loving boyfriend's estate every now and then!" 

Being an experienced trickster, Xellos knew that trying to fight off the teasing was counter-productive, thus he played along. "Shh, keep your voice down, Lina. Filia isn't supposed to know about my little affair with Arcius." 

"You're having an affair with Arcius?" Gourry frowned in disapproval. "You shouldn't cheat on Filia." 

Filia rolled her eyes while Lina let out a hopeless breath at Gourry being so gullible. "It's okay, I don't mind," Filia assured. 

Gourry gave Filia a look of surprise, then finally shrugged, "I find it unusual but... people need to respect each others differences. If you want to be in a trio, I'll accept and support you as a friend," he smiled sincerely. 

Lina ran her hand from her forehead down her face. "That would be a threesome and we're just kidding anyway." Back to business, Lina observed the barren land around them. "Okay, let's get with the blessing. Amelia, Filia, you're the most skilled in white and holy magic, so you'll be casting the big spells. The rest of us will support you with recovery. Gourry, you're on a special mission, the land will need water, run to the estate and bring back buckets of water to get some moist in this dry soil. Xellos, unless you quit being stubborn about your black magic only policy and learn recovery well enough to help us, I'm putting you on watering duty too." 

"Actually, it was my plan from the start to learn recovery," Xellos revealed. He looked towards Filia with his usual teasing grin. "Unless Filia changes her mind about teaching me the spell, you know how you can't rely on a dragon's word for anything." 

"I'm not changing my mind!" Filia argued, "but don't expect this to be easy," there was a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. "Amelia, you should keep an eye on the lessons too. That way if Xellos is too much of a bad student for me, you can come up with some alternate examples to give him." 

"I would be happy to help!" Amelia cheerfully declared, thus the lesson began. "Healing magic is all about positive thinking! Don't forget, Mr. Xellos, life is wonderful!" 

Xellos twitched and glared at Filia. He would have to learn fast if he was going to keep Amelia's speech at bay. Human or not, her speeches still kind of unnerved him, even if they were supposed to lack the power to weaken him, but apparently that wasn't always entirely true. Never underestimate the power of annoyance, that fact was one that Xellos knew very well. 

While the group worked on their fruitless efforts to heal the land and Xellos kept assuring Amelia over and over that he felt he was making progress on his own and didn't need any extra motivation, Lina became a little bored. She stretched from her previous position crouching on the ground giving the land a recovery spell. She watched as Gourry ran around watering the place with the precious liquid he obtained from Arcius estate. The swordsman actually looked like he was having fun. At least there wasn't a drought, though water and healing magic seemed to be doing little for the land. Lina knew not to expect much, since this had been tried before, but it's easier to discard an option without second thoughts after one has personally attempted it. "I had a funny dream a few nights ago," Lina voiced, to interrupt the relative silence that bored her. "It was raining gumdrops, it was awesome!" 

"That sounds like a fun dream," Gourry smiled, imagining how wonderful it would be if it really did rain candy. "I hardly ever remember my dreams." 

"I had a dream about food recently too," Filia commented. 

"Really?" Xellos innocently asked with fake surprise, "I thought you only had R rated dreams about me, or maybe I should say X rated." 

"My dream was perfectly sweet and innocent!" Filia argued. "I had this really big ice-cream cone; it was as tall as a person. It had chocolate ice-cream on top, but it was melting so I had to hurry and lick it quickly. The cone was black; I guess it must have been a dark chocolate flavor." 

"What mischievous dreams you have, Filia," Xellos was quick to tease her, privately amused by the irony of the dream. "There's nothing innocent about it." 

"What's mischievous about my dream?" Filia pouted not really wanting to know what kind of random mocking answer Xellos came up with. "It's a dream about ice-cream, how can it not be innocent?" 

"I'll tell you later," Xellos offered with a mischievous wink, grinning in anticipation. "Or better yet, show you." 

Filia gave Xellos a suspicious look; she did that quite often and with good reasons. "You better not be plotting anything troublesome!" She warned with little hope for her caution to be heeded. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After Lina decided that she had enough of wasting energy on the ground, she called for a retreat to Arcius' estate. Once there, the group discussed their lack of ideas on what to do to help the farm land recover, making for a very short conversation. Thus the leader and star of the show, Lina Inverse, decided to call it a day and get some rest as it was already evening. Plus she was anxious to see what kind of food Arcius had in storage that he would generously share with his guests. 

Filia decided to take some time to test Xellos abilities, but instead of trying to show her his progress in casting recovery, he grinned and gave up, "you win." 

"What? That's it? You won't even try again? I thought you were actually making progress. Is white magic really that difficult for you?" Filia gave Xellos another suspicious look, but decided not to be too insistent. She won their bet, so she might as well enjoy it. "I guess you have a natural talent for black magic and difficulty with white magic; that happens to some people. They have a certain type of magic that feels more natural to them. It shouldn't come as a surprise which type of magic it is for you. This means you owe me a date." Just as Xellos was about to open his mouth to suggest something, Filia interrupted. "No, that doesn't mean we'll hang around your room doing... activities the whole time. It would be... inappropriate." 

"Once," Xellos reminded, "that only happened once and it was a long time ago." 

"You're taking me out to dinner," Filia insisted, "I'll let you pick the place as long as it's a nice restaurant." They began to make their way towards the front entrance of Arcius estate on their way to find a restaurant at the nearby town that wasn't closed due to lack of ingredients to work with. 

"Anywhere that has chocolate ice-cream pie is very nice." All that work in the fields really did build up an appetite. 

"For goodness' sake, Xellos, eat something with vitamins now and then!" Filia scolded, frowning and placing her hands on her hips. 

"That big barbecue steak I had back in Seyruun had plenty of nutrients," Xellos argued in his defense. "Besides, I burned a lot of calories practicing that stupid recovery spell today." 

"Which you never fully mastered," Filia threw at him. 

Xellos wanted to argue back, but thought it was not in his best interest to reveal that he did get the hang of casting recovery towards the end of the lesson. "Just out of curiosity, if I had won our bet, what spell would you have taught me?" 

"A useful one," Filia repeated herself. "But since you lost, I guess you'll have to live with the doubts for the rest of your life." 

Xellos frowned; he was a very curious being. He would have to remember to get the information out of Filia later. "You're such a cruel dragon." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A short while later, Xellos and Filia had found a restaurant that was still working, sort of. Most of the items on the menu had been crossed out as unavailable. "What kind of a restaurant is this?" Xellos complained displeased. He was already dissatisfied with the fact that it was the only restaurant still in business that they could find. 

"Our apologies, sir," a depressed waiter with a golden dragon shaped hat excused the establishment, or at least tried to. "Because of the famine, we have few ingredients to work with. It's so sad! This land used to subsist on the produce from the farms. Many businesses have closed since the famine started and our precious Golden Dragon Cafe might be next." 

"You mean the golden dragons are not sending supplies?" Xellos feigned indignation. "How cruel! Isn't this town supposed to be under their protection? Those horrible dragons," he pretended to be saddened by the situation. "How could they abandon the innocent people that they swore to protect? Is this very cafe not supposed to symbolize the bond of peace and friendship between the golden dragons and us humans?" 

"I'm sure the golden dragons are looking into the situation as we speak!" Filia felt the need to defend her birth race. She wasn't a golden dragon citizen anymore and her race had made mistakes in the past, but they weren't all that bad. They were a race with good and bad people, just like the human race. 

The waiter was desperate for some consolation, thus he chose to filter out Xellos' words and focus on Filia's hope. "Do you really think so, miss? I certainly hope you're right! I'll continue to believe in the kindness of our faithful protectors the golden dragons, who have watched over this town for generations!" 

Xellos would be all too pleased to burst the young waiter's bubble with some not so pleasant facts. "A few centuries ago this town-" 

"Overcame harsh times," Filia immediately interrupted, not wanting to bring up the human slavery related dark past of the settlement. "And I'm sure that it will overcome this trial as well. Now for the order..." Filia wanted to send the waiter away with his task as quickly as possible, before Xellos worsened the poor boy's depression with a blunt historical lesson. "Goodness, aren't the prices a little steep?" Arcius had snatched away the bill when Filia was last there for a snack before she could even look at it. They had eaten his recommendation and she had not even had a chance to actually look at the menu until now. 

"Supply and demand," the waiter simply explained. 

"Don't you have any secret stash of ingredients for a more varied menu?" Xellos insisted, while handing the waiter a rather generous tip. 

"As a matter of fact, we do, allow me to get you the alternate menus," the waiter quickly left to fetch the promised menus. 

"What was that about?" Filia inquired in confusion. 

"There's a famine," Xellos pointed out the obvious. "As soon as people noticed it, some must have decided to store food just in case. When the famine got worse, the smart ones must have sold the food at a high price and left this land to start a new business at a more profitable place with a big budget to establish a new beginning. In other words, there has to be some food left in storage around here. Because of supply and demand that food must be expensive, thus the staff won't bother revealing its existence to people unless they see that the potential customers are able to afford it. As for those who can't afford it anyway, for security reasons, it's best if they don't know that the supplies exist." 

"I see where you're going with your logic," Filia admitted, "you can be pretty smart every once in a while, but-" 

"Every once in a while?" Xellos interrupted with a prideful tone. 

"I suppose knowledge comes with age and you have been working as a spy for Beast Master for many, many, many, many, many-" 

"There's no need to over do it," Xellos protested. 

"Many, many, years," Filia finished. "But as I was saying, it's kind of mean to take advantage of a famine for business. If only all merchants were as kind as Arcius, the world would be a better place." 

"And if all merchants had Arcius fashion sense, the world would be blind," Xellos added. Filia rolled her eyes, but withheld her comeback, as the waiter had returned with the menus. Her eyes grew to nearly three times their normal size when she examined the prices on this new list of dishes. She was about to point out what an abuse this was, but Xellos interrupted her with a flirty look, "order whatever you want, dear Filia." 

She pouted and thought of a lot of things to say that criticized the Golden Dragon Cafe, which was actually managed by a wealthy human family and was all but forgotten by the golden dragons, and of course to criticize Xellos indifference towards this injustice. However, she made herself stop and instead devised a plan to take advantage of the situation. She pointed out what she wanted to eat, then added, "I would also like to order as many portions as you can make of all the other dishes available. Please have them delivered to the townspeople as a gift." Seeing the waiter's eyes increase in size even more than hers had, Filia added, "I'm sure my dear Xellos can easily afford it." Filia wasn't sure where Xellos got all his money from, but illegal or not, she was going to put it to good use doing a good deed by feeding the hungry. 

To be Continued


	20. Chapter 20

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 058: Money! The Value Of A Coin

Xellos and Filia had a nice meal at the Golden Dragon Cafe. Even if Filia had taken advantage of Xellos invitation by purchasing a large amount of food to feed the townspeople, things were progressing relatively well; the key word being 'were'. Just as they were starting on Xellos' favorite part of any meal: dessert, the young waiter who had been serving their food the whole evening approached nervously. "Excuse me, Mr. Metallium; it seems there's a... situation." 

"What situation?" Xellos asked calmly. He couldn't imagine anything happening that could really affect him. Plus the waiter looked like he was easy to upset, he was probably overreacting. 

"Well... you see... The local inn and the Golden Dragon Cafe belong to the same person, thus their respective managers are familiar with each other. A letter arrived recently, but the inn keeper had been unable to locate you for information, though he did mention it to the manager of this cafe. I was told about it, but I kind of forgot... You see, Mr. Metallium..." The waiter shifted nervously some more, staring at his feet. "It seems your account's funds are... insufficient." 

Xellos raised an eyebrow in disbelief while Filia began to worry. "Insufficient?" Xellos questioned. "I'm sure there must be a mistake. Do you even understand how this works?" 

"Yes, sir, I do," the waiter assured. "The establishments you visit accept your signature as a form of payment and bill the central bank where your account is. They later take care of sending someone to deliver the payment." It was something similar to how royals did it, passing the bill to their kingdom's treasury instead of carrying a huge load of money in their travels. The practice was later adopted by rich families even if they were not of royal blood. "However, instead of the payment arriving, a courier came with a letter claiming that your account was... empty." Given the considerable expenses Xellos had underwent, generous tip aside, there was no way he had enough money concealed in his person to pay for everything. 

"There's no need to worry," Xellos still kept his cool, certain that there had to be a mistake and it shouldn't be too hard to fix. "I'm sure it was all a mistake, in fact, a letter correcting this misunderstanding will probably arrive before we're done with dessert." 

"If you say so..." The waiter didn't look like he believed it, but didn't want to continue insisting. "I will leave you to enjoy your dessert then." After excusing himself, the waiter left. 

"I knew that fake account of yours had to blow up in your face eventually," Filia scolded after the waiter was gone. She was frowning in that disapproving way of hers in which her eyes screamed, 'I told you so' even if she had not exactly done so. 

"My account is not fake," Xellos defended. "Lord Beast Master runs a lot of businesses and has more followers than anyone would admit. A lot of merchants make their fortune with the help of monsters. Human businesses like that and businesses that are directly operated by monsters for various purposes such as research, as is the case with Celo, all pay income taxes to Beast Master. The merchants think that Zelas Metallium is a business woman who worships Lord Beast Master and thus has adopted such a name. They see her as a rich lady to be cautious about, but they believe she's human, or mostly so. The rumors still go around that she made a pact with Lord Beast Master, but making pacts with monsters is more common among merchants than most would ever admit. They're too stupid to realize she is Beast Master, or maybe they know, but they're too afraid of the consequences of openly admitting it. Zelas has funds automatically transferred to my account at the start of each month, so that I'll have a good budget to work with while spying." 

"But you're not working right now," Filia reminded. "You haven't been doing a whole lot of work since the entire curse thing started and Zelas wasn't exactly pleased with you when we last saw her. What if she stopped paying you?" 

"Even if my budget was suspended, I would still have enough money to last a while in my savings," Xellos insisted. "I'll take care of this; I'll just send a letter to Zelas' accountant. If I summon a monster courier bird, the letter will be delivered through the astral side in no time." 

"I have a bad feeling about this," Filia warned. 

Xellos ignored her, instead signaling the waiter to approach the table. He requested pen and paper to be brought over, which the waiter swiftly fetched, once again leaving Xellos and Filia to have some privacy at their table. Xellos quickly wrote a letter, short and to the point, addressed to the monster that took care of organizing Zelas' financial undertakings. Such ventures were lucrative in both money and all kinds of gourmet negative emotions to feast on. "Swiftly deliver the letters, by the trail of astral feathers!" The monster courier bird, Jarde, answered to the summoning and started pecking at Xellos' pie. "I didn't call you here to eat!" Xellos pulled the bird away from the pie. "Deliver this letter to Erosnum right away." 

Jarde chirped in response and pecked at the pie some more as soon as Xellos let him go. He dodged when Xellos tried to grab him away and flew straight towards the ceiling, disappearing into the astral side before he crashed into it. Seconds evolved into minutes, until Jarde finally returned with a reply letter. 

Xellos took the letter and started reading it while Jarde took the opportunity to continue pecking at Xellos' pie. Erosnum's letter was simple and to the point, being more so a note than a letter. It was written in plain white paper with black ink. "General Xellos Metallium: Due to your recent expenses at Amor Resort and other establishments, your account has suffered a considerable deficit. The maximum grace period to amend the red numbers has already expired. Enclosed is Lord Beast Master's judgment in the matter. Detailed account statements and transaction logs may be requested if needed. -Erosnum, Lead Accountant." There was another white paper behind that one, adorned with golden lining that framed the short message written in red ink. "You spend too much. I'm cutting your allowance. -Zelas" Xellos stared at the paper as he read over it again and again. What about his spying budget? Was Amor Resort really that expensive? Lina and the others had been billing things to his name, but Xellos didn't think they would burn through his savings this quickly. 

"You're in trouble," Filia pointed out. She had just finished eating her dessert and Jarde had finished Xellos'. It didn't look like there would be another letter to be delivered, so the bird faded away into the astral side once more. 

"You mean to say we're in trouble," Xellos corrected. "Your food hasn't been paid for and it was your idea to buy food for the townspeople." 

"You're taking me out to dinner, it's your treat," Filia argued. 

"You inconsiderate dragon," Xellos made an exaggerated dramatic expression. "Does this mean that you were after my money all along? Here I thought it was my amazing good looks that had you head over heels." 

Filia rolled her eyes at the drama, determined not to let Xellos' mockery annoy her too much. "Be serious, we need to come up with a plan to get out of this! I don't have nearly enough money on me to cover all the expenses and I don't think you do either. Even if we pool our resources we'll still fall short." 

"By a lot," Xellos confirmed. "This means that our only choice is to eat and run." 

"We can't do that!" Filia argued firmly. She wanted to hold on to at least a shred of decency and basic principals. 

"It's not like you haven't done that before," Xellos reminded. "When in Lina's company, situations such as this one happen often." 

"That's no excuse!" Filia argued. She realized she was raising her voice too much and tried to keep it down, so as to not attract the unwanted attention of the nervous waiter while they were still plotting an escape. "Alright, let's go, it looks like we have no choice but to sneak out. But just so you know, I'm displeased with our date. We could have just raided Arcius kitchen, made a picnic basket and dined under the stars in a flower covered little hill." 

"Why didn't you suggest that from the start? I'm not a mind reader," Xellos argued. 

"I don't expect you to be, the truth is that I just thought of it," Filia admitted. "Maybe next time." 

"Except for the part about flowers since this whole land is barren and dead." There was a lot of cheer put into the words 'barren and dead', but that was nothing unusual for Xellos. 

The pair was about to sneak away towards the nearest exit, when three tall muscular men surrounded them. They were wearing martial arts uniforms that looked like the sleeves had been torn off. Their uniforms were red, blue and green respectively and they were all wearing black belts. They looked identical to each other with dark brown eyes and messy short black hair, as if they were triplets. "You're not going anywhere," the man in red warned. 

"Yeah, the boss said you might try to escape without paying!" The man wearing blue added. 

"These rich guys think they can get away with anything," the man in green criticized. "That is until their fortune runs out and they're left with nothing." 

"Don't worry, honey, we're not blaming you for this, it's just your boyfriend that's in trouble," the man in red tried to assure Filia. 

"Or maybe we should say he's your ex-boyfriend. Make the smart choice next time, sweetheart, strength over money," the man in the blue uniform laughed. 

"That's right, cutie!" The man wearing green flexed his muscles, "this is a fortune that won't run out." 

Xellos glared, not only were these men challenging him, but they were also flirting with Filia. He had a few things that he wanted to say to them that went as follows: "darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond-" 

"Stop!" Filia interrupted Xellos' chant. "I don't want you to use magic on them. These... guards," or whatever they were, "are only doing their job." 

"What do you want me to do then? Go wash dishes in the kitchen?" Xellos sarcastically inquired. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Ten minutes later, Xellos and Filia were washing dishes in the kitchen, with Xellos grumbling under his breath every ten seconds or so. "This isn't so bad," Filia tried to encourage him. 

"Oh no, it's wonderful," Xellos replied with heavy sarcasm. "A night of washing dishes in a stuffy old kitchen is my idea of a perfect date." 

Filia rolled her eyes at Xellos' little hissy fit and gave him a quick kiss, which caught him off guard. "Thanks for doing what I asked and not using magic on those guys. I'm happy you kept your end of the bet." 

Filia was pleased, genuinely pleased, as Xellos could sense it via empathy, she wasn't only trying to cheer the mood. It made no sense to him. "The strangest things make you happy," he shook his head in confusion. "If I couldn't sense it, I would seriously doubt that you're okay with how this so called date turned out." 

"You listened to me, that counts for a lot," Filia explained. "In fact, I think I'll reward you." 

"You will?" Xellos grinned; maybe the night could still be saved after all. 

"Yes, I'm going to teach you that useful spell I promised, even if you lost the bet," Filia cheerfully offered. 

Xellos frowned, "that's the best reward you can come up with?" 

"Just wait until you see this spell, it's super useful," Filia insisted. "Plus it can help us get out of here sooner and it will help prevent situations like this from happening in the future." 

That did sound useful, though Xellos couldn't imagine what the spell could be about, if Filia was clearly against blowing up the guards and making an escape. "By all means, I'm listening." 

"It's a cleaning spell!" Filia cheerfully revealed. "We can use it to do the dishes. Then you can learn to do your own laundry instead of spending unnecessary money on the inns' laundry service whenever we reach a new town. You don't have money to burn anymore, so you need to learn to manage a tight budget and take care of your chores instead of hiring a service." 

Xellos' disappointment resurfaced in his expression. "I don't want to learn a cleaning spell," he complained. 

"Don't you want to get out of here? I don't want to cause any more trouble and getting the dishes done will be faster if we both help with the spell," Filia argued. "It's actually a combination of different spells," she began to explain. 

Xellos considered covering his ears and singing some silly random 'I'm not listening' song, but he knew that wouldn't get him anywhere. Plus that cleaning spell could really be useful for his survival until he managed to get his power, and his salary, back. Though it wasn't an actual salary as much as a resource to use in Zelas favor, that Xellos sometimes used for himself. He wasn't expecting to get any direct rewards for doing his duty of serving Lord Beast Master, as it was what she created him for after all. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A few minutes later, Xellos and Filia had divided the different parts of the cleaning spell among themselves, making for a faster process. Filia kept the soapy water spinning in mid air and Xellos used magic to levitate the dishes through the miniature cyclone. At the speed they were going, it looked like they would be done with the dishes pretty quickly. Unfortunately, they were interrupted by the three muscular guards from before, suddenly entering the kitchen and tackling Xellos without a warning. 

"I have him!" The man in the blue uniform exclaimed. 

"I have him too!" The man wearing green added. 

"I'll do it!" The man in red announced. 

"Let him go!" Filia yelled angrily. She had been keeping an eye on Xellos the whole time. He was helping with the dishes, he wasn't causing any trouble. This wasn't fair! 

"I got it!" The man in red announced triumphantly and the other two released Xellos. 

Xellos saw that the man in the red uniform was holding a pair of scissors on one hand. He looked at what he held up in his other hand and found it to be a lock of hair, shiny black hair, his hair. "You cut my hair," Xellos growled with growing rage. 

"Yes, and with this as proof that you're our hostage, your mom's going to have to pay a big ransom to get you back!" The man wearing red announced with an evil laugh that was echoed by his two identical brothers. 

"I don't think Zelas is going to- eek!" Filia didn't even have time to finish stating her opinion when Xellos lifted her skirt and retrieved the mace she kept strapped to her leg. He then went on the attack like a berserk creature pounding the three men with the mace. Filia had told him not to use magic and Xellos was determined to make the best of this opportunity before she requested that he refrain from physical attacks as well. As the fight broke lose, the Golden Dragon Cafe's staff ran for cover so as to not be caught by a stray hit. 

Xellos swung Filia's heavy mace at the man in red, being dragged along with the momentum which caused him to spin, miss the target and instead hit the green clad opponent, who was rushing in for a surprise attack from behind. The man in green stumbled back and stepped on the blue uniformed man's foot, who pushed him angrily. Xellos ducked, causing the man in green to trip over him into the one in red. Again Xellos lifted the mace with every ounce of non-magical strength he could muster and swung it at the man in blue, who caught it with a confident smirk. Xellos pulled the mace back, but his opponent didn't let it go, pulling it towards himself. Finding an opportunity in this, Xellos pushed the mace forward, aided by the blue clad enemy's stubborn resolve to take the weapon. The mace collided harshly with the blue guard's abdomen, leaving him out of breath. 

By then, the men wearing red and green had recovered from their stumble and attacked Xellos from the left and right. Xellos ducked out of the way and retreated backwards; leaving the red and green uniformed guards to crash into each other and stumble in a dizzy daze in different directions. The man in blue managed to catch his breath, though he was wounded. He launched forward while at the same time the recovering man in red tried to grab Xellos from behind. Xellos tried to ready the mace to defend himself once more, but as he managed to lift it over his shoulders for a good strike, the weight was too much and the weapon ended up pulling him back. As a result, Xellos fell backwards with the man in blue jumping over him. Simultaneously, the mace crashed landed on the foot of the red clad fighter, who hollered in pain and instinctively bent over lightly, enough for his head to be in the unfortunate path of his blue dressed brother's attack. 

Xellos rolled away just in time to avoid being crushed by the combined weight of the red and blue warriors. The fighter in green dashed after him, with Xellos running in circles around the beat up red and blue warriors who were trying to get up from their pitiful pile on the floor. Unexpectedly, Xellos stopped running and swung the mace low like a golf club, hitting the green fighter's leg as he dashed to catch Xellos. The green uniformed guard crashed into his red and blue dressed brothers, just as the two had managed to get back on their feet and back in a pile on the floor the triplet warriors went. Again they hurried to their now limping feet and charged towards Xellos. He was not as physically strong as the trio in human form, but had a clear advantage in speed. Xellos jumped out of the way as the trio of warriors crashed into the wall behind him, demolishing the division between the kitchen and storage room. 

The sacks of flour, salt, sugar and dust-like spices that were piled against that very wall in the storage room, were torn apart making a thick cloud invade the atmosphere around Xellos. Shocked by the fierce battle, Filia could only react by blowing the cloud away, or at least trying to. She wanted to finally find an opportunity to jump in, though it didn't look like Xellos needed any rescuing from the three big guys. However, since the windows were closed, the cloud had no where to go and though it was kept away from Filia, it focused in the area opposite to her, where Xellos was still fighting the three men. It was like a scene from a comic book with a thick cloud of dust, or in this case dust-like ingredients, covering a big fight scene. Filia had enough of it. 

Upset at the whole situation, the golden dragon concluded that those trapped in the thick cloud couldn't see her any more than she could see them. Thus she used the moment of privacy to transform into a dragon, tearing apart the building's roof as she did. Filia blew away the cloud that covered the action to reveal her true form to all those who had been hidden inside it. The three men stared in disbelief, not knowing where the dragon had come from so suddenly. With an angry growl, Filia picked up Xellos and stomped away, while the three beat up men screamed in a panic, scared out of their minds at seeing a ferocious dragon so close. Sure, the golden dragons were supposed to be the town's protectors, but that one looked very angry. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 059: Past! Details That History Forgot

Filia squeezed in between two buildings into a deserted alley, where she put Xellos down. She made a double check that no one was looking before she transformed back into her human, or rather elf, form. 

"For a second there I thought you were going to find some tower to climb so you could sit on top of it holding me prisoner and roaring at the top of your lungs," Xellos joked. 

"That's just a false stereotype in fairy tales, princess," Filia retorted. If she was the ferocious dragon, then that left him as the damsel in distress. 

"If you must, I would prefer to be called prince," Xellos calmly requested with the most annoying air of confidence he could muster as he fingered the mace's handle, balancing it on the ground. 

"Yeah, right, the prince of annoyances!" Exasperated, Filia snatched away the mace and put it away under her skirt. She wasn't sure if she should get angry at Xellos, at the three men or at herself. She didn't want to cause trouble, but she ended up losing her temper and ruining the Golden Dragon Cafe, which would need heavy repairs before it could get back to business. Plus the staff that didn't retreat far enough during the beginning of the fight, along with the three fighters, might get the wrong idea from witnessing a golden dragon destroying the place like that. 

On the other hand, Filia's reaction was only due to the fight that Xellos started. Albeit she knew it wasn't exactly fair to blame it on Xellos. He did snatch away her precious mace from under her skirt, but he did it in self defense. Filia knew that she would have a worse reaction if anyone attacked her hair. If she had been the victim of that particular assault, the barren lands around the town would look livelier than what would be left of the town after her wrath. Plus there was the fact that he still kept his word about not using magic to attack his opponents. Sighing hopelessly, Filia gently touched Xellos' bruised face causing him to wince involuntarily. "Looks like those guys landed a few hits too." 

"I was winning," Xellos defended, not that Filia seemed to be interested in that. 

She felt guilty that she didn't interfere sooner and prevent Xellos from getting hurt, but at least he didn't seem to have any broken bones. He was considerably bruised, with a few light cuts and rips in his clothes, which were anything but clean. "I'll heal you," she offered, noticing that Xellos looked distracted and... shocked? 

The cause of Xellos' surprise was behind Filia at the alley's exit, away from her line of vision. Celestina Ilumina, or rather the being pretending to be her, was standing there. Filia turned to see what Xellos was looking at and caught a glimpse of the white haired golden dragon. The second she looked into her golden eyes, there was a blinding bright light that made Filia close her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, everything had changed, though she didn't notice it right away. What she did notice was that the mysterious dragon was no longer there. 

A man with a physique similar to Philionel suddenly approached, running from the side of the alley opposite to Filia and coming up behind Xellos. The man had short black hair and pale green eyes. "Dragon!" He exclaimed as soon as he spotted Filia. "Don't just stand there, boy, run!" Without any further explanations, the man picked up Xellos, threw him over his shoulder and ran away. 

"Come back here!" Filia screamed at the top of her lungs and took off after the man. 

Filia's voice alerted the attention of two armored men who were walking down the street. "There he is!" One of them called out as the pair hurried to join the chase. 

At the other side of the alley, the tall man hurried down the backstreet with Xellos still thrown over his shoulder. "Put me down!" Xellos angrily demanded as he flailed around helplessly. He was tired and beaten from his previous non-magical combat experience and he really didn't want to deal with stupid people kidnapping him because they thought Zelas would pay to get him back. They would be sorely disappointed. 

"Quiet down, boy," the man attempted to sound soothing, but it came out as a growl. "I'm saving you from that vicious creature that held you prisoner. We humans need to stick together if we're going to escape from those evil dragons!" 

Okay, so this wasn't a greedy man looking for ransom money, this was an insane man looking for trouble. "Idiot! I wasn't in any real danger back there; I don't need to be saved!" Sure, he was looking beat up, but that wasn't Filia's doing, she was about to heal him. Besides, weren't the people of that town supposed to like golden dragons? Though most seemed to have mistakenly assumed Filia was an elf. The golden dragons had not visited the town for so long that they expected it to be a big event if one did. 

"Poor boy, that dragon must have really messed with your head," the stubborn man insisted. He glanced back to see Filia dashing after him along with two armored men with pointy ears. They too were dragons. Furthermore, there was an even larger number of elf form dragons wearing armor gathering to block the path ahead. Where had so many come from? Why were they there? "Oh no! We're surrounded!" 

The armored guards formed a circle around the tall man and Xellos, blocking Filia's path. Filia was starting to fear that the dragons knew who Xellos was and had come to kill him. Yet strangely, they appeared to be more interested in capturing the tall man. 

"Fireball!" Xellos exclaimed, breaking his word to refrain from using magical attacks given the fact that this was an emergency. 

"He knows magic! Restrain him!" One of the armored guards called out. Xellos was quickly outnumbered and in his exhausted state there was little he could do against so many dragons. 

"Let me through!" Filia tried to force her way into the circle of guards, but another guard stopped her. 

"Calm down miss, your property will be returned to you. Please come with us to the station." The armored dragon looked as if he didn't know her or Xellos. 

Filia was left in shock. This wasn't a hunt for a weakened minion of Lord Beast Master, this was an arrest of some sort. The part about her property made Filia think that the tall man might be a thief and that the guards, who knows where they came from, assumed that he stole something from her. The entire scenario made little sense, but she played along and followed the guards. As she walked, Filia noticed that the town looked different. She didn't recognize any of the buildings and she was especially surprised by the large number of dragons in town. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos and the large man were harshly tossed into a cage that held two other humans. They're forms were frail and thin, they were covered in rags, their faces so filthy and bruised that Xellos couldn't even tell if they were male or female. The humans didn't say anything, scooting away against the bars as if they wanted to show they had no intentions of associating with the newcomers. They seemed to hold anger towards the tall man, but they only showed it with their eyes. 

"There goes another failed attempt," the tall man sighed. "You surprised me with that magic of yours, boy, too bad it wasn't enough." 

Xellos tugged at the metal collar they forced around his neck. "It'll be enough now," he wasn't certain what was going on. The dragons seemed to assume he was an ordinary human. Regardless, he didn't want to stay there. "Darkness beyond-ah!" 

"Be careful boy," the big man warned all too late. "That collar they put on you will shock you if you use magic. It's different from the restraint circlets they put on some prisoners. That's an extra strength edition you got there, I doubt you'd be able to endure it." 

"You could have said that sooner!" Xellos yelled as he tried to ease his aching body into a sitting position. 

"Quiet in there!" One of the armored dragons peeked into the room with the cage, then shut the door again after the order was given. 

Xellos looked around the room; most of the cages were empty, though a few still held humans of all ages, mostly young adults, some in worse conditions than others. "What is this place?" Xellos inquired, making sure to keep the volume of his voice low enough so that the guard couldn't' hear him outside the cage room. 

"It's a slave trade, boy. What else?" The big man looked as if it should have been obvious. "I would think you would know the story of your life. That dragon you were with, she looked like a sweet girl, but it's obvious she's bad. She wasn't a very good master to you by the looks of it." 

Xellos frowned with a deadly glare, "Filia is not my master and my injuries are not her doing." He was still beaten from his fight with the muscle-headed triplets back at the Golden Dragon Cafe as Filia was interrupted before she could heal him. 

"So who was she? Your rescuer? There are a few good golden dragons out there. I dare to say that most of them are good. It's just this outdated group that still trades humans as slaves because it's not officially illegal yet. If only it was outlawed they would have to stop, but the higher ups have more important things to deal with. It's been over a hundred years, but the world still hasn't recovered from the War of the Monsters' Fall." The man's face turned sad for a few seconds, before his expression brightened beyond the situation. "Let's keep our hopes up, okay, boy? If that dragon girl was one of the good ones, she'll be back for you, so don't worry, boy." 

"My name is not 'boy'." Xellos pointed out in annoyance. The part about the War of the Monsters' Fall taking place over a hundred years ago puzzled him. The old man had to be crazy; it had been over a thousand years since the war. 

The man laughed loudly. "Sorry boy, when you're as old as me, any young man is a boy by comparison." He was around thirty, although his many experiences and close calls in life made him feel much older. "The name's Sakel. What should I call you instead of boy?" 

Xellos thought it was a bad idea to reveal his name, even if he could say it was just a coincidence that he happened to be called the same as that monster who was a prominent figure in the war. "Your majesty will do just fine." 

Sakel laughed loudly, not caring if he got the attention of the dragon guards. "You have a sense of humor, that's important in these hard times!" 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia followed the armored dragons into a building resembling a police station. "Have a seat miss, the paper work will be done soon and don't worry, everything will be okay." The young dragon with dark blond hair and brown eyes smiled as if trying to ease Filia's nervousness. He obviously had no idea why she was really worried. "Hey Cleo," he addressed a female dragon sitting behind a desk. "Could you get the paperwork done for the lady? She's here to claim her human, who was stolen by that troublesome Sakel." 

"In a minute, Narez," Cleo, was a very petite woman with pale platinum hair and light green eyes in elf form, but she was ironically larger than most golden dragon males in dragon form. That was probably due to the fact that her father was a dimos dragon, albeit she looked more like her golden dragon mother. "Lady Ul Copt will be here for Sakel soon, no doubt about it. She always says she'll discipline him better, but he always escapes and causes trouble. I don't know why she even bothers." 

Filia tensed at the mention of Lady Ul Copt, though it was clear that the two dragons were not talking about her as they continued their conversation without sparing her a glance. "If she doesn't bail him out they'll kill him," Narez, the young guard, reminded. 

Cleo rolled her eyes, "that's not our problem. We just need to do our job." She seemed rather displeased with her job, but quietly accepted it. 

"Sometimes I think that doing our job isn't quite enough..." Narez remarked ambiguously. 

Cleo raised an eyebrow warningly, then shook her head and turned her attention back to her paperwork. Filia sat quietly in a small waiting area across from Cleo's desk, staring at the floor. She didn't understand this. Where had they taken Xellos? Why did they act as if they knew nothing about her? Most golden dragons knew about Filia, the survivor from the Fire Dragon clan who got kicked out of their society for sheltering an ancient dragon. They knew to steer clear of her if possible and defend themselves if she ever picked a fight, which she had not. She glanced at Narez, who smiled reassuringly, then she noticed something peculiar about his armor. Golden dragons didn't wear that particular style of armor anymore. The design was something she had seen in a history book and it was outdated by several hundred years. 

A lady entered the station flanked by two men wearing dragon robes rather than armor, perhaps part of her personal guard. "Greetings, my apologies for troubling you so late in the night." 

"It's no trouble at all, Lady Ul Copt," Narez clearly had a lot of admiration for the older dragon woman as he bounced over to her immediately and kissed her hand. "Besides, we have the night shift, so we have to stay up all night anyway." 

"Ah yes," Lady Ul Copt smiled politely with no real cheer in her expression. She noticed a young female dragon looking at her from one of the chairs in the waiting area, but the younger woman looked at the floor immediately as soon as their gazes met. 

Filia could feel herself trembling. She knew that lady and there was a reason why they shared not only a surname, but also similar features with the main distinction between them being that Filia was younger. Her suspicions were confirmed when Cleo turned a paper over on her desk so that it faced the lady. "Lady Faili Ul Copt, if you would please sign here, we will return your confiscated property to you." 

"Of course," Faili signed the paperwork without even reading it. She had read that form so many times she had the whole document memorized. Filia tensed even more, Faili Ul Copt, that was her married name. Filia couldn't believe it, this was the woman she had been named after, Faili, known to Filia as grandma Fai. She passed away in the Darkstar incident. How could she be here and several centuries younger by the looks of it? 

"Miss, excuse me, miss..." Cleo's voice got Filia out of her thoughts and she jumped to her feat in a startle. "Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you. No offense, but you look a bit out of it. I guess not everyone is used to being awake at these hours of the night. I know I had to get used to it when I started in this job." She motioned to the chair across from her desk which Faili had recently vacated. "Have a seat, read the forms and sign them when you're ready. This here is the claim form, and this is a bill for the collar. I think it is best if you purchase it and keep it on, if your slave causes damage with his magic, it will be billed to you." Cleo placed down a pen next to the paperwork and watched as Filia nervously took a seat across from her in front of the desk. "Try to relax, it's not like you're in any real trouble or anything." 

Filia nodded and tried to play along. "Right..." She read the paperwork, still confused about their nature. It was almost as if... as if this was the era of that town's dark past when humans were traded as slaves there, before the golden dragons officially outlawed it. The old style architecture, the outdated design of the armor, seeing her grandmother alive and younger then Filia could remember her; it was as if they had been thrown into the past. 

Filia knew that her grandmother had a soft spot for humans. No doubt about it, she had to be trying to free the town, playing along with their rules until she could permanently solve the situation and Filia was there to witness it. Though the historical recollection of the peace treaty that ended up with the establishment of the Golden Dragon Cafe was short and widely ignored, Filia knew a little about it, even if she wasn't sure about the accuracy of the information. A golden dragon and a human joined together to conduct negotiations, which made the golden dragons more openly recognize humans as beings of intelligence and importance. 

Maybe Filia would see the real historical event as it happened. Perhaps the name of the dragon that was withdrawn by the records was actually that of her grandmother. She still didn't know how in the world she got thrown to the past, but it was both worrisome and exciting. She only hoped she could be reunited with Xellos without incident so they could start working on figuring out what to do next. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The door to the room with the cages was opened and Faili entered along with her personal guards and an armored guard. She glared at Sakel displeased. She had freed that human several times and he kept going back to free the others in the most troublesome ways. Why couldn't he just stay away and allow her to rescue the others by purchasing their freedom little by little? Why couldn't he hide behind her rank like a sane human would do? She was trying to protect him for crying out loud. All he did was pretend to be strong and risk his life when he should just be accepting her charity. Wordlessly, Sakel was taken out of the cage and escorted out by Faili's personal guards. 

Narez joined his armored companion in the cage room soon after, "don't close it, I have to get that other one out too." 

"Right, out you go, human," Xellos really wanted to blow up the whole town. Being treated as a weak human, worse yet, a human who was a slave to the golden dragons, was too much for him to put up with. But he was worried about Filia and made a huge effort not to blow his temper before he confirmed her safety. Besides, in his current state, picking a fight would be suicide. 

Xellos was let out to the front area of the station, where Filia was waiting with a warning expression that screamed 'don't do anything' louder than words. "I apologize for the trouble, I'll be going now." She told Cleo and Narez, who nodded casually as if this was all every day business to them, though they didn't seem to be at all pleased with it. Giving Xellos one last warning look, Filia exited the station with him. They swiftly made their way walking out of town in silence. They had a lot to talk about, but they wouldn't do that until they were at a safe distance. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 060: Rage! Painful Grudges

Xellos and Filia made their way out of the town and towards a field of flowers that reminded Xellos of the garden in Celestina's villa. She was no doubt responsible for this, but why? "I have the key," Filia revealed a small key that could remove the magic suppressing collar Xellos had and he was all to glad to be rid of it. "This may sound crazy, but I think we're in the past. The buildings look like ancient structures, the dragons are dressed like in the past and I think I saw my grandmother." 

"Then that man who said the War of the Monsters' Fall happened over a hundred years ago wasn't crazy after all," Xellos concluded. He had noticed the style of the environment being similar to the past as well, even if it was hard to believe. 

"How could this have happened? I only remember seeing that light that came from that dragon and we were here," Filia recalled. "Who was that white haired dragon?" 

"A descendant of one of the few survivors of the war within the barrier, which must still exist in this time. She was supposedly killed by Fibrizo, but reappeared after his death. Her father was quick to climb the ranks after Fibrizo's defeat and holds an important position with the golden dragons now, or I should say in our time." Xellos explained, "that's the official version at least." He knew it was best to tell Filia the whole truth, or at least as much of it as he knew. "She was supposed to be the person Lina, Gourry and I set out to capture to get your golden dragon citizenship back, but the real Celestina really was killed. That woman is someone else, so we retreated." 

"She's someone powerful, I assume," Filia's face turned serious as she thought about the situation. "Who's powerful enough to time travel? That's supposed to be impossible even for the strongest dragons and monster lords." 

"Yes, I believe the only being in existence who is that powerful is the Lord of Nightmares and that is who she is," Xellos revealed. As expected, Filia only stared at him in disbelief. "I know it's hard to swallow, but that's the truth. You've heard stories about Lina's adventures before, during those campfire nights when she's not in the mood to sleep. After we left Celestina's villa, Lina mentioned her first meeting with the Lord of Nightmares, which happened during the battle against Fibrizo, as if she could remember it, but she had claimed to hold no memories of it before. I didn't inquire too much about it, I didn't need to. I somehow caught a glance of the Lord of Nightmares, or I was allowed to see her for a split second. A bright golden light shining upon an endless sea of chaos. A golden light, that's her true form, or perhaps her form is something beyond our comprehension and we simply see her that way. She's been awake since Lina's fight with Fibrizo, but she doesn't seem to be planning to return the world into chaos just yet. Of course, she could have changed her mind and in the end, even if she doesn't destroy the world, she can do as she pleases with it." 

Slowly allowing the truth to sink in, Filia managed to find her voice, "why would she send us here?" 

"I don't know," Xellos admitted, "maybe for amusement. This is the Lord of Nightmares we're talking about. A being of infinite power who just woke up from a very long nap might be in the mood for some amusement." 

"But we're not her toys!" Filia argued. 

"To her, we might be," as much as Xellos hated to admit it, he knew it to be true. "There's really not much we can do except to play along and make the best of it." 

Filia let out an anxious breath. "First things first, let me heal you." She began the process to heal Xellos with her magic, spending some time on the task. 

"Don't look, but there's someone coming this way," Xellos quietly whispered, just as Filia was finishing up with her healing. 

"Who is it?" Filia pretended not to notice. 

"A dragon lady that was at the station earlier. She took away Sakel, that big stupid guy that got us mixed up in this," Xellos explained. 

Filia's eyes widened. "I saw her," she whispered urgently and discreetly glanced at the approaching dragon woman, who was walking nearer to them in elf form. "Don't say anything, but that's my grandmother." 

Xellos managed to contain his surprise and remained silent as Faili approached them, examining him with critical eyes. "Excuse me, travelers; do you have a place to rest? It might be best to wait until morning before you are on your way. I hope it is not to forward of me, but you are welcomed to stay at my place." 

Filia thought it was a bad idea to get involved, but she couldn't resist, this was her dear grandmother whom she missed. "If it's not too much trouble, but we really must be on our way early." 

"I understand, please come this way," Faili invited. "Perhaps you already know," because everyone who visited that town seemed to have heard of her and the rumors that she was freeing humans, albeit there was nothing illegal about it, it was her money to spend as she wanted. "I am Faili Ul Copt, may I inquired your names?" 

"F-" Filia froze, she couldn't tell her grandmother her name, that might make a mess of things. 

"What's wrong? Have you forgotten your name, Fluffy?" Xellos smirked. 

Filia felt her eye twitch, but she needed an F name to go with so that it matched the sound she started to produce. Then again, perhaps the fact that she didn't want to reveal her identity had become too obvious already. "Fluffy? That's a cute nickname. If you prefer not to say your names, that is alright with me. What should I call you then?" Faili asked Xellos. 

"Ice-cream," Filia replied for him. It was the first thing that popped into her mind. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Faili led Xellos and Filia to an estate that served as the foundation for Arcius' estate centuries later. The structure had been enforced and practically rebuilt time and again over the years. The interior decorating was in much better taste than anything Arcius would choose, giving the building a calming atmosphere. Faili showed her guests to their rooms. "Please make yourselves at home, friends." 

"Thank you," Filia nervously replied, she was happy to see her grandmother, but afraid of having an emotional outburst that would mess up history somehow. Xellos played his part by remaining silent, though he wasn't happy about it. 

"If it is alright, Miss Fluffy," Faili couldn't help it but to giggle at the nickname, though she tried to contain her reaction. "I would like to have a word with you." 

"Of course," Filia agreed, though it was clear she was still jumpy. Maybe she shouldn't have come. "You should go ahead and get some rest, Ice-cream." 

"Don't stay up too late yourself, we have an early start tomorrow, Fluffy," Xellos replied, before going into his assigned room. 

Filia twitched at the name but disregarded it quickly enough and followed Faili. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Faili and Filia sat at a tea room where Faili insisted on making some tea. "This tea is good for relaxing, you seem rather troubled." 

Filia wasn't sure how to reply to that. She kept switching between staring at Faili and trying to hide her face behind her hair. "I'm not exactly comfortable with what's happening in town." 

"I understand and I'm glad you would say that. I wasn't sure about you, given the state of your human companion, so I set out to find you. Please pardon my intrusion; I knew my doubts were baseless after I saw you healing him. He really seems to trust you." Faili spoke with a kind tone as she served the tea. "The law will be passed soon to end the activities in town, I'm sure of it. Yet I wish something would happen that could show the golden dragons who have doubts or who quietly accept the happenings of this town that dragons and humans should live in peace as equals." 

"Something will happen!" Filia encouraged before she could stop herself. "A dragon and a human will prove that the two races can live in peace and the dragons will acknowledge humans. Maybe if you work as a team with Mr. Sakel..." Filia stopped, she was saying too much. 

Faili laughed, "that fool doesn't know what's good for him. I've freed him countless times and he keeps coming back saying that he wants to prove that a human can also be the one to free the ones held captive here. He's far too stubborn and doesn't know how to accept help. It will take quite a cunning and convincing dragon to make things change around here." 

Filia's face fell. Though Faili did have mercy for humans she didn't really acknowledge them as strong. She sheltered them and pitied them without realizing it. It was all done with good intentions, but Filia still thought it didn't quite fit in with the ideals of equality she claimed to defend. "I think..." How could Filia properly phrase this? "I think that in order to achieve equality, humans will have to stand up for themselves. It will take more than just an eloquent dragon, it will take teamwork. It will make forgiveness easier if the humans see that a member of their own kind is trusted and acknowledged." 

"Forgiveness is never easy," Faili bitterly voiced with a grave expression. "These people have lost loved ones. Only after losing someone myself did I understand that kind of pain." 

Realization hit Filia harshly, "your husband..." She knew about this, she had heard about the fact when she inquired about her grandfather as a child. 

"Yes," Faili sighed sadly. "My beloved husband fell in battle fighting against that fiend, the monster known as Xellos, shortly before the barrier was completed. It's been over a hundred years, but it is a pain that my son and I will forever remember." 

Filia felt her eyes water. Xellos was Beast Master's loyal minion, he killed countless golden dragons in the past, he caused a lot of pain and suffering. He was an enemy to her race. She might not be an official citizen of the golden dragon race anymore, but she was still a golden dragon, she still carried the same blood as her family. "I'm sorry," looking at Faili's hurt expression, seeing the pain in her eyes, it made Filia feel like a traitor. 

"Don't cry, dear, we all regret the terrible losses that our comrades suffered and that horrible barrier is still there. Who knows if it will ever be lifted? I can only pray that I will live to see that day." Faili's face went from sad to defiant. "If I could, I would tare that barrier down myself and hunt down that monster. I would avenge my people." 

"If you had the chance..." Filia's voice was barely audible. "If you were given the opportunity, you would kill Xellos?" 

"Painfully so!" Faili assured with a temper similar to an angry Filia, though with a little more control. "Ah, my apologies for the outburst. Realistically, there's no way a single dragon can slay the horrible monster who destroyed so many of our kind." 

Filia was trembling, unable to contain her tears from flowing abundantly from her pain filled eyes. "Revenge never accomplishes anything. It only brings more pain. If I had that chance, I would... I would..." 

"Spare him?" Faili huffed. "I was innocent like you once. I thought that all creatures had good in them, even monsters. I know it's a shock for a golden dragon to say such a thing, it's even blasphemous, but I believed. He proved me wrong, Xellos changed my mind about monsters and made me see them for the horrible creatures that they truly are. What sets us dragons, humans, elves and even beastmen apart from monsters is that we have feelings. We feel love and pain, but monsters feed on hate and hold no feelings of their own. They cannot learn from their atrocious actions, they know no guilt, no regret. The only thing left to do to preserve ourselves is to destroy them." 

"So it would be different if they had feelings?" Filia insisted in a barely audible voice. 

With the bitterness of broken hope, Faili voiced a soft, "if only that were possible." She let out a breath that seemed to carry all her tensions as she tried to get her turmoil of emotion under control. "Back to the subject at hand, I think I see your point. If the humans see that we dragons can understand their pain and stand side by side with them, then maybe they'll forgive." Filia nodded her head, though she kept her eyes low. She tried to dry her tears as best she could, an effort that did not go unnoticed by Faili. "I apologize for upsetting you. I'm sure you must have lost someone in the war too, there doesn't seem to be a golden dragon in existence who has not. Please, get some rest. I'm sure you'll feel better after a good night's sleep." 

"Yes," feeling quite shaken, Filia returned to her assigned guest room. Filia knew that she had picked after her grandmother in many ways. Their resemblance had been pointed out by family members in the past, but it wasn't until now that Filia saw how similar they were in more than just looks. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Although she was tired, Filia couldn't get to sleep. After her family passed away in the Darkstar incident and her citizenship as a golden dragon was annulled, she eventually moved on and it no longer mattered to her that she was a golden dragon. She was no longer a part of the group and she would carry on minding her own business, leaving the official golden dragons to mind theirs. However, she was still a golden dragon of birth. Her family was gone in her time, but their existence was still important to Filia and she felt that she wasn't honoring them. What would they think if they saw her now? What would they say if they knew how close she was to Xellos? She could disregard the opinion of the dragon race in general, but not that of her closest relatives whom she grew up with. 

The movement of the sheets in the dim room, got Filia out of her thoughts. The light of the full moon that seeped in through the glass windows revealed the identity of the familiar shadow getting comfortable next to Filia. "Go away Xellos, I'm not in the mood to... keep you company." 

"You're certainly in the mood to give me insomnia," Xellos retorted without much of an edge. He caught the hint of a puzzled look appearing in Filia's obscured features. "The walls aren't thick enough here, I can sense how upset you are from the next room. What's your problem this time? You weren't this scared when we first realized we're in the past." 

"It's odd, you're such an annoying trickster that it's easy to forget that you've been around for such a long time. Zelgadis has a lot more maturity than you, even if he's a whole lot younger," Filia began ambiguously. "You're sarcastic, you make mocking jokes and you... you get chocolate all over your face when you eat chocolate ice-cream pie. You can make yourself appear to be as harmless as a child if you want, but you really do have the cunning of all your years, even if some experiences might still be new to you as things stand now." 

Xellos really didn't know where Filia was going with all of this. She wasn't exactly criticizing him as much as stating facts, though he could argue that he only got chocolate on his face when he had to rush to eat his pie because it was in danger of being stolen by Lina and that he was a perfectly neat eater when no one was trying to steal his precious pie. It felt all too natural to reply with a sarcastic comment. "Yes, I get it, I'm charming, you adore me, thanks for the reminder." Filia burst into all out crying, which was certainly not the reaction Xellos was expecting her to have to such a light remark. "What's wrong with you, stupid dragon? I sense that you're angry at yourself, but I don't understand why." 

"Idiot! Filia got out of bed, pacing around angrily. "You're the one that killed grandpa, that's why I never got the chance to meet him. As for my other grandparents on my mother's side, they got caught inside the barrier, separated from their daughter and you probably killed them too." 

Xellos followed Filia and held her by the shoulders to stop her frantic pacing around the room. "Are you realizing this just now? You've known about my past all along and you never made the connection? I don't have my full power now. You could rip my head off before I'm half way done casting a Dragon Slave. You can kill me and be a hero to the golden dragons; they'll welcome you back with open arms. If you want revenge that badly, why don't you take it? What are you waiting for, an apology? I'm sorry for killing a bunch of dragons long before I even met you and I'm especially sorry if any of them were your acquaintances. Oh wait, that's right, you didn't exist back then, well it's too bad you never got to meet any of my war victims." The slap that Filia gave him made it clear for Xellos that sarcasm was a very bad idea. 

"You monster!" Filia growled. Monsters were cruel because they felt no pain; there was no guilt to hold them back. "Even if you were following Zelas orders, you had no problems with what you were doing. Of course you didn't, you were created as her slave, that's who you are! More so that's what you are, not a real person, just a tool, a thing to be used for the convenience of someone stronger. You're nothing but a weapon and not even your master has any regard for you, she'll kill you soon because you're not beneficial to have around anymore. You're a useless broken weapon that was tossed away, a real piece of garbage!" 

Xellos was shaking with anger, fists and teeth clenched, glare enraged. He wanted to say something that would make Filia shut up, something that would take away that fierce cold look from her eyes, but the only thing he could come up with was an unsure sounding, "I am... my own person... Stupid dragon, you wouldn't understand!" He was done arguing. He didn't want to look at her any more, so he left, he ran out of the room and out of the estate as fast as he could. 

Filia stood frozen. Monsters don't have emotions, monsters don't feel pain. Monsters don't laugh, or get annoyed, or have a sense of humor, it's all just acting. Monsters feel no sorrow, monsters can't be hurt. But even long before he was turned into a human, Xellos could make stupid jokes, get annoyed and even be surprised. Humans were not all the same, dragons were not all the same, monsters were not all the same. Filia got her vengeance, she fought back. She knew she managed to hurt Xellos; she got back at him for all the pain she blamed on him. Yet that only made her feel worse, so much worse. 

To be Continued


	21. Chapter 21

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 061: Closer! Breaking Barriers

"Xellos!" He knew Filia would come, though he made good time getting a considerable distance away from the estate. 

Xellos only stopped running because he realized that even if he used ray wing, Filia would still somehow catch him, she was a speedy flier in dragon form. He was still determined to ignore her though. Who was she to question what-who he was? He focused on his own thoughts in an effort to tune out her emotions. 

"Xellos..." Filia stopped a few feet away from Xellos. He didn't look like he was going anywhere. He was just standing there glaring at the full moon as if he found it terribly offensive. 

He was ignoring her and he wasn't planning to stop. So she thought she ignored him before? He would show her what it's like to ignore someone. Then if she got too annoyingly persistent he would sarcastically suggest that she should go talk to her mace instead. It was a weapon too, just as unfeeling as him and it wasn't broken, so it was even better. But that remark would be saved for when she dried the last drop of his will to ignore her, for the time being he would act as if she was invisible... Except he found it to be really hard to pretend Filia was invisible when she was tackling him to the ground in a hug and kissing him as if her life depended on it. 

"I'm sorry," kiss, "I didn't mean it," kiss, "please forget what I said," another kiss, "just forget about it." Filia paused to examine Xellos' puzzled expression. "Xellos?" 

He blinked, as if being woken up from the focus of trying to figure out something particularly complex and pretended to struggle to get away from under her. "Getting vengeance is one thing, but must I die such a cruel death, being crushed by a fat dragon?" 

"Idiot!" Filia punched him on the shoulder, hard enough to hurt, but not with enough force to actually break anything. "You're such a stupid sarcastic annoyance!" Despite her words, she sounded relieved. If Xellos was throwing sarcastic critiques at her, then that meant he didn't want to let go of what they had any more than she did. She settled comfortably on him, feeling more reassured when his arms were wrapped around her body. 

"Why did you follow me?" Xellos broke the moment of still silence with a question that lacked his usual sarcasm. His will to ignore Filia had swiftly left him completely. 

She looked at his face, without the silly cheerful mask, but she couldn't find any hints that could help her interpret the depth of his question. "What do you mean?" 

"You know what I am, what I've done and you have an idea of what I might end up doing. You know there are things that can't be changed and believe it or not, for the most part, I'm actually okay with that," though he had not stopped to give it too much thought. There's no sense in going in circles thinking about the inevitable. "Plus it seems that you end up angry or sad more often than happy," except for that big wave of relief she felt just now. "You're an empath's worse nightmare. You're so moody you give me a headache." 

Filia bit her lip as she felt dread bubbling up inside her, but it was kept at bay by a stubborn sense of hope and optimism. "I followed you because I want to be with you," Filia tried to explain. "I was mean and wanted to apologize. I didn't want you to leave thinking that I hate you and never return." 

"I suppose it would be difficult to be trapped on your own in the past, with the Lord of Nightmares pushing you around like a chess piece," Xellos acknowledged. 

"That's not it!" Filia emphasized, "You know as well as I do that I have a better chance of surviving in this time than you, or in any time and place as things stand now. I'm not here because I'm scared of the Lord of Nightmares, as strange as it sounds, I'm not afraid of her. That golden light... it was intense, but not evil. I'm here for you, because... because I love you." 

Another long moment of silence passed. Filia's words were true, her feelings showed it in that overwhelming way she had to show her emotions. She didn't feel half way, she could feel two opposing emotions at times, but even then she felt them both with great intensity and without a warning. She really was an empath's worse nightmare and Xellos' most confusing puzzle. "Why?" 

Filia opened her mouth to reply with something along the lines of 'I just do' or perhaps she would blurt out an ambiguous 'I don't know', but instead she closed her mouth again. How could she explain it in somewhat logical terms? "Okay... let's see... You're annoying that's for sure, but your sarcasm has its charms once one learns to read between the lines. You certainly know how to keep things interesting and you're amusing sometimes. Hmm... You know a lot of things and can come up with good ideas, you're interesting I guess." 

"You're just stating facts," Xellos interrupted. "Isn't love supposed to be about delusions... I mean illusions?" 

Filia pouted and rolled her eyes at the sarcasm, "delusions no, that's not real love. Illusions, maybe, but only if they're shared, if they're more like dreams than illusions, like goals I mean. I guess real love is more complex than fairy tale love. It's more than just having a strong liking for each other, there's a lot of things on the side to deal with. I'm learning that as I go along too. It's being able to deal with all those troublesome aspects and still thinking it's worth it. Enjoying each other's presence and..." his eyes were closed, his breathing even, "Xellos! Don't you dare fall asleep in the middle of my explanation!" Filia glared, just when she was all inspired in her love speech, Xellos stopped paying attention. 

"Your speech was boring, cheesy, unpleasant and all around unnecessary," Xellos yawned in an exaggerated way. 

"Would you stop making light of everything?" Filia screeched, "I know you're confused out of your mind and absolutely beyond terrified, but I'm trying to make it better! You don't have to keep everything bottled up, try to rely on me a little!" 

"Excuse me?" Xellos raised an eyebrow as if he had not heard correctly. "Who ever said anything about being afraid?" 

"Not afraid, terrified," Filia corrected mockingly. 

"Stupid dragon, the only thing I'm afraid of is that my headache will be made worse if I keep listening to you. I was just wondering about your reasons, but maybe you're not reasoning at all." Xellos looked up at the starry skies leaving his gaze there. "I just don't see what's in it for you, I'm not the only smart and amusing being in the world, but I'm probably the most troublesome for a dragon." 

Filia gasped in an overly dramatic way, "Do my ears deceive me? Did the lowly Xellos just admit that he's not good enough for the amazing Filia? Sounds like the Lord of Nightmares got bored and decided to return the world to chaos, because this unforeseen event completely lacking in sense is surely a sign of the end!" 

"Filia, you're supposed to get mad and yell nonsensical remarks at the top of your lungs," Xellos reminded in a matter of fact tone. "I'm the one who's supposed to come up with the sarcastic replies that turn everything you say against you. Get it right, stupid dragon." 

"I can see past your sarcasm, get it right, raw garbage!" Filia retorted. She let out a deep breath and mused over all the things she had realized. "There are things about the past that can't be changed, the facts are the facts, but people can and do change. There are things about the present and future that are outside of our control, but we can adapt and I think it's worth it. Let's face one day at a time. I'm not going to doubt myself anymore and wonder if I'm doing the right thing. What feels right, that's what's right for me and I won't second guess myself." Filia paused and positioned herself so that Xellos was looking at her face hovering over him instead of gazing at the skies above. "Stop assuming that at any given moment I'll grow a brain and abandon you, because I'm smarter than you give me credit for and I'm still here." 

For a split second there was surprise and an expression that told of the sensation of being read like a book. Then Xellos' usual sarcastic grin resurfaced with a hint of something else in his eyes. "You really are a stupid dragon," he pulled Filia down closer and kissed her, until they were both breathless. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

With all the tensions and adventure, the night had gone by and the sun was starting to rise in the horizon. They sat together for a few more minutes, thinking about what their next move would be. Confusion and uncertainty aside, they weren't worried anymore. They had a certain kind of special confidence that they could take on the world. The energy that came from a strong heart, the same kind of power that even the most powerful being acknowledged, the same kind of power that saved Lina Inverse when she woke the Lord of Nightmares. 

Approaching movement caught Filia and Xellos attention. They noticed that Faili was walking towards them. "Good morning, Miss Fluffy, Mr. Ice-cream," she greeted as if she had practiced the line in her head over and over until she could say it with a straight face. "I was taking my usual morning walk when I noticed the two of you here. I take it you also enjoy seeing the sunrise? This hill has a lovely view of it." She let out a soft breath as she gazed into the horizon. 

"Yes, it's... very relaxing..." Filia tried to pretend that she wasn't still trying to catch her breath after a major make-out session. She kept her head turned slightly away from Faili with the excuse of admiring the sunrise, allowing her hair to shield her blush like a golden curtain. 

"Why aren't you honest and simply tell her we were making-out?" Xellos inquired in his usual innocent yet mocking tone that he loved to use to embarrass Filia. 

Filia froze, unable to turn her head and look at Faili. She feared the worse, a terrible expression of disapproval and disappointment. Faili didn't know who Xellos really was, but she still viewed him as a human and Filia was a dragon. Dragons and humans were not supposed to be together as more than friends. 

"Making out?" Faili inquired with the innocent puzzlement of someone who holds no accusing suspicions. Then her tone changed to disappointment. "Making your way out of this area without saying goodbye?" 

"That's not, we weren't... I mean..." Faili had missed the point and Filia didn't know if she should be thankful or upset that she had something else to deal with. 

"My apologies, lady golden dragon, I should have known such a refined lady as yourself would not be familiar with that vulgar human phrase." Xellos' voice was dripping with sarcasm and it made Filia glare in annoyance. 

"Ice-cream..." Filia growled in the most threatening tone one could put into such a word. 

Not wanting to offend or belittle her new human friend, Faili was quick to excuse herself. "Forgive my ignorance; I would so appreciate it if you would explain what the term signifies in your culture." 

"Gladly," Filia was looking distressed while Xellos grinned from ear to ear. "To make out essentially includes, but is not limited to, passionately kissing and cuddling." 

Filia's jaw dropped as her face turned scarlet. "That's not... we're not..." she stuttered to excuse herself, but she wasn't getting anywhere fast. 

Then suddenly, Faili surprised them both by bursting into a fit of laughter. Between giggles, she remarked, "you certainly have quite a sense of humor Mr. Ice-cream. Oh my, look at poor Miss Fluffy's face, it seems that you've embarrassed her." 

"Oh yes, I'm simply too attractive," Xellos joked with a wink, which further served to amuse Faili. 

"Oh dear, I have not laughed this much in far too long!" The very amused Faili managed to say between laughs. 

"I'm only all too happy to make you smile, my lady." Following up on his act, Xellos kissed Faili's hand, making her giggle like a school girl while Filia's eye twitched. 

"You're such a charmer!" Faili caressed Xellos' hair and Filia almost screamed. Gritting her teeth and clenching her fists, Filia counted to ten and reminded herself that this was her dear grandmother, who was petting Xellos on the head as one would pet a particularly cute animal. It was condescending, but Faili was doing all that she consciously could do to treat humans as equals. "I have decided! I must ask for your assistance, please say that you will help me free the town. I cannot bear to let things be for a second longer. Seeing what wonderful friends the two of you are has inspired me. Maybe one day all dragons and humans will have this much trust between them, enough trust to watch the sunrise together and make each other smile. I'll march into town with the two of you and demand that the situation be changed immediately!" 

"I'm coming too!" The sudden booming voice that seemed to come out of nowhere, startled all those present, especially Filia and Faili. The two dragons revealed their respective maces and pointed them at the sneaky foe, stopping an inch away from actually hitting him. "Woah, ladies, there's no need to get rough!" Sakel pleaded. He was covered in grass and flower petals that served as camouflage as he became nearly invisible advancing in a low crawl through the grassy field full of flowers. 

"Mr. Sakel!" Faili scolded, "why are you here again? I thought I told you to leave this dangerous place at once. It will only be so long before the guards determine that you're more trouble than you're worth and decide to kill you instead of returning you to me. They could easily cover it up and I would never know. Stop trying to throw away your life! Furthermore, why did you sneak up on us?" 

"I thought that if I managed to give you a little startle, you'd recognize me as capable," Sakel explained, which only made Faili glare more intensely. "It was all well intended, I wasn't going to do anything bad, I was just going to jump out and say boo!" 

"Mr. Sakel," Faili glared as she continued with the most reprimanding tone. It reminded Xellos of when he and Filia argued about which route to take to the Fire Temple and Filia claimed that she couldn't lower herself to agreeing with him. "Do you realize that I could have killed you?" Faili waved her mace around threateningly as she elaborated. "I could have cracked open your fragile skull, sending little splinters of cranium flying all over the place along with a big burst of blood. I could have smashed into your brain, ripping apart your neurons and turning your gray matter into fertilizer for these very lovely flowers. Then your corpse would crash lifelessly into the ground and be abandoned to rot without dignity for the vultures to desecrate. All of us here would be far too horrified by the grotesque sight of a crushed skull with smashed bits of brains dripping out to give you a proper burial. Is that what you were hoping to accomplish, Mr. Sakel?" 

Sakel shook his head frantically and stuttered to reply with a terrified, "no, ma'am," he was pale everywhere but the face, where he was turning a vivid shade of green. 

With a big happy smile Xellos whispered to the shocked Filia. "Lady Faili certainly has a way with words, she paints quite an in depth mental imagery." 

Filia discretely placed her hand on Xellos' shoulder and gave him a warning little squeeze. It was her silent way of saying, 'shut up before I puke.' 

"Well, I'm glad that has been clarified," Faili put away her mace and turned to Xellos and Filia with a bright smile as if she wasn't talking about crushed brains just a second ago. "Will you please consider assisting me with my noble mission? Please?" She took both of Xellos' hands in hers, "Mr. Ice-cream, this is your chance to help your fellow humans! Please, say you'll come with me!" Faili leaned close, her eyes shining as she pleaded." 

"Of course, I'll go," Xellos had no choice but to agree. 

"Thank you Mr. Ice-cream!" Faili cheered. "I shall return home and make ready at once! Please meet me in the outskirts of town so that we may march in together, arm in arm as equal comrades!" She hurried away, running back to her estate at top speed. 

"I think she likes humans," Xellos commented, waiting for Filia to freak out in annoyance. 

"Of course she likes humans," Filia agreed, missing the true meaning behind Xellos' observation. 

"I mean she likes humans as in like-like, in a more than just friends kind of way," Xellos elaborated. 

"What?" There was the freak out he expected from Filia. "It's not like that! Not that I have anything against dragons dating non-dragons, but that is simply not the case this time." 

Unexpectedly, Sakel burst into tears. "Dragons are too different from humans, they're lives are too far apart. I've been in love with Faili since I was a child and look at me now. She's far older than me, but she looks the same as ever!" Just as suddenly as his crying started, it ceased. "It doesn't matter; having Lady Faili's friendship is more than enough for me!" In another mood swing, he glared at Xellos, "I must still warn you, boy, if you try to charm Lady Faili, I will be very upset!" Sakel shook his fist to signify that it was not a good idea to upset him. 

"Oh no, that would be a terribly twisted time travel soap opera," Xellos immediately put Sakel's fears to rest in his own way. "What I mean to say is that I already have Fluffy and she's enough of a handful as it is." 

"Then you two are?" Sakel looked back and forth between Xellos and Filia. "I see, good for you! Make sure you enjoy it while you can, because I doubt you'd be able to keep up with a dragon when you're sixty and she still looks twenty-something." 

Filia shook her head, "don't be so negative, Mr. Sakel. Though I must say that any advances you make towards Faili will be useless, trust me, I know her better than you could imagine, that doesn't mean that other human and dragon couples can't work out. In fact, even more unusual couples than that can work out, like a dragon and a" monster, Filia stopped herself before she said too much. "Anyway, the point is that there's nothing wrong with dragons and humans being a couple. As long as there's love, they'll enjoy many centuries together... I mean many years." 

"Unless you make a pact with a monster and link your life to his, then it's more like many millennia." Xellos innocently suggested, as if the matter didn't involve him at all. "In fact, I bet a dragon could do that too, not necessarily for a life extension, but maybe for power." 

"Never! I've never heard of a dragon doing such a terrible thing. No one must ever make pacts with monsters!" Filia shouted horrified. She somehow completely missed the detail that Xellos was basically asking if she was willing to spend many, many, many years with him, though his twisted 'almost marriage' proposal flew well over her head. 

Xellos rolled his eyes at the outburst. "I'll remember to ask you again when you're sneezing your head off, hoping that you had monster powers to make you immune to colds. I'm going to be very angry if you sneeze your icky lasers on me." 

Sakel shook his head hopelessly. "Boy, if a dragon sneezes a laser on you point blank, not even your ashes will be left." Dusting himself off, Sakel decided it was time to leave. "Well, I better go on ahead, I need to get rid of this camouflage and make myself look presentable. Then maybe Lady Faili will let me tag along with her little group." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 062: Showdown! Dragons and Magic

As Sakel ran off, Filia let out a breath of contemplation. "No matter how different dragons and humans may be, even if humans live such brief lives, I think there are more similarities than differences." She paused, noticing Xellos' studying stare. "What?" 

"Hmm..." He brushed her hair away from her face. "I thought I saw a wrinkle, or was that a zit? Monsters don't get those." 

Filia angrily slapped Xellos' hand away. "I'm not making a pact with you!" She stomped her foot stubbornly. 

"That's too bad," Xellos grinned as if it wasn't bad at all, but Filia was used to him smiling at gloomy situations. "I bet Lina will be happy though, she'll say something like 'more food for me'." Filia only rolled her eyes and didn't bother to point out that Lina was human and would therefore live a lot less years than a golden dragon. She didn't like to think about stuff like that. "What, you think she won't stick around? Zelas is planning to give the whole crew a life extension if they keep on proving to be useful. Of course, as stubborn as some of them can be, they might not take it, it's still their choice in the end." 

"Seriously? Beast Master is planning that far ahead? I guess she must have really liked your reports about Lina and the others," Filia observed. She shook her head and tried to focus on the present, or the past if she was going to get technical. "Let's not worry about that kind of thing right now. We have other business to take care of, hopefully in a way that doesn't mess up history. Let's catch up with Faili and Mr. Sakel before she chases him away with her mace in a well intended effort to stop him from getting into worse trouble in town." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos, Filia, Faili and Sakel met at the outskirts of town. Faili was wearing some peculiar armor. It was made of gold and it seemed to hug every curve far too well. It would make anyone wonder how in the world they could make such form fitting armor. Her white mini-skirt was far too short in Filia's opinion and unlike her, Faili seemed to have better control over her tail making an unwanted appearance, thus the appendage was nowhere in sight. Her golden armor had many diamonds crafted into it, covering it completely. Faili wore matching golden wrist bands also covered in fine diamonds. Her blond hair was up in a ponytail tied in a golden chain adorned with more diamonds. Her knee length, high heel boots were crafted from gold also covered in diamonds. They looked uncomfortable to walk in, but Faili didn't seem to mind as her long slender legs strode confidently in perfect balance. 

As soon as Sakel, who was all cleaned up by then, laid eyes on Faili, he burst into tears, witnessing the amazing beauty of the woman he would never have. "Goodness, Mr. Sakel, are you having some form of emotional meltdown? Or are you ill? I told you time and again not to over excerpt yourself. You must get to safety at once; the situation might get a little rough around here. Oh and Miss Fluffy, please make sure to protect Mr. Ice-cream." 

"I cannot leave, Lady Faili! Please allow me to stand by your side during this historical moment!" Sakel cried. 

"Like I need protection when I have the Dragon Slave," Xellos grumbled under his breath so that only Filia, who was standing closest to him, heard him over the sound of Sakel's hysterical sobs. "By the way, Filia, how come you don't dress like that? I bet you'd look hot." 

Filia looked angry for a moment, then a burst of cunning shone through, follow by an avalanche of love. She was focusing her feelings, using them against Xellos as a distraction. She smiled and batted her eye lashes, the seemingly random behavior confusing Xellos further, leaving him disarmed. She approached and wrapped her arms around him, even if Faili could see them. His confusion dominated his thoughts until Xellos heard a click and felt cold metal against his neck. "That's so you don't pick a fight with magic." 

"Oh, I'm sure you can trust Mr. Ice-cream without such forceful restraints," Faili frowned at the magic repressing collar. 

Xellos glared in annoyance, "give me the key, now," he emphasized each word with a threatening tone. 

"No!" Filia considered hiding the key in a similar way to how Amelia had protected the map before, but she knew Xellos would be all too happy to retrieve it, so she kept it in her hand instead. 

"Give it to me!" Xellos went on the attack, tackling Filia and tickling her mercilessly. 

"Hahaha! Not Fair! Hahaha! Stop!" Filia tried to get away, but she simply couldn't. Xellos had discovered her weakness, she was ticklish. "Hahaha! I give up! Hahaha!" 

Xellos gave Filia a victorious grin, taking his time getting off of her so she could get to her feet. "The key?" He extended his hand to receive the small item. 

"I dropped it when you tackled me," Filia looked around the ground for the key, but couldn't see it. 

"Um... it seems..." Faili began in a nervous voice as she kept her eyes on Sakel, whose face was turning a distinctive shade of blue. "It seems that Sakel accidentally caught the key in his mouth and it appears to be stuck in his throat." Faili gave Sakel a pat on the back which threw him face first to the ground harshly, though that had not been her intention. 

Unfortunately, instead of making him spit out the key, the impact made Sakel swallow it. Finally able to breathe once the obstacle was dislodged from his throat, Sakel patted his stomach, "it's too late." 

"I'm going to cut you open!" Xellos threatened, preparing to attack Sakel. 

"Sit!" Filia shouted, and Xellos was sent crashing against the ground by an invisible force. 

Xellos painfully pried his face away from the ground and stumbled to his feet. "What was that?" 

"The word of subjugation," Filia explained. There's a magical contract that serves as a purchase form for that collar. It is linked to the collar making it so that it only reacts to the voice of the owner. The word I need to say to trigger that effect is... A three letter word that starts with an S." 

"You mean sit?" Sakel dumbly inquired. 

"Yes, but it only works if I say it," Filia confirmed. "Sorry about that, Ice-cream. I just didn't want you to attack Sakel. I also didn't mean for him to swallow the key, then again, that was your fault for attacking me in such a despicable way!" 

"So this is all my fault now?" Xellos argued. "Stupid dragon, if you haven't put this collar on me I wouldn't be stuck with it!" 

"If you would behave like anything other than a piece of raw garbage I wouldn't have to take contingency measures!" Filia retorted. 

"Enough!" Faili's voice pierced the sound waves as a beam of laser flew out of her mouth towards the skies above. "I don't want to see such good friends fighting. Kiss and make up immediately!" She commanded with authority. 

Filia's expression showed her surprise at Faili's request, or more so at her order. "You want me to kiss him?" 

"On the cheek," Faili clarified. 

"Oh... Okay, I guess..." still a bit unsure, Filia proceeded to play along with Faili's request, only to have Xellos turn his face over at the last second so she kissed him on the lips. Horrified that she would offend Faili with the display, Filia slowly turned her head towards her younger grandmother. 

Far from being offended, Faili was giggling in amusement. "You're such a mischievous boy, Ice-cream!" She pinched his cheek in a way that vastly annoyed Xellos and somewhat amused Filia. "Well, we really should be on our way now, let us march into town together!" 

"What about this?" Xellos pointed at the collar around his neck. 

"Don't worry, dear Ice-cream," Faili petted his hair soothingly. "Leave the fighting to us dragons, you just stay close to Fluffy and look adorable." 

"Actually, I think I can pick the lock," Sakel offered. 

"Why didn't you say so before? Get this thing off me!" Xellos demanded impatiently. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Several minutes later, the four brave allies marched into town free of any magical restraint devices. Strangely, there were very few dragons around even if it was daytime. They went into the police station where Narez was standing in a corner sleeping on his feet, while Cleo slept with her arms crossed atop her desk and her head resting on them. "Excuse me..." Faili tried to get their attention, but her soft voice didn't wake them. "Excuse me!" She yelled, without the laser effects this time, since that would be inconvenient indoors. 

Narez woke up and nearly lost his balance; while Cleo yawned loudly, opening her mouth much larger than one would guess she could. "Good morning, Lady Faili," Narez greeted her. 

Cleo, who was still more so asleep than awake, mumbled a sleepy, "morning." 

"Good morning, Narez, Cleo, I'm surprised that you're still here. I would have guessed your shift to have ended hours ago," Faili observed. 

"It was supposed to, but the day shift dragons are late in returning from last night's summit. Apparently they spent the whole night discussing things before they could reach a conclusion, but at least it's been decided," Narez pushed away his remaining tiredness and tried to look alert. "The fate of this town will be determined in a battle. Even if the law to ban human slavery was passed, this town will have a special exception if those who wish for its freedom lose. Both dragons and humans are welcome to participate. Honestly, I don't think many dragons will stick around for the battle. The ones representing the side that wish for the town to be excluded from the law have strong warriors on their side. Most dragons don't wish to be caught in the battle, so they left. I doubt anyone will show up for the day shift until the battle has passed. The battle should begin soon." 

"So that is the latest news on the matter," Faili had a serious look on her face. "Why was I not informed immediately?" 

"Lady Faili... I..." Narez looked at the floor to avoid Faili's critical gaze. 

With another big yawn and half closed eyes, Cleo elaborated. "It's because he was worried about you, but by the looks of your armor you came prepared to fight anyway. Narez and I have also decided to fight alongside the humans." 

"Excellent!" Faili exclaimed, "join me, my comrades, together we shall free this town!" Her determined cheer was interrupted by a series of loud thuds outside as the ground vibrated with the force of the landing of several fully transformed dragons. "They're here, we must face them!" Ready for battle, Faili, Filia, Xellos, Sakel, Narez and Cleo marched out of the police station into the wide main street. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Faili and her troops stood face to face with a dozen fully transformed dragons that towered over the buildings. The few dragon residents of the town had retreated, taking any humans in their custody along, leaving only the two opposing forces to have their showdown. A tumbleweed rolled by across the street and the heavy tense silence was broken. "Charge!" Faili roared as she transformed into her dragon shape, not caring that there were witnesses, this was an important battle after all. Narez and Cleo followed her example. 

Filia was the last one to transform, not pleased to have to do so in public. "What about the negotiations? Are we just going to fight?" 

"This is how the golden dragons do things," Xellos teased. 

"Shut up, raw garbage! Who said you could ride on me?" Filia argued. 

"My role in all of this is to stay close to you and look adorable, remember?" Xellos pointed out. 

Filia huffed, "good luck with looking adorable, you'll need it." 

"Why? Because I'm more sexy than adorable? That doesn't stop you from adoring me," was Xellos annoying reply. 

Filia growled in vexation, "we are not having this argument now." By the time the exchange had reached that point, Faili, Narez and Cleo were already battling it out with the dragon warriors. Sakel tried to find an opportunity to strike, but instead ended up running around like a crazy little ant, trying not to get stomped on. Filia charged in, tackling a dragon that was attempting to sneak up on Faili, while the fierce dragon woman sunk her sharp fangs into the neck of one of the warriors. 

Narez, a dragon of average size was locked in combat with two others, clawing at each other savagely. Cleo, the petite girl who was huge in her dragon form was the largest creature there, a good ten feet taller than the biggest of the warriors. She swung her massive tail at them, making several of the warriors lose their balance. Narez, Faili and Filia took the opportunity to advance in their attack. 

With four of their comrades already knocked out and bleeding on the ground, the remaining eight dragons stood together for a laser breath attack. Realizing what was going on, Faili and her allies adopted a similar stance, combining their own laser breath against the massive beam of the combined attacks of the eight dragon warriors. The two beams of laser collided, sending sparks everywhere that further damaged the already ruined buildings around them. If the battle continued, the town would be destroyed completely. 

"I got one! I got one!" Sakel held on to the tail of one of the dragon warriors, who tried to shake him off in annoyance. The dragon finally flung the human off his tail and sent Sakel flying into the sky, heading towards a fall he would not survive. 

"I knew you would be trouble!" Faili flew to catch Sakel in her large dragon paws. "For the millionth time, stop being so suicidal!" 

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to help," Sakel whined. 

"If you must participate you can cheer me on or something." Faili placed the human on her shoulder, where he would hopefully stay safe for the remainder of the fight. 

"I'll cheer with all my heart! Go Faili, you're the best!" Sakel shouted with energy. 

Narez's sharp claws and speedy slashes took down another of their opponents, while Cleo's raw strength made steady progress as well. "Lady Faili, there's only five of them left!" Narez encouraged. 

"Clear the way!" Xellos announced, which caused Narez, Cleo and Faili to scramble to the skies. That left Filia's path clear to unleash her powerful Flame Breath on the five remaining dragons. All five were severely wounded, with two of them falling over in defeat and the other three left barely standing. 

"Well done Fluffy, your spells are quite powerful. These three barely have any will left to fight anymore," Faili victoriously commended. It all made Filia wish that she had a better nickname. "Surrender now, you are out-numbered and over powered. Most of your comrades have been defeated and it is obvious that you can barely stand!" 

"We will fight to the bitter end if we must and we will be avenged!" One of the remaining dragon warriors exclaimed with difficulty. 

"Resurrection!" A powerful roar echoed as the shadow of another dragon was casted on the battle field. The dragon's powerful healing magic rained upon the twelve warriors, healing their wounds and making them ready for combat once more. The dragon landed in front of the twelve warriors, much to Faili and Filia's shock. 

"Bazard, my son, you were supposed to be studying at the Fire Dragon temple. Why are you here? Why are you healing my foes?" Faili demanded to know. 

"I am sorry mother, although I share your views about humans and hold a certain appreciation for them, I have been ordered to do this by a dragon of a rank far superior to mine," Faili's son, Filia's father explained. "The battle for humans must be decided by a human, that is my mission. Once again I offer you my apologies, mother, but I must fulfill my duty. If there is a human brave enough to face me, let that human come forward!" 

"I'll face you, dragon!" Sakel immediately volunteered. 

"No you won't, a fragile creature like you won't stand a chance!" Faili argued. "My son has a duty to fulfill and I respect that, he cannot go easy on his opponent." 

"I guess it's up to me," Xellos volunteered, someone had to end this stubborn dragon randomness. Couldn't they make up their minds about what they wanted to do already? Couldn't he and Filia stop being involved in things that he thought were none of their business? If the Lord of Nightmares wanted a show that badly, he would give her a show. Then maybe she would quit messing with their lives. 

"Ice-cream!" Faili exclaimed in agony, "I cannot watch such an adorable creature be destroyed." 

"Adorable? Ice-cream?" Bazard Ul Copt shook his head. "Really mother, no matter how cute you may find a human to be, I'm quite certain they don't appreciate you putting pink bows on them and giving them cute names, especially the men." 

"I don't do that anymore!" Faili argued. 

Xellos was not happy to be partially ignored, though he was glad he was spared from the horror of pink bows. "Let's just get this over with!" 

"I don't want you two to fight!" Filia complained, stomping her feet in a frustrated hissy fit. 

Filia's father, who of course didn't know he would be her father, dramatically declared, "there is no choice! En guard Ice-cream!" 

"Ray wing!" Xellos was quick to get himself out of the way of his opponent's attack. Filia continued her complaining about not wanting them to fight, while Faili was content to cheer for both sides of the battle. If Ice-cream won, which she thought was unlikely; the human town would be free. If her dear son won, which she thought was very likely, then it was a victory for her child so it was good too. 

Bazard took to the skies, shooting many laser beams at Xellos, who was barely dodging with some fast flying. He didn't look like he would get a clear shot to attack. The chase went on for several suspenseful minutes, while the audience, consisting of Faili, Filia, Sakel, Narez, Cleo and the twelve warriors watched. The spectators followed the action, turning their heads from one side to the other as if witnessing a brass rackets match. 

Finally, after maneuvering in the air for a while, Xellos floated still, releasing his Ray Wing in favor of a less power consuming and considerably slower Levitation. His opponent took the opportunity to charge him head on and was met with a sudden burst of energy, "Dragon Slave!" Xellos had been powering up the Dragon Slave at the same time that he used Ray Wing, slowly building it up with vast difficulty. He had felt as if he was draining his very life to maintain the Ray Wing to dodge the incoming attacks and somehow spare energy to power up the Dragon Slave. Xellos was so exhausted that his senses had faded, succumbing to the pain. He heard nothing and saw only a golden blur coming towards him when he released the Dragon Slave. 

The blast of energy hit the golden dragon straight on in mid air. When the bright light cleared, Faili's son lay on the ground knocked out, but still very much alive. Next to him on the ground just a few feet away his opponent had fallen. Xellos was motionless, his hair had turned completely white and he was on the verge of death. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 063: Time! What Happens, Happened

Several suspenseful seconds passed and the golden dragon, who would be Filia's father, recovered his consciousness. With some difficulty, he stood up and casted a healing spell on himself. He was healed, but terribly exhausted, still out of breath. However, his opponent had not yet woken up and could easily be killed by being stepped on by the large dragon. He lifted his massive golden scaly foot, hovering over Xellos' motionless form, then put his foot down again, leaving Xellos without any further injuries. 

Bazard casted a powerful healing spell with the last bit of energy he could spare, "Resurrection!" That woke Xellos, though his hair would take a while to change back to black. "For a human you certainly possess considerable power. That spell at point blank could have killed me. I realize that the fact that it didn't wasn't simply because you overexerted yourself. For some reason you didn't want to kill me. I'll return the favor and spare your life, but you must tell me, why?" 

Xellos stood tiredly, he was not in danger of dying anymore, but he was absolutely exhausted. "I thought there might still be things you need to do in life." Such as for example fathering Filia. 

"Indeed, there are many things," Mr. Ul Copt agreed. "My mission has ended, this town will be freed. The humans possess not only power, but also judgment to use it. It is alright to let them grow and discover their own magic and technology." He changed back into his elf form, wearing fancier armor than the twelve dragon warriors who changed back as well. 

Faili, Narez and Cleo also shrunk to their elf forms, making the wide space of the wreckage of flattened ruins look even larger by comparison. Too relieved to care about who was watching, Filia transformed as well. "I'm glad that's over," she breathed. 

"So am I," Faili agreed. "This town is free and it can no longer serve as a shield for those who keep humans against their will. All humans will have to be freed. After the town is rebuilt, humans will be able to populate it without worries. I think that after my job here is done, I will return to the Fire Dragon temple and leave the estate in the care of a human, who will serve to continue guiding this town peacefully. It will stand to represent the bond of friendship between golden dragons and humans." 

Filia couldn't help it but to cry, though she wasn't nearly as loud as Sakel and his river of happy tears. She was witnessing history in the making. "Yes, everything will be much better now." The question still stood as to what she and Xellos should do next. 

"Miss Fluffy, Mr. Ice-cream, will you remain here to oversee the process?" Faili invited. 

Filia remained in unsure silence, glancing at Xellos for ideas. "We really should continue our journey," he reminded, though he had no idea where exactly they would go. 

"I understand," Faili accepted. 

"I wish you both well on your journey," Bazard voiced sincerely. "And Mr. Ice-cream, the way I see it, the differences between humans and dragons are not a true obstacle if we do not let them become so. You have my respect." He extended his hand to shake Xellos'. 

Needless to say, Xellos never thought he would be shaking hands with Filia's father like this after being given his respect, life was ironic. With his signature mischievous smirk, Xellos couldn't help it but to ask, "so... Mr. Ul Copt, does this mean you approve of me? Enough to say... let me date your daughter?" 

Filia gasped and watched in worry as her father's face turned serious. She was about to try to say something to diffuse the situation when Bazard started laughing in good humor. "Sure, if I have a daughter and she develops affection for you, you have my blessing." Of course, there was no way a human could stay alive that long. The powerful and mysterious Mr. Ice-cream would be gone in less than a century and Mr. Ul Copt would be free of his promise, or so he thought. Surely Ice-cream understood that and was only making a joke, so it was harmless to play along. 

Filia's jaw dropped, that tricky monster just got her own father's blessing and her dear dad didn't even know it. It was all done by trickery so she didn't think it officially counted, but she couldn't help it but to twitch when she looked at Xellos' smug expression. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After a peaceful farewell, Xellos and Filia left the town and walked off into the horizon. They were a short distance away from the town when Celestina, or rather the Lord of Nightmares, appeared before them for a split second, fading into existence from the astral side. Her golden light invaded their senses, forcing them to look away. Then when they once again gazed at the place where she once stood, she was no longer there. 

"The land..." Xellos observed. 

Filia looked at the landscape around them. "It's barren; there are no flowers or grass like before. It's just like... just like our time." She glanced back in the direction of the town, it was far away, but the buildings could still be seen, it wasn't the pile of ruins that was yet to be rebuilt over nine hundred years ago. She then looked towards the direction that the estate should be in. "Everyone..." She needed to make sure that everyone was alright; she needed to see her friends and confirm that they had made it back to the era where they belonged. "Ray Wing!" Filia transported both herself and Xellos in a hurry, landing in the courtyard in front of the estate. 

"Look who's back," Lina acknowledge their arrival from her position laying on a chair enjoying the mid morning breeze while she digested her breakfast with a tall glass of juice in her hand. Gourry was sitting next to her waving a fan at the redhead like the personal servant of a queen. "I happened to notice that you two didn't come back last night," Lina teased, before pausing to realize that Xellos' hair was white. "Sheesh, what did you do that required that much energy? No, wait, don't tell me, I really don't want to know!" 

"Okay, then I won't tell you," Xellos agreed more easily than anyone expected, but that was just because he was tired. "If anyone has anything of importance to report, I'll be inside." He glanced at Filia, whose face was filled with relief upon their safe arrival in their own time. She nodded at him in indication that he should go ahead and get some rest, she would catch up in a little while. 

Xellos might not feel the need to share their little adventure and honestly, neither did Filia, mostly because she didn't want to be assaulted by a multitude of inquiries about her grandmother. Nor did she want Xellos to make a mockery out of having obtained her father's blessing in a very tricky sort of way. However, Filia did think it was important for the whole team to be on their guard. "Has anything unusual happened while I was gone?" 

"Not really," Lina stretched in her chair, signaling to Gourry that he could rest. "It's a hot morning, I guess it's because of global warming or something, or maybe this place is becoming a desert. It was certainly cold later last night." 

"Can I go polish my sword now?" Gourry inquired hopefully. 

"Go ahead, I think I've cooled off enough," Lina agreed with the hint of a loving smile, hidden by a thick curtain of casual behavior. 

As Gourry ran off inside the estate, Lina continued. "Arcius left on business a while ago. Apparently he was informed first thing in the morning that last night one of the businesses he owns in town suffered some damage, the golden Dragon Cafe, I think it was called. He left to have a look in person and told us to make ourselves at home. He said he would be back as soon as he could." 

Filia bit her lip nervously. She was the one who caused the most noticeable damage to the Golden Dragon Cafe, leaving it without a ceiling. It was only a matter of time before an angry Arcius came back to demand an explanation and possibly repairs. Furthermore, Xellos had a considerable debt that Arcius' employees would surely inform him about. "I don't think it's a good idea for us to be here. Xellos and I might have accidentally damaged Arcius' property last night." 

Lina frowned in disapproval, not because of the random property damage, she did that often enough herself, but because her earlier request was not being fulfilled. "I said I don't want to know about what happened last night." 

Feeling her face overheat as her wild imagination came up with theories that were probably far more scandalous than any assumptions Lina would make, Filia tried to defend herself. "It's nothing bad!" She paused, giving the events some extra consideration. "Well, actually yes, you could say it was pretty bad, but not in an inappropriate sort of way." She paused again; she couldn't come up with a proper explanation. "It was kind of inappropriate too, but not in a way that you wouldn't want to know about." Giving up on sugar coating the story, Filia realized that if she was going to warn her companions about the dangers of the lurking Lord of Nightmares, she would have to reveal at least some parts of her past adventure. "We had a run in with the Lord of Nightmares." 

Lina choked on the juice she was drinking in an effort to distract herself from Filia's ramblings. She spat out the orange liquid on the unfortunate golden dragon in front of her with an alarmed, "what?" 

Flinching in disgust, Filia brushed off the juice and reminded herself that she needed a bath and a change of clothes anyway. "I'll explain the details once everyone is present." 

"Okay," Lina's face turned serious and determined, as if she was ready for anything, but no one could be truly ready when it came to the Lord of Nightmares. "Amelia and Zelgadis are inside reading Arcius library, old habits die hard, I guess." Just because Zelgadis was okay with being a chimera these days, didn't mean he wouldn't like to find a cure if it just so happened to be on his way. 

"Right, let's all meet up there, I'll join you as soon as I'm cleaned up," Filia replied, leaving no room for argument no matter how curious Lina obviously was. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Amelia and Zelgadis were examining Arcius' many books, finding nothing particularly useful in them, not that Zelgadis had his hopes up anyway. Amelia flipped through a particularly old historical tome that retold a slightly sugar coated version of how the golden dragons came to be the protectors of the town. "The mysterious sorcerer codenamed Ice-cream..." Amelia voiced as she finished reading over some of the most prominent events of the past. "Apparently, it was he who showed the dragons that humans could be reliable, speaking with the example, as he had earned the trust of a dragon who became his traveling companion. Her codename was Fluffy." 

Zelgadis put another book he was examining back in the shelf where it was before. "It looks like some authors found them to be inspiring. There's a whole collection of comics here, The Adventures of Ice-cream and Fluffy, volumes one to fifty." 

"They must have been an amazing duo of justice!" Amelia cheered with starry eyes. "They traveled from one place to another, mysteriously disappearing without a trace after their missions had been fulfilled! The amazing Ice-cream and Fluffy, whose true identities remained unknown, but their great deeds were recognized by many! I collected their comics too." 

Zelgadis couldn't help it but to roll his eyes, not at Amelia whose speeches he was used to and had began to find endearing, but rather at the mysterious duo of justice. "They could have picked more heroic sounding nicknames." 

"Maybe they were trying to say that cuteness can be heroic too?" Amelia theorized. 

Their discussion was interrupted by a loud voice calling out "Stop! Stop! STOP!" From a different area of the estate. Amelia and Zelgadis recognized the voice as being Xellos and rushed to see what kind of trouble he had gotten himself into. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos' echoing voice drew the attention of Filia, who dashed down the hall half hopping on one foot. She had just gotten herself cleaned up and didn't have time to finish putting on her shoes. His loud desperate cries also got the attention of Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis. They caught up to Filia, following the source of the sounds and running into one of the manor's guest room. 

That particular room was adorned in every shade of purple the eyes could see, except they couldn't see much of it beyond the white that faded to gray, that faded to black, that was attached to... something that lay beyond the sea of hair. "Xellos!" Filia spotted a hand sticking out of the massive amount of hair that was all over the room. She levitated over it and grabbed the hand, pulling Xellos out. Xellos took in a big breath of precious oxygen; he almost suffocated under his own hair. "What happened? Why is your hair this long?" 

"I wanted to fix it after those guys at the restaurant cut it on one side," Xellos revealed. After catching his breath, he casted his own levitation so that Filia didn't have to hold him in mid air above the flood of hair. 

"You mean you weren't just going for an asymmetrical cut? I thought it was on purpose," Lina commented as she curiously examined the hair. "I bet I could sell this hair to a wig maker for a good price. It's shiny and pretty, I bet nobles from across the world would pay a lot of money for a wig of this hair." 

"Leave my hair alone," Xellos defended, "if anyone is going to sell it, it will be me." 

"Why do you need the money? Don't you have some endless fake credit account?" Lina greedily argued. 

"That's none of your business!" Xellos retorted, not wanting to get into the subject. 

Yet Filia got into it anyway, "Zelas cut his allowance, so he's broke. We got into trouble for it last night at dinner." 

"It's not an allowance, it's a spying budget!" Xellos argued, because to call the money spy funds was so much cooler than to say it was an allowance. What man well over a thousand years old still received allowance from his mother? 

Lina rolled her eyes, "call it what you will, but I'm still keeping the hair. Think of it as a bodyguard tip, you haven't given me any tips at all!" She stomped her foot to emphasize her demand. 

"You were the one who spend most of my money at Amor Resort," Xellos retorted. 

Filia thought the argument had gone on long enough, especially because they had important things to discuss. She went off to find a pair of scissors while Lina defended her tip and Xellos argued against it. Filia returned with the scissors and cut Xellos' hair in his usual style, now once again black, as the white and gray had grown out. Immediately, Lina greedily tried to braid the hair so she could carry it away more easily. "Just let her have it, you know she's not going to give up on this argument," Filia suggested. 

"Fine, but next time there's a battle, she better earn this tip." Xellos pouted, knowing that when it came to Lina's greed, there was no argument that could stand against it. 

While Lina continued to braid the hair, she brought up an important subject. "Filia, about what you were going to tell us..." 

"Yes..." Filia breathed, with Xellos giving her a curious glance. "The Lord of Nightmares is... awake, out and about. She sent Xellos and me to the past, where we got caught in a battle and brought us back to the present shortly after the battle was over." She gave Xellos a warning glare not to tease her about the events of the past concerning her relatives, especially since she had managed to paint a concise yet ambiguous picture that served as a warning without setting her up for teasing. "We don't know what the Lord of Nightmares wants. I just wanted you all to be on your guard." 

A heavy silence fell upon the atmosphere around them. Amelia and Zelgadis exchanged puzzled looks, with no clue as to what plans the Lord of Nightmares could have. Lina had an alert and determined look on her face, as if becoming mentally prepared for anything, though she didn't pause her task of braiding the hair. Gourry wasn't sure what was going on, but there was nothing new in that fact. 

The contemplative quietude was interrupted by James, Arcius butler, who gave the large amount of hair an odd look before nodding politely at the group. "Excuse me, honored guests. I must request that you meet Master Arcius, he has expressed his wishes to speak with you right away." 

Arcius was back and he was surely upset, Filia just knew it, but she couldn't bring herself to run away from the situation without at least apologizing. Seeing her uncertainty, Amelia tried to save the situation, "we'll be right there." 

The attempt failed as James clearly wasn't going anywhere, refusing to give them some time alone to deliberate. "Please, walk this way." 

Lina finished braiding the hair into a very long rope that she coiled in multiple circles and threw over her shoulder. She nodded to the rest of her band of travelers, indicating that they've been in these sort of situations before and gotten through them well enough, so it was nothing to worry about. Maybe if they all apologized, Arcius would forgive them and keep feeding them for a while longer. If not, then they could always make a hasty escape. Their attempt to bless the farm lands had failed and it was about time to move on and possibly report back to Seyruun, where they might not get a triple banquet as the situation stood, but they would at least get a good meal. 

Thus Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia and Xellos, followed James, with Gourry marching in the same fashion as James with his back and arms straight, moving his arms and legs at a perfectly parallel rhythm. No one even tried to question Gourry, as they all guessed that he would take James' request literally. The group followed the butler down the long elegant, yet blindingly colorful halls of the estate until they reach a set of large redwood doors carved with detailed flowers of many kinds. James opened the door, revealing some peculiar looking stairs, which he began to descend in the same formal march. "This way," the butler invited the guests to continue following him. 

The stairs were different from the fashion of the estate. They were made of simple grayish-brownish stone, lacking the plush carpets that covered every inch of flooring in the manor. The walls were made of stone as well, in what appeared to be a considerably deep dark tunnel. Lina's eyes lit up, this couldn't simply be any basement, maybe it was a magical laboratory. It was probably a bad idea to rush in, but she was curious about this sort of thing and followed James without complaint. Given that their impulsive courageous leader was going, the rest of the group resolved to go as well. 

To be Continued


	22. Chapter 22

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 064: Flowers! Garden of Evil

Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia and Xellos, followed James down the dark stone stairs into a deep basement below Arcius' estate. The bottom was pitch black, but not for long. The large underground dome was lit up by many fluorescent flowers growing out of the walls of the cave. The cave floor was covered in an endless rainbow of flowers of many colors and styles, "it's beautiful!" Amelia exclaimed. 

"Indeed!" Several feet away from the group there was a large tree that somehow flourished underground. Both the top and the bottom had roots with branches filled with green leaves sticking out of the middle of the trunk. The tree's roots reached the cavern's walls, heading in every direction through the soil underground. "These flowers are almost as beautiful as me, the great Narcissus! You thought you could take me by surprise, did you? Here you are, pretending you have no idea who I am when in reality you know it all!" 

Lina and company looked at each other in confusion, with Gourry inquiring, "we do?" 

"Yes, you do!" Arcius, who was now calling himself Narcissus, laughed in a very villainous fashion. "You know all about me being a servant of the Green Alchemist, you know that I'm the one who drained the nutrients of this land to increase the power of the amazing Green Alchemist. You know that I was plotting to kill Xellos. That is why Filia became enraged last night and destroyed the Golden Dragon Cafe. As a golden dragon, she could no longer bear the lies that I subjected this town to, even though my family is supposed to be tasked with keeping the peace and symbolizing the bond of friendship between dragons and humans. You almost had me fooled, but Filia's loss of control made me realized your ignorance was just an act. So here I am, willing to strike before you have more time to plot. It is obvious you were planning to attack me, so let us not waste anymore time and prepare to fight!" 

Filia stared at Narcissus in disbelief, "you were the bad guy all along, you tricked us!" 

"As if you didn't know!" Narcissus retorted. 

"Of course we knew, we knew all along," Xellos' sarcastic tone was clear to Lina's group, but it flew right over Narcissus' head, who assumed it was all part of his smug mockery. 

Lina put down the hair she was still carrying and stretched her arms over her head casually. "The villain has revealed himself and uncovered the case of the famine, so we might as well take action." She stepped forward, taking on a challenging stance and pointing at Narcissus. "You horrible fiend, how dare you threaten the very sustenance of the world? Disabling the means for people to produce food is a terrible crime! Your acts of injustice will be punished!" 

Amelia was all too happy to jump in and join Lina. Usually, she was the one giving the justice speeches, but with food as a casualty, this was too personal to Lina. "Prepare yourself, evil doer, we will deliver swift justice for your despicable deeds!" 

Lina and Amelia posed together pointing at Narcissus as they shouted heroically in unison, "in the name of all that is delicious, we'll punish you!" 

"If you're quite done, I'd like to get this done and over with," Narcissus impatiently complained. "Jaws, attack!" 

"Right away, sir," the seemingly harmless butler morphed into his true form. His skin turned green as his limbs changed into vines. The vines covered in thorns tore apart the uniform he was wearing to reveal that he was a big piranha plant without any human aspects left in him. His body was in the shape of an X where his arms and legs used to be. Another vine protruded from the torso, holding up a large red head with white spots. The round head opened up to reveal a multitude of sharp teeth in its large mouth. In the middle of the torso vine, there was a glowing seed, covered by a large leaf that protected its front like a shield. Around the neck area of the vine, there was a sort of amulet with a small glowing gem that previously served to hide the true identity of the creature, making his energy feel as that of a normal human. 

"You will fall in battle to my mighty beast!" Narcissus laughed evilly, while posing, extending his cape left and right with his hands. The new outfit was overall ridiculous, he was better off wearing the classic black cloaks that most villains preferred to use. But no, this one just had to be original and wear a lime green shirt, a pink cape, impossibly tight glittery red pants and cyan high heel boots. He definitely had to be color blind, it was the only explanation. 

"Roar!" James, who was now being referred to as Jaws, let out a war cry as he dashed towards his opponents. The grouped jumped away, running in opposite directions to surround the monster. Lina tried to save the braids of hair and got tangled up in them, bumping into Amelia, who got caught as well. The two tried to get untangled and ended up in a worse mess with Jaws quickly approaching. Zelgadis and Gourry rushed in, left an right, synchronizing their sword swings perfectly to cut off the head of the monster plant like a giant pair of scissors. 

"Dragging that hair around is too dangerous," Zelgadis scolded as he cut the girls free from the ropes of hair. 

"You ruined it!" Lina cried out in horror, that was perfectly good money that Zelgadis just destroyed. 

"It could have been your head that was ruined if that thing bit it off," Zelgadis argued in his defense. 

"He's right, Miss Lina," Amelia agreed. 

"Fine, forget the hair!" Lina jumped to her feet, enraged. "This whole thing is Arcius', or Narcissus' fault, or whatever that freak calls himself. I'm going to make him pay!" 

Filia and Xellos had already gone on the attack against Narcissus, throwing lasers and fire at him, which he swiftly avoided. For a freak, he was sure fast. "You'll never hit me. My speed knows no equal!" 

"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that grows..." Lina began her chant. 

Hearing it, Xellos decided it was the right idea, "I guess that means we'll have to blow up this whole place." Though he didn't have his monster powers and he had to relearn magic as a human until he could properly channel his human energy, Xellos had gone through all that and he was ready for some massive destruction, exhaustion aside. There would be time to rest later. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows..." 

The two halves of Jaws that had been cut by Gourry and Zelgadis each came to life, sprouting a new head and body respectively, though only the original body had the glowing seed with the leaf shield on it. "They're back for another round," Gourry readied his sword. 

"Buried in the stream of time is where your power flows..." Lina and Xellos matched the progress of their spells for one massive double hit. 

"Amelia, go help Filia keep Narcissus busy, Gourry and I will take care of these weeds." Zelgadis joined the fight, casting an Astral Vine spell on his sword and Gourry's. 

"I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand..." Xellos and Lina continued, in perfect sync. 

"Right!" Amelia levitated over to Filia's side, once again adding fire to her laser attacks to keep Narcissus busy dodging, preventing him from attacking. 

"Before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hands." Lina and Xellos were temporarily out of combat for the purpose of powering up their spells, thus leaving the battle and their safety in the hands of the others. 

Gourry and Zelgadis slashed away at their respective opponents. The two Jaws attacked by stretching their thorny vine limbs into whips. Gourry and Zelgadis backed away; exchanging quick glances as they tried to speed up their sword slashes enough to cut the speedy vine whips. They were back to back just as the pair of ferocious monster piranha plants threw their whips forward harshly, thinking that the two warriors were cornered. "Levitation!" Zelgadis speedily floated up, taking Gourry along with him. 

"Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed..." The Dragon Slaves were almost ready to release their power. 

The whips of the two monster plants hit each other, becoming tangled together. Zelgadis and Gourry didn't waste time in attacking, but unexpectedly, the main Jaws, which had the seed on its torso, broke off the limbs of the other plant and threw the screeching creature at Lina. "Lina!" Gourry knew he wouldn't get to her fast enough, so he threw his sword with great force, sending it to collide with the plant's head in mid air. The momentum of the throw pushed the monster off its intended course and pinned its head to the ground a few feet away from Lina. Gourry rushed over and pulled his sword out, finishing the job of hacking and slashing at the monster plant until it was in tiny pieces. 

"By the power you and I possess..." Lina and Xellos continued. 

Zelgadis was making progress as well, slashing away pieces off the main Jaws. However, the cut off limps soon morphed into new monsters, sprouting the missing parts to outnumber Zelgadis. "I see through you, it's that seed that needs to be destroyed, Ra Tilt!" Unfortunately, the force of Zelgadis' spell, despite being astral, was thrown back at him as the leaf that covered the seed glowed. Assaulted by his own power, Zelgadis was thrown to the ground in pain. 

"Zel!" Amelia cried out with concern. 

Xellos exchanged glances across the battle field with Lina, then nodded at Filia. "Let's go Amelia, we have to get Zelgadis and take cover!" Filia and Amelia rushed to get out of the way, get Zelgadis away from the numerous monsters that Gourry was trying to keep busy and find shelter. They were soon joined by a retreating Gourry, because even he knew better than to stand around when Lina was about to unleash the Dragon Slave. 

"Dragon Slave!" The ground shook harshly as Xellos and Lina released the combined power of their spells. The entire cavern was invaded by bright light. 

When the light finally cleared they were no longer underground. The estate that once stood in the ground above them had been completely disintegrated along with the flower garden. The large tree was left in ruins, its bark severely damaged. The land around them looked worse than before as soil was reduced to sand. The strange tree with roots above and below had lost all its branches in the middle, but it drained away more nutrients from the land to prevent itself from being destroyed. 

Amelia was casting a healing spell on Zelgadis, while Lina and Xellos tried to recover. Lina had been well rested, thus her hair was still red, but Xellos had recently come out of a battle and had basically no rest in-between. His hair was once again white, his energy completely drained. Filia was at his side in seconds, healing him. Though injuries were not really his problem as much as exhaustion, she hoped that receiving some extra energy would at least help. 

Suddenly, the main Jaws, the only one of the monster piranha plants that survived, jumped from beneath the sand that the soil of the crater had become. The leaf shield was completely gone; the glowing seed that powered it was now exposed. Amelia screamed in a startle as the being came out close to her and Zelgadis. She threw a massive fireball at the creature as Zelgadis simultaneously swung his sword at it. The hits of fire and metal were together effective against the weakened seed and the creature was finally defeated for good. The seed shattered, the rest of the piranha's body becoming brown, dry and brittle. 

Amelia observed that the two thorny vine limbs of the creature that served as legs were buried in the ground. "That tree must have given Jaws enough energy to survive the blast," she correctly concluded. 

"Yes, but it was still not enough." Now healed, Zelgadis glared at the defeated Jaws, before turning his gaze towards the tree, which was the magical device used to drain the nutrients out of the soil. 

"The land was left weakened, but if we finish destroying that tree, it shouldn't be in danger of getting worse," Lina stated. 

"I can't allow that!" A voice very much like that of Narcissus suddenly echoed. A yellow mist as if it was made of pollen carried by a strange wind appeared before forming a see through silhouette. The ghost like being, albeit lacking its previous assortment of bright colors, was distinctly in the shape of Narcissus. "This tree will continue to provide nutrients for the wonderful Green Alchemist! I am invincible, I will defeat you all and gain favor in my master's eyes. When the Green Alchemist becomes Lord Beast Master's general, all his followers will also receive power. I will rule over this portion of land in the name of the Green Alchemist and Lord Beast Master with my beautiful Xexe by my side!" 

"Xexe?" Filia questioned in disbelief. 

"Yes, Xexe!" The pollen Narcissus laughed in his creepy echoing voice. "Even if she is an acquaintance of yours, I'm sure that once she sees how amazing the followers of the Green Alchemist are, she'll join us too. A woman such as her, who possesses both beauty and strength, is the only one worthy of standing by my side in my magnificent garden!" 

Lina looked thoughtful, then glanced at Xellos with a mischievous smirk. "Maybe we can use this to our favor." 

Before Xellos could protest, Filia did so for him. "We are not sending Xellos to seduce Narcissus!" 

Of course, Xellos couldn't let an opportunity to tease Filia escape regardless of the dangerous situation they were in. "Are you jealous?" 

"I'm not jealous; it's just a ridiculous plan!" Filia growled, taking a deep exasperated breath, which tickled her nose. 

"Enough of your senseless rambles!" Narcissus was growing impatient. 

"Achoo!" Filia sneezed loudly, a beam of laser flying from her mouth and heading straight towards Narcissus. The pollen dissipated on impact, though the particles were still faintly visible in the air around them. 

"Is it over?" Gourry asked in confusion. 

"Die!" Narcissus' voice echoed from all around, answering the question. 

"If he's some kind of ghost, then maybe I can exorcise him." Amelia attempted to use her white magic, but it was ineffective. Furthermore, after the pollen dissipated, she wasn't sure what to aim at. 

Amelia coughed, the action being mimicked by Zelgadis. Gourry and Lina followed suit along with Xellos and Filia. "He's trying to suffocate us!" Zelgadis attempted to defend against the attack with a Windy Shield, but it wasn't working. The pollen was so small it went right through. 

"He's... not a ghost," Xellos finally concluded, speaking with difficulty, breathing was a very straining task when the atmosphere was cluttered with evil magical pollen. Xellos felt anger, pride and vanity coming from the tree, it was the same feeling he got from Narcissus. His emotions came from the tree rather than the pollen, he had been so close to the tree when they arrived underground that it was hard to notice at first. Arcius had been human before, but Xellos had a feeling that his new name of Narcissus was due to more than just vanity. He had changed, he wasn't a human anymore. The human body that was destroyed and released the pollen inside it was nothing but a puppet to Narcissus's new form. "I can sense him, he's in the tree!" Xellos made his way near the tree with Filia close by. 

"Get away from there!" Narcissus' pollen focused on Xellos. 

Taking the opportunity, Lina began to chant a spell, now that there was less pollen to assault her and the others, as the yellow cloud was over Xellos. "Darkness beyond twilight..." 

"No!" Narcissus attacked Lina, trying to choke her. 

"Crimson beyond..." Lina couldn't continue the spell, but the distraction had worked. Filia attacked the tree with her mace, making a hole in the already weakened bark. Inside the tree there was a section of astral space, temporarily opened by Filia's hit, which she and Xellos jumped into. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The astral space was a spherical cavity surrounded by many colors melting into each other like rainbow paint spilled on water. The hole that Xellos and Filia used to enter the space sealed itself shut in colorful swirls. In the middle of the sphere there was a narcissus flower with pure ivory petals and a yellow center from which a stream of pollen reached into the sphere's astral walls and phased through it. A semi-translucent shield was around the floating flower, which Filia took note of. She shot a laser breath at the flower, but it was not fully charged, a caution that she was thankful for seconds later. The laser bounced off the shield, barely missing Filia, who half-expected this and was quick to dodge. 

"That's him," Xellos affirmed, "he's worried, still hopeful for success, but he knows he's in trouble." 

"And he's about to find out in how much trouble!" Filia wielded her mace against the flower, poking the shield gently at first as a test. She felt electricity coursing through her body, but the shield opposed no solid resistance beyond the retaliation. "This shield only deflects magic, I can smash that flower; I just have to endure the shock!" The angry golden dragon raised her weapon over her head and brought it down on the evil flower with all her strength. The shock of electricity was terribly painful, but Filia forced herself to keep hitting that vicious plant until it was dead. The last electric retaliation was strong enough to send Filia crashing against the colorful astral wall of the spherical cavity, the electrocution affecting her significantly. 

"Filia!" Xellos lifted her motionless form into his arms. That last shock was too strong; a human would have surely died. Golden Dragons had more endurance, but even for Filia, it was still too damaging. 

Filia felt her senses fade, she couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't breathe. Her life was fading and in that split second between life and death everything moved at light speed and a thousand thoughts ran through her thoughts. She had thoughts of her traveling companions, who were her friends, who were her family... and thoughts of Xellos. Then she felt her energy being restored, her life no longer fading. She opened her eyes once more, waiting for her vision to clear up and for her breaths to become even. "Xellos... you can use healing magic?" She finally voiced. His power was dangerously drained, but he forced the restore spell to function with the last of his energy. "Is it over?" 

"Yes," Xellos could no longer sense any emotion coming from the flower, it was dead. The evil Narcissus had finally been defeated. Yet the danger wasn't over yet. Without Narcissus to keep the astral space stable, it was shrinking around them and they had no way out. The walls of swirling colors were giving off sparks of energy, though they weren't strong enough to be fatal, it was a sure indicative of a painful death should they be crushed by the astral walls. 

"We need to escape from here..." Filia stated the obvious, looking for ideas about how to do so. If they didn't get out of there, they would only have seconds left to live. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 065: Hostages! Moving the Bargaining Chips

Filia and Xellos were trapped in an unstable area of astral space and knew that escaping would not be an easy task. "Constricting astral space is difficult to break through," Xellos stated. This was a death trap; it was all arranged so that Narcissus' destroyer would fall along with him if it came to that. Regardless of if the others became aware of their predicament, there was little they could do to get them out. Even for a monster, it would be extremely difficult to escape such a situation, but for a very strong monster, it wouldn't be impossible. Xellos still had the card Filia gave him, the card that would make her an official golden dragon and set her up to fulfill all the annoying technicalities of his curse. "I can get us out of this," there was no room for doubt anymore, he gave her the card. 

Filia stared at the card for a split second before the realization hit her. This was the only thing that could save them. If Xellos regained his original monster powers, he would be strong enough to break out of the unstable astral space. She didn't have a pen and she didn't think Xellos was carrying one either, but something as simple as that would not be their doom. She ripped off her right glove and bit her finger, letting her partially transformed fang pierce her skin just enough to draw blood. She pressed her injured finger against the card. Though magical contracts could be signed with ink, they were originally signed in blood in the past. The red liquid was absorbed by the magically infused card, the name of 'Filia Ul Copt' appearing on it as if written in red ink. Then she kissed Xellos. 

They waited, but no surge of power came to him. They parted momentarily and tried again, yet there was nothing. Disappointment invaded his features along with an air of frustration. Then he forced his face to take on his usual overly cheerful squinting eyes look, his mask. "It looks like I couldn't give you enough after all. It shouldn't come as a surprise, who could love such a stupid dragon?" 

Filia wasn't sure what to say at first, a million thoughts ran through her head, then finally she smiled warmly. It was something that Xellos didn't expect. "Only a piece of raw garbage," she answered his question, fueling his confusion. "Haven't you changed your interpretation of your cure enough to conclude that it's very tricky? I don't think the problem is you, we're just missing some other technicality, I'm certain of it!" 

"What more is there? How else can the 'willing kiss of a golden dragon' be interpreted?" It was all too much to deal with. Just when he thought he understood, it turned out that he didn't. Just when he thought he loved Filia enough, it wasn't enough. Maybe it was enough for her, but not enough for the curse, not enough to save his life... it was not enough to save her life. 

"Say it," Filia voiced, almost like an order. She had stopped doubting Xellos and she wished he would stop doubting himself. That he would stop thinking that truth she saw was an impossibility. 

"What?" He gave her a confused look, she was always such a moody puzzle. 

Feeling the pressure of the electrifying astral walls crushing her; Filia gritted her teeth and forced the words out for one last request. "Just say it!" 

Then he realized what she wanted. According to the curse it was a lie, but he could humor her with this much before they died. "I..." why was he pausing, the pain of being crushed alive was immense, but that wasn't what was holding him back. "I love you," strangely the words felt much heavier when he wasn't saying it as a joke. 

"I believe you," Filia assured, "and I love you too." She had decided to trust him and she would trust him more than some curse. She kissed him again as if it was the last time, and it looked as if it would be. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Why aren't Filia and Xellos coming back?" Gourry inquired in his eternal confusion. There was always something around him that puzzled him. He was used to the feeling, but sometimes, especially when it concerned someone's safety, he simply couldn't overlook it. 

The air around them was normal and there were no freaky monster plants leaping out to attack them. "I don't know," Lina admitted as she approached the dried up tree. "The tree looks dead." She peeked inside the hole in the bark, to see that it was hollow. She casted a light spell. "There's something here!" 

Gourry, Zelgadis and Amelia hurried after Lina, joining her inside the massive hollow tree trunk. "What is that?" Amelia looked at the glowing sphere of swirling colors that seemed to be getting smaller. 

"It might be some kind of pocket of astral space," Zelgadis theorized. 

"Then that means that Miss Filia and Mr. Xellos might be in there!" Amelia concluded. 

Lina tentatively reached over to the orb, retreating her hand when she got a shock of electricity. "I don't like the way that ball of astral space is shrinking. It's so unstable that attacking it might make things worse." She was at a loss for what to do to free Xellos and Filia. "At times like this having a monster on the team would be useful. If they're good for anything that's hopping in and out of astral space." 

"I'm really worried!" Amelia frowned, her eyes showing vast concern. 

"It looks like the situation is hopeless," a voice from behind the gathered group was heard. 

"It can't be!" Amelia cried out before realizing that though the voice was female, it wasn't Lina or Filia's voice. 

The group turned around to find a woman standing behind them. She was wearing a dress in a similar style to what Xellos wore as Miss Xexe, though it was white, which accentuated her bronze skin. "We'll see," the woman approached the sphere of astral space and pushed her golden bangles up to her elbow, the ornaments making multiple cling-clang sounds as they bumped into each other. She then reached her hand into the sphere, phasing through it. Sparks of electricity flew from the unstable astral area, but she seemed unaffected by it. 

One second, Xellos was reflecting on how short his life felt even though he had lived for so long and regretting he had to drag Filia to death with him. The next, he was distracted by a sharp pain to his ear and found himself worrying that it would be ripped off. "Ow, ow, ow!" The pain ceased and Xellos instinctively rubbed the affected area, though he shouldn't have enough space inside the shrinking astral space to move his arm so freely. Then he realized he was no longer being crushed to death by electrifying astral walls, though his entire body still ached profusely from the near death experience. 

Filia, who had been tightly embracing Xellos, was pulled out along with him, wondering how they managed to make it out of there. His hair was still white; he didn't have his monster powers back. Everyone's gazes were focused on them for a few seconds before they turned to look in a different nearby angle. Filia and Xellos followed the looks to... "Lord Beast Master?" The golden dragon stuttered in disbelief. 

"It looks like you ran into some trouble with this fight. The Green Alchemist turned out to present quite a challenge, it would seem," Zelas chuckled in a tone much more mocking and superior than even Xellos' best attempt. She gave Xellos a critical look, "I see you're still cursed, what a pity, your time has run out." 

"Wait a minute!" Lina protested, "I thought he had a year! It hasn't been a year yet!" 

"A year was the duration of your bodyguard contract as offered by Celo," Zelas reminded. "That does not concern me. The fact of the matter is that I have grown impatient. It is time..." Zelas wore a golden chain around her neck, at the end of which there was a black cone-shaped gem that glowed in a shadowy light. "Xellos, will you face your end with even a shred of dignity?" 

It was over, he was about to die anyway and Lord Beast Master saved him only so she could finish him off herself. He wasn't going to beg for his life, it was useless anyway. "Yes, Lord Beast Master." Xellos pushed Filia away, giving her a silent warning with his eyes not to say anything. At least this way she would be left alive, or so he hoped. He stepped forward, vowing before the monster lord from whom he originated. 

The entire group was paralyzed in shock. They knew they were in no conditions to get into another fight when they barely made it out of that last one. Filia was almost dead on her feet and they were all terribly tired. Lina knew that if she kept on fighting, her hair turning white would be the least of her worries. She would probably breathe her last breath before that even happened. 

"This... this is..." Amelia choked out a few syllables before Zelgadis wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. 

"Shh... I know it's not fair, but there's nothing we can do," the chimera tried to console his love. Zelgadis never liked Xellos, but for a short moment he could almost feel identified. He could see it, despite the circumstances of being a monster, Xellos respected Zelas, not only because he had to, but because he looked up to her. Being sacrificed by someone he admired, that was something that Zelgadis had experienced. 

Zelas held her hand over Xellos' lowered head. The black glow in her palm matched the rhythm of the glow of the black cone shaped jewel on her necklace. "Goodbye Xellos..." An expression of inevitable pain edged itself across Xellos' face as he faded away, becoming an orb of black light that was absorbed into the black jewel. Zelas grinned evilly, waiting for some sort of reaction from the group that appeared to be too surprise at the twist of events to even form a full sentence. 

"Bring him back..." Filia's voice was so low that it was inaudible at first, "bring him back..." The second whisper was just barely heard. "Please Lord Beast Master, bring him back!" Filia cried loudly as she fell to her knees with abundant tears rolling down her face like a river. "I beg of you, bring Xellos back. I'll try harder to cure him of his curse, I'll somehow guide him to being able to achieve his cure. Please give us more time!" 

"Xellos' curse... the curse that made him human," Zelas paused with suspense. She quoted a certain key part of the incantation, "this curse shall only be broken by..." she paused and emphasized each word slowly, "the willing kiss of a golden dragon." Another moment of silence paused as the whole group mused over Zelas words. They knew that Filia and Xellos had done plenty of kissing and she was certainly willing. "Strangely, the cure doesn't seem to be working. Of course, I'm not expecting a stupid dragon to know why. A brain is necessary to figure out this puzzle. There are times when deception is all around and nothing is what it appears to be." 

Zelas' words hit Filia hard. The fact that the cure wasn't working wasn't Xellos' fault. He loved her, she knew it and maybe in the end he knew it too. The problem had to be something else, something that they had not figured out. Yet no matter how hard Filia thought about the cure, phrased exactly as Zelas spoke it, she couldn't see beyond the obvious. What was the answer to the puzzle? Maybe there was a secret place and time where the cure had to be set in motion. Maybe there was a hidden metaphor. Filia didn't know, but for it to matter Xellos had to be brought back anyway. Then she realized something else, Zelas sounded well informed. "You know the answer," Filia realized. 

"Indeed," Zelas confirmed. "However, it is of vital importance that Xellos should find that answer on his own. I have given him far too much help already." 

"Then it was you!" Lina realized. "The reason why there have been few monsters attacking Xellos in the name of other monster lords. The reason why a lot of monsters attacked us when Xellos wasn't with us in the mountains. You were reducing the amount of danger he was exposed to down to a level that he, we, could handle. You allowed this, you tricked the Green Alchemist and his followers into thinking they could replace Xellos. Was this some kind of test for him?" 

"The Green Alchemist is a hater of monsters who thinks he's deceiving the deceiver. Nonetheless, he represents a danger to the people of this world." Zelas changed the subject, as if it was far too early in her opinion to reveal much else beyond that. "Lina Inverse, you always held a prominent spot in Xellos reports and with a good reason, I'm sure. Allow me to offer you a place in my ranks. Would you agree to a pact in exchange for Xellos life? If not, I could always sacrifice his essence to make myself a new minion. It would be someone entirely different who will have Xellos' power but will not be Xellos; a replacement that will completely erase him." 

"Using your own monster as a hostage against the enemy?" Lina chuckled, getting back some of her edge. "Do you really think that's going to work?" It at least made her a little confident to know that Zelas wanted her as a pawn; she wasn't completely dispensable in the monster lord's eyes. 

"I'll do it," Filia offered without thinking. 

"I'm not talking to you, dragon," Zelas waved her hand dismissively at Filia and once again turned her attention towards Lina. "There is the option of simply killing you, but to answer your question, no, I didn't really think it would work." 

"That would be a waste," Lina pointed out almost challengingly. She paused as an idea sparked in her mind. Her brain had been working as fast as it could to come up with something before she found herself unable to stretch her conversation with Zelas any further. "I can offer you something else." 

Zelas raised an eyebrow, curious about the source of Lina's confidence. "If not your allegiance or your life, what could you possibly offer me?" Xellos was right; Lina Inverse was a peculiar being. 

"Join us," Lina stated simply. 

While the group gasped at the audacity of their leader, Zelas chuckled in amusement. "Why would I join you?" She played along. 

"Because it's worth it," Lina assured in her confident leader voice. "Travel with us for a while and you'll see exactly what I mean. I guarantee that the true meaning of my offer will shine through clearly before your patience runs out." 

"I'm a little short on patience," Zelas warned. 

"Lies," Lina boldly declared. "You're a good strategist, you think ahead, you plot and plan, you make sure to stay well informed. Someone who can do all that has a fair amount of patience. Someone of that level of cunning and intellect will see the benefits of my negotiations. When we renegotiate once you've had enough of traveling with us, I will present a suggestion, but when I do, it will be something that you would have already decided for yourself. You have my word on that." 

"Such confidence," Zelas chuckled. "Very well, Lina Inverse, you've caught my curiosity. I perceive that you're not desperately buying time; you have a real strategy going on here. You truly believe that your word will be fulfilled. I should still warn you that I am no easy opponent to face in battle, but I'm sure the warning is unnecessary." 

"That's right," Lina agreed, "I can keep my word, no use of force will be needed." Taking a deep breath, she tried to get things moving along again. "Alright everyone, we're going to continue with our business as planned. We'll search this land for any remnant allies of the Green Alchemist until there are none left." 

"You can skip that step, I assure you, there's no one else left to find in this area who is an ally of the Green Alchemist," Zelas informed. 

"Very well, then our job here is done," Lina conceded, though the others were giving her unsure looks as if she shouldn't take Zelas' word for it. However, the leader's choice had been made. "The locals can take care of restoring the town with the help of Seyruun. I'm sure the supplies must have been gathered and prepared. The Seyruun transports should be well on their way by now. On that note, we'll send a report about all that's happened to Phil via courier bird. As for our next move, we're going to keep traveling, but not only to face the Green Alchemist. It's been a while since I've done some good old treasure hunting. For the time being, let's head to town and rest at the inn. We have a long way to travel." Lina wasn't planning to ask for any clues from Zelas or any traveling assistance. If this was going to work, she had to prove that her band of adventurers were capable on their own. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Though they still exchanged unsure glances now and then, the group followed Lina back to town along with Zelas. They rested for a while and later set out on their quest once again. Aside from the occasional mockingly sarcastic comments from Zelas, the travels were passing by relatively well, albeit unusually quiet in terms of casual conversation. "Do you mind?" Zelas broke the silence. 

"Me?" Filia questioned, trying to keep her voice even. She knew it was a bad idea to anger Zelas. "I thought you didn't want to grant me the undo honor of addressing me directly." 

Though Filia was sarcastic without noticing it herself, Zelas certainly did. "Funny, Xellos always said that you were direct and temperamental, but you seem to have a fair amount of sarcasm in you." 

Pouting despite her better judgment, Filia truthfully replied, "I picked it up from him." 

"And he picked it up from me," Zelas grinned annoyingly. 

Filia gritted her teeth and swallowed an insulting reply. She did not want to be compared to Zelas. She didn't really want to compare Xellos to Zelas either, but that much was inevitable. It was impossible to ignore the obvious link between them. "What was it that you wanted?" Hoping to return to the previous silence as soon as possible, Filia steered the conversation back to Zelas' initiative. 

"I was going to ask if it was possible for you to stop staring at my necklace." Zelas casually stated, with the same tone one would use to inquire the time from a random person. "It gives the impression that you want to steal it," she commented as an after thought. 

"Fine," Filia looked away, yet she couldn't help it but to give the gem imprisoning Xellos a few quick sideway glances every now and then. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 066: Fetch! A Troublesome Game

As the group continued down the path to the next town, Zelas glanced at Filia and grinned. The golden dragon knew that grin. She had the same expression Xellos got when he was about to do something especially annoying. Zelas took off the necklace and held it out to Filia, "do you want this?" Surprised beyond words, Filia could only nod, which only made Zelas' grin widen. "Go get it girl, fetch!" She threw the necklace into the air with such a force that it disappeared in the distance like a shooting star. 

"Xellos!" Filia cried out in agony. Without thinking twice, she changed into her dragon form and took off full speed in the direction Zelas threw the necklace. 

"I can't believe you just did that!" Lina voiced in shock. 

Amelia gave Zelas a heartbroken look. "How could you do something like this to your own son?" 

"My son?" Zelas questioned with the rise of an eyebrow. "General, priest, minion, lackey, pawn, soldier, servant, slave... I'll even go as far as accepting ally with the proper intonation, but the term son is reserved for situations of deception and or sarcasm only." 

"Mr. Xellos is your son; you should love him, care for him, protect him, guide him, teach him, feed him, walk him and wash him regularly!" Amelia started off well, but then the list of chores reminded her of a puppy and she got a little distracted. 

Zelgadis blinked and was surprisingly the one to defend Xellos, not even he could believe it. "Xellos is not a dog." 

"Oh, right, disregard that last part," Amelia laughed, a bit embarrassed. 

"Right, dogs are smart, loyal and generally good creatures," Zelgadis nodded, now sounding more like himself. Just because he identified with Xellos for a split second didn't mean he was fond of him, "Xellos is a tricky traitor and all around bad person," but Zelgadis didn't hate him either, not anymore. 

"Who cares about dogs? If you were going to throw away the necklace why didn't you give it to me instead? I could have sold it!" Lina agonized over the lost profit. 

"But wasn't that Xellos?" Gourry asked in confusion, maybe he missed something. 

"That's not the point!" Lina adamantly argued. "What the customers don't know won't hurt them!" 

"Miss Lina, you shouldn't be so quick to sell one of our friends," Amelia expressed her disapproval. 

"Our friend?" Zelgadis questioned, as if trying to point out his desire not to be included in the generalization, though he didn't complain too adamantly. 

"Yes!" Amelia raised her fist energetically, indicating that she was about to say something important. "Mr. Xellos has changed, he has evolved." Zelas chuckled at this point, as if laughing at a hidden irony, though Amelia didn't really notice, since she was focused on her speech. "Mr. Xellos has realized how wonderful life can be. He knows love and friendship now, so he is our precious friend, ally and comrade!" By the time Amelia woke up from her speech giving focus, Zelas was walking ahead of the group several feet away. The princess sighed hopelessly, "she's not even listening to me." 

"Be glad that she hasn't attacked us yet," Lina looked at the distance in the direction Filia had disappeared in. "We better hurry and catch up with Filia. Ray Wing!" 

xoxox xox xoxox 

When the group finally caught up to Filia, she was back in elf form in the middle of a heated argument with a man none of them knew. "You stole that necklace!" She pointed at the necklace with the black cone gem, which sat on display in a treasure chest on a small platform on the side of a sports court that had a net in the middle. 

"We did not steal it," the man insisted exasperated. He was wearing a tshirt with a drawing of a brass racket. "For the millionth time, this is how it works. The audience donates prizes rather than paying for a ticket. They usually only throw in a few coins of low value, but it adds up to a somewhat decent prize. That necklace was thrown into the prize chest by someone in the audience and it will belong to the winner of our competition. If you want it so badly, then feel free to enter, you might still make it on time before all the spots are filled." 

A woman wearing a tshirt in the same design as the man's passed by loudly announcing, "gather around everyone! All the spots for the brass rackets one on one free style tournament have been filled!" 

Hearing his co-worker's announcement, the man seemed glad that the call of duty meant he could stop arguing with the pretty, but insane, lady in pink. "I guess that's it, take a seat and enjoy the show. If you'll excuse me, I have a few things to take care of." He walked away, ignoring Filia's continued arguments. 

"What's going on?" Lina inquired as she approached the fuming dragon. 

"This is a brass rackets tournament, but not the classic style," Filia explained with frustration. "Instead of participating in male-female teams of two, people play one on one. They also seemed to have modified the rules, as that man explained while ignoring my argument. Knock downs mean points, rather than a victory. The only instant victory can be achieved by breaking the opponent's racket, if the opponent does not get up from a knock down before the count of ten, or if the opponent is knocked outside the boundaries of their side of the court. The prizes are donated by the audience and Xellos landed in the pile." 

"Maybe the winner will be willing to give you the necklace if you explain the situation," Amelia encouraged. 

"Or maybe I'll transform and ruin the brass rackets court with dragon foot prints all over it and possibly flattened athletes!" Filia roared. 

"Golden dragons really are violent creatures," Zelas chuckled mockingly. "Have you ever thought of participating and winning back Xellos? Of course not, that would be too much for your lack of talent." Filia was furious; she had a lot to say to Zelas, but didn't want to doom herself. Besides, it probably would have been best to secure a spot in the tournament rather than waste time arguing with that guy. "Nothing to say?" Zelas ridiculed, "good. Here you are." 

The monster lord tossed Filia a small wooden tablet with the number thirteen on it. The golden dragon just barely caught it before it hit her face and examined it in puzzlement. Then the voice of one of the tournament organizers reached her pointy ears. "The random drawing has chosen numbers ten and five. The contestants with these numbers are now being called to the court!" 

Filia blinked then looked back and forth between her number and Zelas, "is this real?" 

"Of course it's real," Zelas ascertained with her usual mocking sarcasm. "I know golden dragons are terrible creatures that are used to cheating at everything, but I assure you, I requested that spot in the tournament without breaking any rules. Your participation is legitimate... unless of course you lose your number. Look, there are brass rackets for sale in that booth over there." 

Smelling the foul scent of a trap, Filia made sure to guard her number closely until she was called. She purchased a brass racket for herself and protected herself from Zelas taking away her number to crush her hopes after falsely making her think she had a chance to recover Xellos without having to resort to violence. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

One after another, the fourteen contestants of the tournament were reduced in numbers. Since the opponents were chosen at random, Filia's number had only come up once. She knocked out her opponent, who was supposed to be a professional brass racket player, in one hit. He did not get up until well after the count of ten had finalized. 

Lina recognized Filia's victim as the son of the man she had teamed up with in the original version of the sport some time ago. From what she could see in his previous appearances before facing Filia, he had improved considerably since the time when he teamed up with Martina, albeit it wasn't enough to withstand Filia's fiery determination. That dragon certainly had guts. 

Another prominent brass rackets player was a newbie whom no one seemed to know, but they would know her soon enough. The young woman seemed determined to make a name for herself in the brass rackets world. She had played flawlessly, not allowing her opponents to score a single point. She tired them out, made their most advanced plays look like nothing and all around proved her superior skill. Then when her opponents were about to throw in the towel, she finished them off with a hard hit that knocked them out past the count of ten or sent them flying out of the court with the force of the hit. 

"It looks like Miss Yuna will be your toughest opponent, Miss Filia." Amelia commented, while cautiously edging away from the angry Filia on the bench next to her. 

"I will win." Filia was feeling impatient and couldn't wait to get out on the court, wipe the floor with the competition and get Xellos back. She knew the hard part would come afterwards in the task of actually keeping Xellos safe from Zelas. 

"Such determination," Zelas chuckled from the opposite end of the bench with Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis and Amelia sitting between her and Filia in an effort to keep the situation as peaceful as possible. Seeing as she wasn't getting any reactions from Filia aside from silently clenched teeth, Zelas entertained herself with the activity of twirling a lock of her long pale hair around her finger. 

Zelas' golden eyes and long pupils gave her a definite non-human beastlike look that contrasted with her attractive human form. Her ears were pointy like an elf and she seemed to prefer to walk around barefoot with golden anklets to match her bangles. People, specifically men, often eyed her up and down as she seemed to stick out wherever they went, possibly because the slits of her dress' skirt were a bit too high. Nevertheless, her piercing eyes seemed to instill fear into the soul of any man who flashed her a smile and made a step towards her, causing all her possible wannabe dates to shudder and turn away before they could annoy her, and thus doom themselves. 

"Lady Zelas, is that you?" An older gentleman, who was dressed far too well to be sitting on a makeshift bench, occupied the space next to Zelas that no other man was brave enough to take. "It is you! Good to see you! Have you also come here intrigued by the recreational activities of the poor? I must say, they come up with all sorts of things to do to busy themselves when they cannot afford the more conventional hobby of purchasing various goods." The man was immediately identified as a rich snob, whom must know Zelas as the business woman who supposedly made a pact with Beast Master. 

"I am curious indeed," Zelas agreed in her authoritative and elegant tone of superiority. 

The gentleman's graying hair was combed left and right over his head to try to cover up the rather obvious bald spot in the middle of his head. His hat sat beside him on the bench rather than on his head protecting his tender hairless scalp from the sun. He leaned forward to examine the people sitting next to Zelas and found a red haired woman, a blond man, a chimera, a dark haired woman and a blond woman. That dark haired girl looked familiar, "princess Amelia?" 

Amelia stared at the gentleman trying to remember who he was. "Mr. Enterprise," she finally recalled. His business was related to mining jewels if memory served. Jewels that he liked to sell to royalty. She remembered him personally delivering a gift to Seyruun castle as a sample of his merchandise. Amelia wasn't into covering herself with jewelry, though she used it in moderation. She wasn't particularly interested in his wares, but she treated him politely anyway. "It's good to see that you are well." 

"Very well indeed, I'm taking a break from my business ventures and enjoying a vacation in the countryside. It is quite a peculiar place, is it not?" He laughed as if the lives of peasants were an eternal mystery to him. "By the way, princess, if you ever decide you need some new jewelry, you know where to send the order." A businessman to the end, Mr. Enterprise couldn't help it but to cease the moment and try to influence Amelia into handing over Seyruun's budget. "I'm sure Lady Zelas can ascertain the quality of my products." 

"Very good products," Zelas agreed, albeit as a powerful monster lord, she could take on any appearance, forming everything from her body to her clothes and accessories from her energy, creating any jewels that her imagination could come up with using her own power. Wearing natural jewels and getting spa treatments was something she did for the fun of it. 

"I'll keep that in mind," Amelia politely commented. Mr. Enterprise had not acknowledged the presence of anyone other than Zelas and Amelia and the Seyruun princess knew that it could only end badly if she tried to introduce her friends. Though she tried to be polite and keep the peace, she knew that Mr. Enterprise was a social elite who believed in wealth and rank above all else. He wouldn't have anything nice to say to her friends anyway. 

Turning his attention back to Zelas, the chubby old man moved on to his next business point. "Where might Xellos be today? Is he with you? You know my daughter has a lot of appreciation for him. She's traveling with me on vacation. She went to buy some souvenirs, I'm sure she'll catch up with me soon. My little Saramina is so fond of your little Xellos and dare I say, he seems to be quite fond of her too. They had such a grant time in each other's company at our last business convention." 

Filia felt her eye twitch. Where did that man get off talking about Xellos as if he was a toddler on a play date? 

The golden dragon wanted to say something, but Zelas beat her to it, producing the first set of words that Filia was glad to hear coming from Zelas since she join their group. "Oh yes, they were having a grand time, I'm sure. At least up until the part where Xellos emptied a bottle of champagne over Saramina's head." 

Filia could clearly picture Xellos doing such a thing if anyone bothered him enough and the circumstances prevented total annihilation from being an option. She couldn't help it but to laugh quietly. 

"Oh, that's nothing my dear," Mr. Enterprise disregarded the event. "Young men can be a little... difficult. I'm sure Xellos didn't mean any harm by that little display. I still think it would be lovely if you would agree to betroth him to my darling Saramina." 

Filia almost choked on air. Her face turned red in anger and heat seemed to irradiate from her. Amelia, who was sitting next to Filia, was disturbed by the rage in the golden dragon's eyes and scooted closer to Zelgadis. Filia started to mutter something incomprehensible under her breath, her fists clenched and Amelia scooted away some more. Little growls escaped Filia, which made Amelia move away even more. 

The next thing she knew, the Seyruun princess was sitting on the lap of the chimera who had been next to her. "Oops... Sorry..." 

"It's okay..." Zelgadis blushed scarlet and shyly wrapped his arms around Amelia. Seeing that she was so warmly welcomed, Amelia nestled close to Zelgadis comfortably. 

"Saramina is too good for my delinquent son, but I'll consider your suggestion." In reality Zelas had no intentions of inflicting such a cruel punishment on Xellos, such as forcing him to spend more time than absolutely necessary with the creature known as Saramina. Yes, she was a monster lord, but there were things that not even the most evil monster lord would do. 

"Father! Look at all the things I bought!" An annoyingly high pitched voice was heard as a girl with light pink dyed hair approached carrying a large load of brass rackets. "I don't know what I'll do with so many souvenirs, but aren't they cute? Oh father, you simply must get me a new vacation home to keep them all!" She was very beautiful at first glance, in her yellow sleeveless sun dress with a multitude of fancy bracelets, necklaces and rings, showcasing a variety of precious gems. If one took a closer look, a few rather creepy peculiarities could be seen beyond her beauty, as the group was about to find out. 

"Of course, my dear, anything for my darling daughter!" Mr. Enterprise immediately agreed. "By the way, look who's here, it's Lady Zelas." 

Lina, who knew she was being overlooked and ignored and was trying to overlook and ignore that fact in favor of not causing unnecessary trouble while in Zelas' company, couldn't help it but to be reminded of Sirene. 

"Lady Zelas!" Saramina squealed in an ear splitting voice, her pale blue eyes sparkling with excitement. As she jumped to stand directly in front of Zelas, the arm that was dragging the large sack full of brass rackets became detached from her shoulder and was left holding the bag, while the rest of Saramina bounced excitedly in front of Zelas. In the court, the player who was supposed to return the ball got hit by it in the face when he caught sight of the scary oddity. There was no blood, just clay-like flesh and grayish bones. "Oops!" As if it was nothing, Saramina retrieved the arm and attached it to her shoulder, flexing it to test if it had reattached itself well enough. Satisfied, she giggled stupidly, "there!" 

The general public that was near their area moved away, though the tournament was soon called to continue by the official score keeper. "She's a zombie," Lina realized, "but the old man looks alive enough. It's probably the classic case of a rich man losing his only daughter and dealing with monsters to bring her back," she correctly guessed. 

"Should I do something?" Amelia offered, she had some good spells that worked against the undead. 

"I think we're better off staying out of this," Lina wisely suggested. 

"Is Xellos here too?" Saramina turned her head around, making it spin in a full circle on her neck, the clay-like flesh twisting as it went. Then she spun her head back the full three hundred and sixty degrees, the flesh of her neck falling back into place. "I don't see him." 

"I'm afraid he's not here. Xellos is off running some important business errands for me." Zelas grinned as if she was about to cause trouble. For one who was used to observing the signs it was easy to know it was coming. That look in her golden eyes, the mischievous smirk. Zelas gave the same warning signs that Xellos did when she was about to get on someone's nerves. "His fiance is here, I don't think the two of you have met before." 

To be Continued


	23. Chapter 23

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 067: Sports! It's All About Attitude

Mr. Enterprise looked like he was going into cardiac arrest from the disappointed shock that access to Zelas' fortune, via the marriage of Xellos and Saramina, was set to slip from his fingers. Saramina's jaw dropped far lower than a human jaw should open, her waxy flesh stretched like a longer version of The Scream. 

Savoring the tension she was about to unleash, Zelas glanced at Filia. "Filia dear, come over here and say hello, don't be shy." 

Great, just great. When Filia thought her day couldn't get any worse, Zelas threw Xellos' crazy zombie fan girl at her. Fighting with herself to remain composed, Filia got up from the bench with as much dignity as she could. She replied with an overly sweet, "yes, mother." She could have sworn she saw Zelas' eye twitch a little. 

Saramina gave Filia a critical look while her father fought to get some air into his starving lungs. "What are you? An elf?" She asked rudely. 

"I'm a golden dragon, actually," Filia replied in a challenging tone. 

Saramina threw her head back more than a humans head should go. It bounced on her neck for a moment, looking as if it would fall off, but it bounced right back into place. "So what? I'm a zombie and I'm prettier than you!" 

Filia was tempted to reply with 'no you're not' but one, beauty was in the eye of the beholder, two, she was never a shallow girl regardless of how well she took care of her hair, and three, it would be a stupid argument anyway. "Well, that's too bad," Filia allowed some smugness to bubble up to the surface. "Because Xellos chose me." 

"I have more riches than you!" Saramina argued defiantly. 

"So?" Filia challenged. 

"Grr! Lowly peasant! I will devour your brain on a golden platter!" Saramina loudly declared. 

"I wouldn't suggest that," Zelas commented, though Saramina seemed too enraged to hear her. "Filia's brain is so tiny that it wouldn't offer any nutrition." 

"Numbers thirteen and one will be participating in the next round!" One of the brass racket tournament managers called out from the court. 

"That's me," Filia tried to look mature by walking away from the argument, picking up her brass racket on the way to the court. 

"If you're number thirteen, then I'm number one, it fits!" Saramina rushed towards the opposite side of the court and shoved a bag of money into the stunned hands of the brass rackets player who previously held the number one. "Take this payment for your number along with your life." The brass rackets enthusiast didn't argue and quickly left the area. Though that was technically against the rules, no one dared to get into the middle of a fight between a zombie and a dragon, thus the match began with Saramina serving. 

"This will be a short match!" Filia returned the service with great force. She didn't think a spoiled sheltered girl would have a strong enough attitude to counter. 

"Yes, short for you!" Saramina returned the magical sphere to Filia's side of the court with amazing force. 

Filia swung her brass racket, focusing her energy as hard as she could, roaring as she sent the ball back. She hated to admit it, but her opponent was surprisingly strong and might present a challenge. 

"Ha!" Saramina returned the ball with her racket and arm flying along with it. 

"Gross!" Filia hit the ball back, then batted away the detached limb as well. 

Saramina caught the arm, which still had a firm grip on the racket. She bent it at the elbow and threw it like a boomerang towards the magical sphere. The hit sent the ball back towards Filia's side of the court, while the arm swung back towards Saramina. The zombie reattached the limb as if she was used to it. "You'll never win! Xellos is going to marry me!" 

Filia's eyes glowed as her tail, claws and fangs made an appearance, giving her a fierce look, even if the rest of her body remained in elf form. With her anger reaching its peak, Filia swung her racket fiercely. "Xellos is mine!" 

The ball hit Saramina head on, though the zombie tried to shield herself with her racket. Yet there was something off, it wasn't just the magical sphere, there was something else behind it, a sphere of energy, specifically white magic. Entangling itself with the brass rackets ball, the sphere of light carrying an exorcism spell collided with the undead target. Saramina let out an ear splitting wail that made all those present immediately cover their ears. Then she disappeared in a brilliant flash of light. 

Filia clapped her hands together and gently voiced, "rest in peace," before strolling victoriously out of the court. A few more rules might have been broken, but again, no one wanted to argue with a dragon. 

"Sa... Sa.... Sa... Saramina!" Mr. Enterprise finally seemed to have recovered his capacity of speech. "Dragon, you exorcised my only child and now she is no longer with me because of you!" 

Filia's guilt was quick to catch up to her. No matter how much of a, literally and metaphorically, rotten brat that girl was, she was still this man's only daughter. What could she say to console him? How could she convince him that it was better for Saramina to rest in peace? 

"Thank you!" Mr. Enterprise suddenly burst into tears of relief. "Thank you so much, Lady Filia! Saramina was a terrible expense for me and because of her zombie state, I was afraid to put a stop to her spending or refuse anything she asked for. I was sure she would devour my brain if I did! Bringing her back from the dead was a mistake, but now I'm finally free! I'm free at last and I didn't even have to hire an exorcist. I'm free for free, life is wonderful!" Jumping with joy, Mr. Enterprise ran off to celebrate. 

Filia stood there in shock. "How could he be so happy to be rid of his daughter? He's so mean!" The golden dragon pouted indignantly. 

"That was... interesting," Zelas calmly commented. She gave Filia an almost friendly smile that made the dragon do a double take. Then the monster lord's expression morphed into something deadly, her fangs peeking out of her mouth, golden eyes glowing. "If you ever call me mother, mom, mommy, mama or any other variation again, I will kill you." She especially emphasized the last four words of her threat. 

Filia shuddered under Zelas' intense glare and nodded like a bubblehead toy. "Yes, Lord Beast Master." 

Zelas grinned, her eyes closed, an expression that was Xellos' rather than hers. She knew it annoyed Filia to find similarities between them. "I'm glad that we're finally starting to see eye to eye." The remark was full of sarcasm, with a message buried between the lines that reaffirmed Zelas' sense of superiority. The monster lord got up from her bench and stretched. "I'm getting bored, I'm going to take a walk, maybe I'll see someone else around here I recognize. I'll be back in a little while." With those words of parting, Zelas walked away, disappearing among the gathered crowd. 

Filia let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding and nearly collapsed into the bench where Zelas had been sitting before. Her rest was short lived, as the brass rackets tournament had to continue. She didn't even have time to let out her tensions by complaining to her friends, though she thought she heard Gourry telling Lina about how glad he was that his mother in law was nice. With number seven and number thirteen, the last remaining contestants, being called to the court, Filia went off to face her hopefully final obstacle in recovering Xellos. 

Filia strode to her side of the court, while a young woman who went by the name of Yuna walked to the opposite side. Yuna looked normal enough with her energetic eyes and short orange hair. A classic sports girl with real skill. "You can serve if you want." She offered sweetly. 

Filia knew not to lower her guard. Yuna was a very good brass rackets player and even after witnessing Filia's latest match, she didn't seem worried. "If you don't mind..." Filia served the magical ball, sending it to the side of the court opposite to the corner where Yuna stood. 

With an amused look, Yuna was fast on her feet, rushing to meet the ball and send it back, also as far away from Filia on her side of the court as possible. Filia ran to return the ball, feeling the weight of the magic as she hit it back. 

Both competitors resolved to stay in the middle of their respective sides of the court so that they could be ready to return the shots wherever they came from. The magical sphere was returned back and forth in an intense game, with both sides running and diving to save the ball. No points had been accumulated so far and the crowd was getting riled up. The brass rackets fans cheered energetically, waiting with baited breath to see who would score the first point. 

"Time to up the game a bit," Yuna hit the ball back, a hint of black energy wrapping around it. 

Filia had trouble hitting it back, but managed to sneak in a hint of holy energy around the sphere. "I know who you are!" 

Yuna, who was actually Zelas in disguise, returned the ball, adding more of her own dark energy to it, which caused it to grow in size. "What are you going to do about it?" 

Filia batted away the ball with her racket, bits of Zelas dark energy sparking off it and striking her as she tried to pour her own holy magic into it. Zelas could overpower her and Filia knew it, but she was prolonging their sports duel by limiting the amount of dark energy she added around the sphere. "I'm going to win!" Filia roared determinately, sounding very much like a ferocious dragon. 

"Let's see you try!" Zelas added more of her dark energy to the ball as she sent it back straight at Filia. 

Filia hit it back, trying to charge her own holy magic into it, in an attempt to cleanse it of Zelas' energy. Black and purple sparks of electricity stroke Filia as if she were a lightning rod when the ball came in contact with her racket. Though she couldn't help it but to scream in pain, Filia pushed against the ball, which seemed to be spinning in place in contact with her racket. She had to return that ball, she had to put up the best fight she could. Against all odds, she had to win, not only for Xellos, but also for herself. Filia gave it everything she had, a white and golden glow surrounded her as she poured her last drop of energy into the ball, coating it in holy magic and sending it back at Zelas. 

Zelas covered her own racket in black magic and prepared for the hit. As soon as her racket came into contact with the holy magic ball, a chain reaction was initiated and the brass racket's court was surrounded in beams of golden and black light. The two opposing forces merged together in a massive blast of fusion magic that sent all those present in the premises running for their lives, if not flying away to a painful fall by the force of the powerful energy. 

When everything finally cleared, there was a huge crater on the ground where the brass rackets court used to be. Filia was breathing heavily, looking terribly battered, just barely standing on one side of the crater. On the other side of the crater, Zelas was poking at her broken brass racket. The fusion blast was closest to her and in contact with her sports equipment, thus her racket broke, while Filia's only cracked. 

"It's broken," Zelas tossed the useless racket handle over her shoulder and disappeared into the astral side, reappearing next to Filia. "Your racket is cracked, it'll break soon, but it seems mine broke first." 

"Does that mean I won?" Filia was trembling in exhaustion and pain. She was covered in cuts and bruises as a result of being so close to the blast. She tried to protect herself, but she had already given all that she could give and couldn't spare any energy to heal herself even a little. 

Zelas laughed in mocking amusement. "You've got an interesting attitude, zero instinct of self preservation. It's a wonder you're not dead given how often you expose yourself to getting the wrong people angry. Yet it's all oddly amusing, I suppose that's why Xellos was so fond of you." 

"Was?" Filia questioned. From the corner of her eyes, that were still mainly focused on Zelas, Filia spotted Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis and Amelia approaching. They must have wisely retreated to find some cover right before the fusion blast. "What do you mean was?" 

"Take a look around," Zelas smirked cruelly. "Everything was destroyed, including the chest that contained the tournament prizes. Xellos was disintegrated, such a pity. Oh well, I suppose I can always make myself a new minion..." 

The group gasped, in disbelief that Xellos was gone. "Poor Mr. Xellos," Amelia grimaced. 

Filia felt a few tears roll down her face as her heart sank. Xellos was gone, he wasn't coming back. He was dead and it was partially her fault. She fell to her knees keeping her eyes on the ground for several eternal seconds before she finally looked up to see Zelas' cruel and confident smirk. The golden dragon pulled herself to her feet with difficulty and dried her tears. 

Zelas raised a curious eyebrow, "you're done crying already? I thought you would be mourning your lover for longer than this. Such a cruel dragon." 

Filia mirrored Zelas' confident expression. "There's nothing to mourn because Xellos is still safe. You're just trying to trick me, it's written all over your face!" Realizing that she was being a little too direct, Filia was quick to clear her throat and add in a serious tone, "with all due respect, Lord Beast Master." 

Zelas laughed, it was a strong and imposing laugh, yet somehow it was as obnoxious as the laughs of Naga and Martina. "You're really giving that lonely brain cell of yours a good work out, aren't you? You're more observant than expected, but not observant enough." Zelas pulled out the necklace from the pocket of her sports mini skirt. The black cone shaped gem that imprisoned Xellos was still intact. "The necklace I threw was a fake; I switched it when you weren't looking. The real Xellos was with me the whole time. Which means this little detour was... not vital, yet nonetheless amusing." 

Filia collapsed in exhaustion, with Amelia immediately rushing over to heal her. "I guess it's next to impossible not to be tricked by the lord of all tricksters," Filia breathed before passing out, being left to the mercy of the healing spells, that Lina and Zelgadis soon joined in helping with. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After Filia was back on her feet, the group continued their journey to the next town, reaching it well after nightfall. Tired from the day's events, they checked into an inn and retreated to their respective rooms. Zelas of course got her own room. 

Curious to discuss a few peculiar details she had noticed with the monster lord, Lina Inverse, the red haired heroine who was more intuitive and observant than anyone would guess, set out to knock on Zelas' door. When the monster lord didn't reply, the sorceress bravely opened the door a few inches, taking a peek inside. 

Zelas was back to her flashier appearance with the dress, the jewelry, the tan and the long hair. She was sleeping on the inn's bed, not caring to throw the blanket over herself, it's not like she would get cold anyway. She slept on her side, one arm folded under her head atop the pillow, the other hand touching the bed, slightly stretched as if inviting someone to sit. Her legs were slightly bent at the knees, her dress framing them perfectly. Her face was serene; eyes peacefully closed accentuating her long lashes. 

Zelas looked like the sculpture of a goddess and Lina's survival instinct told her it was better not to disturb her. That and the fact that Fang, Zelas' loyal pet monster fox was sitting next to the bed showing his sharp teeth as he glared. Lina knew that Zelas didn't need to sleep and didn't know why she suddenly decided she wanted to. The redhead also knew that even if she allowed herself to sleep, Zelas didn't need a guard and didn't know why she decided to have one anyway. Maybe she was being extra careful to make sure Filia didn't try to steal the necklace containing Xellos, not that she would. Another thing Lina knew, or thought she knew, was that Filia, although dangerously daring, was not a suicidal fool. Gently closing the door, Lina left. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Rather than going to her room to get some rest, Lina called for a group meeting. Gourry tagged along with her as usual. Amelia and Zelgadis were there, but Filia was absent, with Amelia explaining, "I saw Miss Filia heading up to the roof." 

"That's okay, we can excuse her from the meeting," the leader decided. The princess and the chimera were puzzled as to why Lina would call them and assumed it had something to do with Beast Master. However, Lina's topic of discussion was something else. "You've gone through a lot of temples looking for a cure, haven't you Zel? And you've been conducting research to help, haven't you Amelia? Even if you've toned it down lately, the information you've gathered in the past should be enough to get started. To summarize, I have called this meeting so that we can decide what treasure we'll be hunting for." Before her companions could protest, Lina raised her hand in a sign of silence and assured, "trust me, this is all a part of my plan." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, Filia found herself unable to sleep despite being terribly tired. She stood at a balcony at the inn's rooftop gazing at the stars. She wasn't sure what to think about the recent events. Why did Zelas agree to follow Lina, instead of forcing Lina to become her pawn? Why was Lina so confident that things would work out? Beast Master's behavior was very puzzling to Filia and so was Lina's, albeit everyone in the group had silently agreed to trust their leader. 

"Filia?" The voice was distant, almost like an otherworldly echo, but it was still distinctly familiar. 

"Oh great, now I'm hearing Xellos' voice in my head, I must be going crazy," Filia massaged her temples worriedly. 

"I thought you were already crazy," the same familiar distant echoing voice was heard again. Filia turned around and there he was. Xellos, his hair still white, surrounded by a silvery glow as if he were a ghost. Yet his presence didn't feel like a ghost, he was more like a spirit that had been detached from its still living body. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 068: Divergence! Treasure Hunting

"Xellos..." Filia approached the ghostly Xellos, who was floating a few inches above the surface of the inn's roof where she stood. She reached out to touch him, but her hand went through him. "I see... Your spirit wandered out, but your body is still imprisoned. You'd best be careful," her voice felt shaky, "don't go too far from your body or you might become a lost spirit. Humans need physical forms after all; you can't exist as a purely astral being in your current state." 

"Crying again?" Xellos noted, "I thought you'd be happy to see me, stupid dragon." 

"I'm crying because I'm happy to see you, raw garbage!" Filia retorted. She took a deep breath and calmed herself. "You look really angelic glowing like that." 

Xellos crossed his arms in a huff, "I did not come out here to be insulted!" 

Filia laughed for the first time in what felt like forever. The last few days had been terribly straining for her. "How did you manage to get out of the crystal?" 

"I don't know," Xellos admitted. "When I came to, I was floating in Zelas's room while she slept. My guess is that I only managed to come out of the crystal because she's sleeping." Although he was unconscious while he was in the crystal, Xellos' last memory of being painfully trapped in it made him think that he would sleep eternally. He didn't know how long it had been when he woke up and was relieved to find Filia, confirming that not too much time passed after all. "Who knows why Zelas decided to get some sleep? It's not like she actually needs it, you do." 

Filia couldn't argue with that. "I'm terribly tired, but judging by what you said, you'll go back to the crystal when Zelas wakes up. I'm not going to sleep through your visit just so you can tell me how rude I am." 

"Fine, but don't blame me if you look like a zombie in the morning," Xellos teased. 

Filia groaned in vexation. "Don't even talk to me about zombies. I had to exorcise your crazy zombie fan girl, Saramina." 

"Saramina's gone?" A smile spread across Xellos' features as he jumped into the air, though he was already floating to begin with. "She's finally gone!" He quickly composed himself and in an overly serious tone commented, "it's about time you made yourself useful, stupid dragon." 

Filia couldn't help it but to be amused by his reaction. "I take it Beast Master told you not to get rid of her?" 

"Exactly," Xellos confirmed. "Saramina was a source of annoyance for all those who ever met her. She was in a sense, a good chef for negative emotions. I'm surprised you're still alive after getting rid of her. Lord Beast Master must have been feeling especially merciful." 

"Considering all I went through, I really don't want to know what she's like when she's feeling merciless," Filia yawned. 

"Get some sleep, stupid dragon, my guess is that your chances for real rest will be scarce," Xellos insisted. 

Now that Filia had gotten to see Xellos again, even if he was only a spirit, she felt reassured enough for her tiredness to catch up to her and defeat her previous insomnia. "You're probably right..." but that still didn't change the fact that she would rather stay awake and talk to Xellos for a while longer. She had a lot to get off her chest. 

"I heard spirits can enter dreams rather easily," Xellos hinted. 

Filia smiled, that would solve the situation. She could get some sleep and still be with Xellos. "I guess I should get some sleep then. I'll see you in my dreams." 

"That sounded terribly cheesy," Xellos teased. His amused expression turned into a serious one as he warned. "If you overload your dream with pink, frill and cute fuzzy creatures I'm calling an emergency retreat and getting out of there immediately." 

"Alright, alright, I'll keep it toned down," Filia agreed with a little pout. 

Filia returned to her room where she settled into bed and fell asleep almost instantly. Xellos attempted to enter her dreams, but felt as if he was chained in a metaphorical way and the chain didn't extend far enough for him to enter someone's dreams. He could try to break free, but it would probably be bad if he completely detached his spirit from his body in the black cone crystal. "Now Filia's going to complain about being stood up in dream land." Xellos said to no one in particular. He floated next to Filia, unable to do much else at the moment. Well, at least she was getting some rest, she needed it. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

When the morning came, Filia felt as if she didn't get enough sleep and had to drag herself out of bed to the sound of Amelia rushing her downstairs before Lina ate all the food. Xellos never showed up in her dreams, well he did, but those were just images created by her own memories, not the real Xellos. She was angry at him for a while, actually considering asking Beast Master for permission to insult her necklace, but decided against the silliness of it all. Xellos wouldn't be able to hear her if he was back in the necklace anyway. On the other hand, Filia didn't know when Xellos had been called back, as she correctly assumed he had been. Maybe it happened shortly after she fell asleep. Or maybe, even if he was there for a while, for unknown circumstances, he was unable to enter her dreams after all. If that was the case then it wasn't his fault he technically stood her up. 

Debating if she should complain about it or not the next time she saw Xellos, Filia tried to have some breakfast and finish waking up. Deep down she knew she would just forget about him being a no show in her dreams and just be happy to see him again whenever that happened. Breakfast went by as any breakfast with Lina Inverse's traveling group would go. 

When they were finally done, Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia and Zelas, left the inn and were on the road again. The first four had an air of purpose around them, as if they knew exactly where they were going. Or rather Lina, Amelia and Zelgadis knew of their intended destination and Gourry simply knew where he was going because the answer was as simple as 'wherever Lina's going.' Zelas followed along with her usual annoying little comments and critiques that no one dared to voice a well deserved snide reply to. 

"Where are we going?" Filia finally inquired, not content with following along without a clue. 

"We're going treasure hunting!" Lina happily announced. She stopped in the middle of the path and looked back at the town. "This is far enough, no one from town will see us here." She pointed at a collection of bushes that was on the road side. "We came all this way so you wouldn't have any modesty related excuses and look, there's some cover over there." 

Filia already dreaded where this was going. She narrowed her eyes, stomped her feet and pouted, producing a firm, "no!" 

"C'mon Filia, we need you to do this. Zelas is going to get impatient if we don't get to our destination soon and it's a far walk!" Lina argued; she was the one who was getting impatient. If Zelas made one more comment about her bodily proportions, Lina would surely snap and Dragon Slave the monster lord, never mind the consequences. The only reason she lasted that long was because Gourry kept telling her to calm down, giving her a hug each time he did, thus sufficiently distracting her from her rage. 

"Why can't Zelas teleport us?" Filia didn't want to carry the group, but most of all she didn't want to carry Zelas. She would much rather get the worse case of teleportation sickness she ever got. 

"We can do this on our own power," Lina insisted with a meaningful look that told Filia she wasn't exactly contributing to the fulfillment of her plan. 

"C'mon, Filia, make yourself useful," Zelas teased. "Just go hide your hideous self behind those bushes and transform into an even uglier creature. Relax, no one is going to look at your chest while you're changing, us girls will make sure the boys don't peek. Of course, if it were Lina she wouldn't have that problem, since she's so flat-chested." 

Lina's anger reached its limit, Zelas was purposely saying what Lina considered to be terribly cruel things to get on her nerves and she was accomplishing it. So what if she was a powerful monster lord? So what if Lina knew she couldn't count on using the power of the Lord of Nightmares in this fight? So what if using black magic on a monster lord wasn't the most effective way to go? Forget logic, forget reason, forget sanity! "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond-!" 

Lina's words were silenced by Gourry's lips on hers. Her face was practically glowing red and it took her a second, but she wrapped his arms around him and returned the kiss, momentarily forgetting where they were and who was watching. When they finally parted, it didn't look like Lina had any intentions of picking a suicidal fight anymore. "Are you going to be okay, Lina?" Gourry asked gently. 

Lina smiled with a loving expression. "Yeah, I'm fine now..." Then she realized she had an audience and her face turned scarlet again. "Stop looking at me! Gourry, don't do stuff like that in front of people!" 

"Why not?" Gourry innocently asked. "I thought we've been engaged for long enough for it to be okay to kiss you." 

Lina's head was almost producing steam out of the ears as she blushed brighter than anyone would guess is possible. "That's not the point, it's just that people are looking and... and... and..." 

"I understand, you're shy," Gourry smiled, apparently too dense to know how to be embarrassed. "It's okay; from now on I'll remember to only kiss you in private." 

Gritting her teeth and hiding her face with her hands in mortification, Lina muttered, "thanks a lot Gourry." 

"You're welcome," Gourry cheerfully replied. 

Lina cleared her throat and directed disapproving looks at Zelgadis and Amelia "stop snickering you two!" When they didn't stop, Lina resorted to what she thought would be a vengeful reaction. "Don't think I didn't see you Zel. You were kissing Amelia goodnight yesterday in the hallway at the inn!" 

Zelgadis blushed in a similar way to Lina, though Lina's blush was still brighter by comparison. "I.... have no intentions of denying that." He pushed the words out with some difficulty. 

Amelia gave Zelgadis an adoring look and happily declared, "Life is wonderful and love is wonderful!" 

With an innocent smile, Zelas voiced, "you know what else is wonderful?" Her expression changed drastically, her fangs once again visible, narrowed eyes glowing. "Bloody murder is wonderful, like the one I'll give you if you don't tone down your positive speeches." 

Amelia gulped and backed away, "yes, Lord Beast Master." 

Filia sighed, "will the insanity ever end?" She went behind the bushes and transformed, lowering her body so that the others could climb aboard. She wasn't happy with the fact that Zelas insisted on riding first and kept tugging at her hair like a horse's reins. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Following Lina's instructions, Filia landed at the foot of a mountain which had a cave on its side, its entrance adorned with once elegant ivory pillars, which were now showing the punishment of time and lack of maintenance. The group got off Filia, who took cover behind a rock formation beside the mountain and changed back to her elf form, emerging to join the group. They were about to enter the cave temple when a sudden appearance by Fang caught their attention. 

The monster fox materialized out of the astral side with Phythan being dragged along as Fang ran. The young golden dragon was clinging to one of Fang's tails pleading, "don't leave me alone with her!" 

Fang shook him off at last, causing Phythan to land by Zelas' feet. The monster fox dusted off his tails indignantly, threw his head back and strolled away, fading into the astral side as he did. Sure, he was generally well behaved, but there had to be a situation that got on his nerves. Zelas knew something was going on, Fang was used to being poked due to his frequent participation in pet shows, he wouldn't react like this unless he was really annoyed. She looked at the golden dragon on the ground. "I hope you're not trying to look up my skirt. Get it right, the easy one who has a thing for golden dragons is Xellos, not me." 

Phythan scrambled to his feet, immediately excusing himself, "I wasn't doing anything wrong!" He got up with as much dignity as he could muster after his peculiar arrival and dusted off his dragon robes. 

"Xellos is not easy," Filia felt the need to point out. "He's very, very, very, very difficult." She had to silently admit to herself that Xellos' sarcasm had indeed rubbed off on her. 

Phythan puckered his lower lip, his violet eyes seemingly growing to twice their size. Beast Master had Phythan as her intern long enough to know this meant he was going into whining mode. "Lord Beast Master, Miss Galathia is trying to kill me! I know you told me to follow her orders and I figured you would be mad if I disintegrated her with my laser breath, but I can't just stand around and get killed! What should I do?" He paused in his complaining to flash the rest of the group a charming smile, "hi everyone!" 

Filia slapped her own forehead in disbelief. At least no one could say she was the biggest disgrace to the golden dragon race. Oh no, she was sure Phythan had her beat in that category. With no warning, Galathia Gorgon faded into existence from the astral side. "There you are! Why have you come to bother Lord Beast Master during her special mission? Don't forget I was left in charge of your internship duties while she was gone." 

"He says you want to kill him, golden dragons are so dramatic," Zelas mocked. "They're the living representation of a cheesy soap opera." 

"I never said I would kill you," Galathia argued. 

"You did too!" Phythan insisted. "You said you'd do the naughtiest thing I could imagine and the worse thing one can do to a person is murder." 

Filia, who actually caught the hidden meaning of the threat, blushed in embarrassment and anger. "You indecent monster, you're not laying a finger on him!" She threatened Galathia fiercely, then patted Phythan on the head like one would pet a kitten. "It's okay, your big sister Filia will make sure these perverted monsters don't corrupt you." 

"That's funny, I thought Xellos already corrupted you," Zelas innocently observed with a detached tone. 

"How... do... you..." Filia stuttered mortified. 

"How do I know?" Zelas offered. She grinned with smug superiority, "because you told me just now." Filia bit her lip and held her tongue, to avoid inserting her foot in her mouth again. 

"Excuse me," Lina interfered. "I think it's time for us to be on our way with our treasure hunting business. Plus I don't like the way this conversation is going." 

"I'm getting bored," Zelas yawned in an exaggerated way. 

"Don't worry, the renegotiation stage is at hand," Lina confidently assured. "Although, I think you might already have a pretty good idea of what my main argument will be. Nonetheless, I might as well finish my presentation. Shall we go?" 

"Very well," Zelas agreed. She glanced at the gorgon, whose face was still covered, before approaching the entrance of the temple cave. "Galathia, try not to traumatize the intern, if he gets all horrified and depressed he won't be amusing anymore." 

Galathia frowned behind her thick veil. Zelas' order, which was mockingly intoned as a friendly suggestion, basically meant that Phythan was off limits, at least until he got on Zelas' bad side. Given how dutiful he was as an intern, it didn't look like that would happen any time soon. "Yes, Lord Beast Master," the snake-like woman sighed in disappointment. She faded to the astral side to continue her duties in the monster spa. 

"Alright everyone, onward!" Lina led the way through the entrance of the temple cave. Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia, Zelas and Phythan followed her in. 

Ivory tiles with bits of grass growing between them were abundant at first. The tiles became scarce the deeper they went into the cave, which had a slight downward slope. Ragged fragments of a red carpet could be seen on the soil ground, with more bits of grass that became less abundant the further they went. The walls of the cave were nicely polished at first, becoming rougher as they went deeper in. Finally, the cave temple ended up looking like any other cave with plain rocky grounds and rough walls. Stalagmites and stalactites were all around with drops of water occasionally falling on their heads. 

The explorers finally reached a large set of double doors, which had already been forced open as the bottom of half of one of the giant stone doors had a hole on it. "It looks like this place has already been raided," Zelas commented in boredom. 

"Yes, I raided it," Zelgadis admitted. Noting Zelas' questioning look, he elaborated, "there's only one thing that was left behind, something that's too large to be moved." The group made their way into the room behind the broken stone doors as Zelgadis announced, "that is the mountain itself." 

"What would I want with a mountain?" Zelas inquired. 

"It's a holy mountain, or that's what people say, at least," Lina specified. 

"I can figure that for myself," Zelas voiced impatiently. 

"Then you must also know the information isn't entirely true," Amelia pointed out. "Zelgadis came here looking for a cure for his chimera condition. I had also researched this place from texts that were delivered to Seyruun and gathered information. There is supposed to be a powerful artifact here, but it's not." 

"Yet the mountain still holds a considerable amount of energy in it. A normal monster would not be able to enter here," Zelgadis continued. 

"Indeed," Zelas agreed, "yet a monster lord would be strong enough to fight here," she warned. 

"True," Lina acknowledged, "but we're not here for a fight, we're here for the artifact, for the golden pyramid! If it was truly gone, then the mountain would hold no power, the only explanation is that it's buried and we're going to dig it out. Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows, buried in the stream of time is where your power grows!" 

"You didn't say you would dig it out with the Dragon Slave!" Zelgadis reproached. 

"I suppose it is faster than shovels, besides, we don't have shovels anyway," Amelia reasoned. "Maybe we should wait outside." Amelia went on the retreat with Zelgadis, Gourry, Filia and Phythan following. 

"I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hands!" Lina continued her signature spell, while Zelas observed. "Let the fools... er mountain, that stands before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess!" Zelas faded into the astral side and swiftly moved away from the vicinity of the attack. "Dragon Slave!" Lina released her energy, reducing the mountain to dust. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 069: Unclear! Disarranged Puzzle Pieces

Lina stood in the middle of a large crater with small pieces of gold falling around her, which she gathered. "The golden pyramid is a powerful artifact capable of enslaving high level monsters that can be ordered into battle by the holder of this device. It doesn't hold enough power to work on a monster lord, general or priest, and one would have to be skilled in sorcery to activate it. The pyramid itself is a three dimensional puzzle about the size of a fist when put together. It is made of gold pieces with magic sealed in them. When it is broken as it is now, it cannot be used to enslave monsters. Nonetheless each individual piece works as an amulet to guard against middle rank monsters." 

Lina continued her explanation. "Overall, it's a fairly useful device that can turn the tides in a battle, even if perhaps not in a war." The redhead finished gathering the pieces of the golden pyramid as her friends approached and Zelas returned via the astral side. Lina held the golden pieces in her hands towards Zelas, "for you." 

Zelas accepted the pieces of the golden pyramid puzzle, nonetheless pointing out, "this is hardly a sufficient bribe." Even if she spoke those words, Zelas had a peculiar grin on her face, as if a hidden purpose had been accomplished. 

"It's not a bribe," Lina mirrored Zelas' expression. "It's only something that you wouldn't have if you had not come along with us. Something that you wouldn't have even heard we obtained." 

"So it would seem," Zelas agreed, so far it appeared that the monster lord and the sorceress had reached a silent understanding that remained partially hidden to the rest of the group. 

"About those renegotiations," Lina brought up the subject, "or rather, about the point I was trying to prove..." 

"You've done a fine job as a bodyguard, even when all was seemingly lost, you provided a valid argument," Zelas acknowledged. "However," she warned, "my choice had been made from the start, thus you have no real influence on me." 

"I noticed that," Lina accepted, "I think it was still worth proving the point though. I wouldn't want anyone to say I'm a lousy bodyguard who gives up on her clients, that's bad for business." 

"Of course," Zelas grinned, "you truly are a peculiar being, Lina Inverse. Pact or not, I might still call upon you in the future, my amusing pawn." 

Lina huffed, "I'm no one's pawn," she insisted, though she had been used as such in the past, thus she clarified, "but I'm a sorceress for hire on occasion. I accept payment in gold and don't forget to include a courtesy meal!" 

"I'll remember that," Zelas ran a perfectly manicured fingernail over the smooth surface of the black cone jewel on her necklace. "I will release Xellos in a few days. You may carry on with your journey; I'll catch up to you when the time comes." With her final choice made, Zelas gave one last quick glance to Phythan, "your next assignment is to travel with Lina's group and report what you witness to me." Then she faded away to the astral side. 

Phythan made a little salute, though Zelas had already disappeared, "yes, Lord Beast Master!" 

Lina stretched her arms over her head, "that takes care of that. Let's find a good place to eat." 

"Wait a minute!" Filia protested. "What just happened? What made Zelas want to release Xellos and why is she waiting a few days?" 

"That I don't know," Lina admitted, but she at least could explain the rest. "Throughout our travels we come across a lot of places, people, things and situations. Zelas might want to be informed of all that for various reasons. I wanted to prove that it was worth keeping an eye on us and who better to do that than Zelas' most trusted minion? If she sends someone different who is not a monster, it wouldn't be the same to her and if she makes a new general priest, it wouldn't be the same to us, thus affecting our actions." 

Filia's eyes widened in realization. "I understand; you were trying to prove to Zelas that Xellos is still useful to her. That's what this whole trip was about. But what if your theory about the mountain was mistaken?" 

"I would have to figure out something to do," Lina grinned, disregarding the risk. "Don't I always?" She paused, with her face taking on a more thoughtful expression. "Nonetheless, Zelas' choice had already been made. She never intended to destroy Xellos. Galathia mentioned a secret mission; I believe this is all the same thing. The reason why we haven't been getting a whole lot of trouble from monsters, though we did have to face the Green Alchemist, the reason why Zelas reduced the amount of danger Xellos was exposed to... she must have had plans for him. Whatever those plans are, they must have involved trapping him in that crystal for a while. Zelas' plans have not yet been fulfilled though; it is probably something that takes time." 

"That's why she won't release Xellos for a few days," Filia agreed. Her face was filled with horror as she considered the possibilities. "What if this is all part of some kind of plot to launch a full scale attack? What if she's trying to doom the world?" She rushed over to Phythan, shaking him by the shoulders. "Do you know something? Speak!" 

"I don't know anything!" Phythan insisted. "This is my most exciting mission yet. All I ever do as an intern is groom Fang, clean Lord Beast Master's lair and carry her gigantic purse when she goes somewhere." 

"This could mean trouble, but we know so little it's hard to think of what to do," Amelia worried. Attempting to break into Lord Beast Master's lair was out of the question. Not only would that be a suicide mission that was doomed to fail, but they had no idea where exactly the lair was located anyway and Phythan probably got teleported there by monsters, rather than being informed of the location. 

"Then we'll just have to wing it!" Lina concluded with more optimism than the situation probably deserved. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The group continued their journey, locating the nearest restaurant from the sky, riding on Phythan. Unlike Filia, he didn't mind carrying the group and still had no problems with transforming in front of people. After they had a good meal, the journey continued with occasional stops at inns and restaurants for sleep and food respectively. They were heading back to Seyruun; they weren't sure what to do next, so they resolved it was best to regroup there. 

After a particularly long day of traveling, they stopped to camp out, as the next town was still a considerable distance away. Nothing appeared to be out of place as they sat around a campfire roasting marshmallows, until an unknown being materialized before them. He was obviously a monster, judging by how he moved through the astral side, albeit he resembled a human chimera in appearance. He had black hair and silver eyes; he was wearing black clothes in the style of a classic evil wizard, with silver armlets, belts and boots. Filia could perceive that he had plentiful monster powers at his disposal. Another noticeable trait was the spiky collar he wore around his neck, which was something one would expect a pet to wear. 

The main differences that gave him away as a non-human to those who couldn't sense his energy, were his fox ears and tail, which were covered in black fur. Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis and Filia jumped to their feet, taking on fighting stances, ready to combat the monster if he attacked. The fox creature appeared to ignore the aggressive atmosphere, instead keeping his eyes on Amelia and taking a step towards her. "Amelia... Would you scratch me behind the ears? I really like it when you do that!" 

The group nearly fell over in shock. "Just who do you think you are?" Zelgadis angrily demanded. 

"I'm Fang and you're Zelgadis!" The fox creature pointed out in a carefree tone. 

"Fang?!" Lina, Amelia, Zelgadis and Filia chorused the surprised exclamation. 

"Who's Fang?" Predictably, Gourry didn't remember. 

"This is Fang's human form... or rather, his human chimera form," Phythan calmly explain. He had seen Fang's alternate form so it did not come as a surprise to him. "You know how it is, monsters can take on human disguises, but since Fang is a monster fox chimera, his human disguise is a fox chimera too." Fang was a chimera created much more recently than Celo, with improved methods that prevented his power from noticeably decreasing. 

"I guess Zelas wanted to send a monster along with us." Lina sat down again. At least when Xellos returned, things should go back to normal. Or rather, things should be restored to their usual level of insanity. 

The group settled down and went back to enjoying their roasted marshmallows, albeit Zelgadis wasn't pleased with Fang trying to lay his head on Amelia's lap. That wasn't so bad when he was just a fox, but now he was different. In an attempt to make them get along, Amelia pulled out a hairbrush from her cape and offered it to Zelgadis, "why don't you brush Fang's hair?" 

"Brush his hair? But he's-" Zelgadis' argument was interrupted when Fang half laid on his lap. 

Unlike in his fox chimera form, when in human chimera form, Fang had one tail instead of two, which wasn't as huge as his two tails in his alternate form. None the less, he could certainly wag that tail. "Brush my hair Zelgadis, I like having my hair brushed!" 

Zelgadis felt his eye twitch and gave Amelia a desperate look. The princess smile encouragingly and nodded, while Lina snickered in amusement and Filia shook her head hopelessly. Gourry was as confused as usual, so he had nothing to offer Zelgadis beyond a blank look. "I can't believe this," shocked with himself, Zelgadis began to brush Fang's hair. 

Other than that, it seemed that the camping trip would be relatively uneventful as the marshmallows were consumed and sleeping arrangements were made. Then in the middle of the night, Fang woke up. "I taste it, it's strong!" He exclaimed loud enough to wake the others. "I want it, I want it! Can I go? Can I have a snack now?" 

"We already ate all the food, shut up and go to sleep!" Lina scolded, not pointing out that she had consumed the largest portion of their supplies herself. 

Fang whimpered, "no snack?" He pouted cutely, his silver eyes looking similar to Phythan's when he was complaining. 

"I don't think he wants normal food," Phythan commented sleepily. He yawned and allowed himself a moment to become fully alert. Then he leapt to his feet in determination. "Monsters feed off negative emotions, Fang must be able to taste the feelings of someone who is in peril! I cannot overlook this injustice!" 

"Oh no..." Zelgadis muttered under his breath. Phythan was giving a justice speech; that would be sure to get Amelia riled up. 

"Neither can I!" Amelia energetically jumped to her feet. "Fang, lead us to the source of the taste you perceive, we must find the person who is in need of assistance. We must defend justice!" 

"Snack!" Fang took off in an all out dash, followed by Phythan and Amelia. 

Since Amelia was going, Zelgadis ran after her as well, "wait for me!" 

"Yes, Zelgadis, let us defend justice together!" Amelia took his hand, pulling him along to go faster. She was an amazingly speedy runner when it came to rushing to defend justice. 

"Can't we defend justice in the morning?" Lina begrudgingly followed them. 

"I guess that's a no?" Gourry hurried after Lina, not understanding the significance of the sarcastic rhetorical question. 

"I might as well go," Filia joined the mad chase as well. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Fang led the group towards a patch of vegetation. Not too far away, the crunching of the first few fallen leaves of autumn could be heard. The footsteps were unsure and unsteady, not following a firm rhythm. They were not too fast, yet there was a feeling of despair to the ragged breaths that accompanied them. The forested area was dark, the trees blocking the light of the moon and stars, but up ahead there was a bright unnatural golden glow. It was the gold that shined upon the sea of chaos. 

Fang stopped his tracks several feet away from the Lord of Nightmares. "I smell power, I smell a lot of power," his black fox ears twitched as he lowered himself to hide behind some bushes, keeping his voice in a whisper. "That person knows we're here," he realized, "so much power, is this the one master calls Lord of Nightmares?" 

Amelia, Zelgadis, Lina, Gourry, Filia and Phythan took cover along with Fang. "It's a warning," Lina guessed. "She wants us to hang back," albeit her voice was only a quiet whisper; she knew the Lord of Nightmares could hear her. The golden glow faded and everything was left in darkness once more. 

"Who's there?" A weak voice called from the darkness. "Is anyone there?" It was the tired voice of a young woman. 

Gourry was about to open his mouth to reply, but even if she couldn't see it in the darkness, Lina knew it. She simply knew him that well. The redhead reached out blindly and felt his shoulder, from there on finding his face and holding her hand over his mouth was easy. 

"Answer me!" The female voice called out again. 

Zelgadis could feel Amelia tensing up next to him. A seemingly defenseless person was in need of help and it was difficult for her to hold back the need to provide assistance. 

"I'm not going back! I'm not going back!" The unsteady steps continued in the darkness. "I'm not going back, I'm never going back, there's nothing for me there. I'll seek my own happiness, they who give me nothing will not get anything from me. I can start over, I'm not going back," desperate sobs mixed into the words. "I'm not going back-ah!" There was the sound of someone falling on the ground and Amelia tensed further. 

Then the brightness returned as the Lord of Nightmares once more showed her light. "You are weak." 

On the ground in front of her there was a human woman. She seemed to be in bad shape with stained and ripped clothing, dirt and mud clinging to her, a few visible cuts and bruises and long tangled up black hair. "Who are you?" She looked at the being before her with curiosity, yet oddly there was no fear." 

"You fear entrapment, you fear suffering and yet you do not fear me?" The Lord of Nightmares spoke. "You who despises the tranquil struggle, you who wishes to live outside the cycle of the masses, your weakness prevents you." 

"No..." The girl looked as if the words spoken to her struck a chord. "I'm here now, I left, I started over, I'm not going to be weak anymore." 

"You do not fear the embrace of death for it will spare you the pain," the Lord of Nightmares raised her hand. "Is your spirit as weak as your body?" 

Amelia started to get up, but Zelgadis stopped her. She tried to move nonetheless, yet he held her in place. She stopped struggling and didn't say anything. What good could it do? 

"Farewell," A silver orb of light floated on the Lord of Nightmares' hand. She held the orb in her hand, watching as the girl's black eyes stared at it, the darkness of her eyes and hair contrasting with her pale face. Then the Lord of Nightmares released the orb and it collided with the girl, trapping her in silver flames that electrified her. 

"Stop!" Amelia cried out, but the sound was only a distant echo. 

"Can't... move..." Phythan tried to jump into action but could not, none of them could. 

Paralyzed and unable to even speak loud enough to be heard, Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia, Phythan and Fang watched on until the silver light faded and the girl fell unconscious. The Lord of Nightmares disappeared and Lina's group was released, once again able to move around and be heard normally. 

"I'm telling... I'm telling master!" Fang loudly declared, fading to the astral side instantly. 

"Fang, no!" Lina reached out to the space where Fang was, but was unable to grab hold of him before he was gone. "Great, now Zelas is coming." 

"Then we need to hurry!" Amelia rushed towards the unconscious young woman. 

Phythan and Filia joined her, attempted to use healing magic on the girl, but soon Filia stopped them. "Don't!" 

"Why not? She needs to be healed!" Amelia didn't understand. 

"Look at her, her face is getting flushed, her breathing is uneven, her heartbeats are wild, our healing is making her worse" Filia explained. "Her energy waves are definitely human but they're different. I've heard about this, it's a rare condition that sometimes occurs in the lands that were outside the barrier. She will always react adversely to magic and is unable to cast it herself. It's a sort of genetic disease that can be inherited." 

"Then we'll have to heal her the old fashioned way," Amelia concluded. 

"It looks like there's no choice," Filia agreed. 

Before anything could be done about the unknown girl, Fang reappeared with Zelas. "There she is," Fang pointed. "That's the girl with the yummy desperate emotions, but she's not yummy anymore. Now she's empty, she has no taste at all. She's alive, how come she has no taste? How come?" 

"So the Lord of Nightmares threw a sort of spell into this girl?" Zelas curiously approached. "Are you glad Lina? Your point has been further proven. It is worth it to keep an eye on your group." She looked at the unconscious girl commenting with distaste, "she's filthy, it is as if she has been wandering around for a while, possibly lost. Perhaps no one cares for her, or perhaps she has been trying not to be found. Nonetheless, there is something there; the Lord of Nightmares sealed something in this girl, I wonder what that something is? I suppose I'll find out soon enough. Fang, be a dear and fetch the girl. Try not to get too messy handling the filthy creature." 

"Yes master, right away!" Fang cheerfully agreed, wagging his fox tail. 

Fang approached the girl, but Amelia stood in his way. "You can't just take her away!" 

"It's okay, Amelia," Phythan encouraged. "Lord Beast Master wants to know what is sealed in her, right? She won't risk losing it if she dies. That's why I know she will be healed. Besides, she has a negative reaction to magic anyway, we can't heal her." 

"I know, but..." that didn't make it any less frustrating for Amelia. She was a kind person who didn't like seeing others suffer. 

"But you don't get a say in it," Zelas smiled smugly. "Fang, take the girl to Tiffany, tell her I said to keep her alive. Stay with her and come get me as soon as it looks like she's about to wake up." 

"Yes master!" Fang carefully picked up the unconscious girl and disappeared into the astral side. 

"Intern, you may continue to travel with Lina and the others for a while and assist Xellos in compiling his reports," Zelas ordered. 

Filia gasped, catching a very important detail, "Xellos?" 

"I was going to wait until morning, but it's been long enough." Zelas took off her black cone jewel necklace as it began to glow. Black light emerged from it, forming into a shadow that took the shape of Xellos. In seconds he materialized completely, still in the form of a human, albeit he had recovered enough for his hair to be black again. He was unconscious when he fully emerged and fell forward, though Filia was quick to catch him. "He is alright, only sleeping," Zelas stated. "Well then, I leave Xellos in your care for the time being. However, make no mistake, my patience is not infinite. I have obtained what I wanted, so this time we play for keeps. If Xellos is unable to break his curse and recover his monster powers in a reasonable amount of time, I will destroy him." Leaving a heavy feeling of foreboding in the air, Zelas disappeared. 

To be Continued


	24. Chapter 24

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 070: Doubts! Go On A Journey

Once again like many other times, Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia and Xellos, found themselves on the road to Seyruun, simply because they were not sure of where to go next. Seyruun seemed like the obvious choice since it always had food waiting for Lina, or so she hoped, in spite of the kingdom's generous efforts against the famine. It would take time, but the land was set to recover as far as they knew, so maybe Phil would still be willing to generously feed them. 

Unlike in other past occasions, this time around, the group had an additional companion, a golden dragon by the name of Phythan who was ironically Beast Master's intern. There was also a lot more uncertainty in the air, due to the unanswered questions in regards to Zelas' plans, which even Xellos himself was unaware of and even more uncertainty related to the Lord of Nightmares. 

Uncertainty or not, however, Lina was still Lina and she still had a monstrous appetite to feed, metaphorically speaking, since an actual monster would be easier to feed than Lina Inverse. Given that circumstance, the travelers found themselves stopping at another restaurant where their discussions went in circles to the background sound of Lina and Gourry's loud and fast chewing noises. 

"What I can't understand is why, if Zelas knows the answer to the curse, she can't just say it." Filia was feeling frustrated. "She wants to have her general priest back, but she's making things awfully difficult and throwing threats around. She already got what she wanted, whatever that is, so why all of this?" 

"A test I would assume," Xellos theorized, though Beast Master had never tested him in such a way before. He had always done well on his assigned missions, so she had no need to provide him with a test. He glanced around the restaurant as if looking for something, though it was something invisible. He then stared at Filia, who was still muttering under her breath in frustration, possibly fearing for his life. She appeared to be debating how truly valid Lina's point was about Xellos still being useful in the long wrong as seen from Zelas' perspective. "Filia..." 

"What is it? Can't you see I'm trying to vent my frustrations?" Filia growled threateningly. 

"You're as moody as ever, stupid dragon," Xellos observed. This was a big difference from waking up to be hugged, cuddled, kissed and overloaded with affection before he even got the beginning of an explanation about how and why he was back. Yet there was something different, "I thought I was just tired, but if it's not back by now, it might not come back at all. It was annoying, but insightful. It's like losing a sense I was accustomed to having, albeit in a different form than what I originally had." 

Filia gave him a curious look, "what are you talking about?" 

"Empathy," Xellos simply voiced. "I can't tell how anyone is feeling right now. At least not beyond visual conclusions, but that can be misleading." 

Filia huffed, "it's not like you were considerate to other's emotions anyway, raw garbage!" 

"I was very considerate... in properly manipulating people, stupid dragon!" Xellos argued smugly. 

"Quite an interesting conversation to be sure," the sudden voice at the sudden arrival of Beast Master made the occupants of the table jump in their seats. "Yet I must interrupt." No one seemed to be screaming among the other clients of the establishment; hence they concluded that she teleported out of sight and quietly, very quietly and sneakily, walked over to their table. She raised her perfectly manicured right index finger, slightly pointing towards the front entrance of the restaurant. "Xellos, a word." 

"Yes, Lord Beast Master," Xellos got up from the table among the curious stares of his companions and followed Zelas outside. 

The minutes ticked away as Filia drummed her fingers against the table in an increasingly faster rhythm. The action was getting on everyone's nerves, but they dared not complain to an upset Filia. "What's taking him so long?" 

"Relax," Lina tried to diffuse Filia's growing anger, though she was far less effective as she paused to stuff her mouth with more food after each word. "He's just having a word with his mommy, he'll be back." 

"Zelas said not to call her that!" Filia reminded. 

"She told you not to call her that," Lina clarified and ended the argument in favor of focusing on her eating. 

Filia pouted and sunk into her chair. If Xellos was a monster she wouldn't worry as much. Surely Zelas could see his usefulness more clearly if he recovered his powers. Then the danger of not being able to constantly keep an eye on him would be less. Not that Filia could do anything to defend him against Zelas anyway. The golden dragon sighed hopelessly. She actually liked Xellos as a human and a part of her was afraid that all the... development, he had accomplished would be lost when he became a monster; after all, he would be a full monster, not a chimera like Celo. Yet, she knew it was necessary for him to go back to the way he was and that was what he wanted. 

The minutes dragged on until Xellos finally returned, followed by an unknown yet somehow familiar girl. "I'm back and I have another traveling companion for our little group. Tell them who you are and why you're hear." 

The girl had black hair and eyes with a distinctly blank look upon an expressionless face. Her bangs and hair length were similar to Xellos', although the hair that reached to her shoulders was noticeably wavy. "I am Onyx, a monster human chimera created by Lord Beast Master. I am here to train so that I may learn to properly serve Lord Beast Master." 

The group stared at the girl, blinking in confusion at the unexpected twist. "She kind of looks like..." Amelia left her observation hanging, though it became apparent that the others understood her message. 

"Huddle!" Lina declared loudly and urgently like some kind of football captain trying to come up with a strategy to win a decisive game. The group moved from the table to the corner as Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia, Xellos and Phythan formed a tight circle. "That girl is the same one that had the run in with the Lord of Nightmares, isn't she?" 

"What did Zelas do to her?" Amelia asked with worry. "She seems almost brainwashed." 

"Believe it or not, that wasn't Zelas' doing. When she woke up she had amnesia," Xellos explained. "Zelas only had Tiffany take care of her wounds and give her a little makeover. It seems that whatever magic the Lord of Nightmares placed in her, it was sealed in her memories." 

"Kind of like how a piece of Shabranigdu was sealed in Rezo's eyes," Lina recalled. It was a foreboding theory. 

"It's a similar concept, but I don't think Shabranigdu has anything to do with this." Xellos smiled cheerfully, "it might be something much, much worse. My mission is to keep an eye on her and figure out what that something is. In other words, I'm back on the job curse and all, at least I have my spying budget back." 

Lina's face became a predatory grin, "does that mean you're treating your amazing bodyguard to a meal?" 

"That means I'm not going to let you dry up my account ever again," Xellos assured with his usual squinty eyes grin. 

"I don't think it's right for us to lie to that girl," Filia frowned in disapproval. "She's a human, even the part about her being partially a monster is a lie. What if she tries to use her monster powers and finds out too late she has none?" 

"She thinks she was just created and that the process of uniting her with a human part left her weak. She's not expecting to have any monster power now; she's hoping that it'll awaken soon. Besides, Zelas provided her with an amulet that can simulate magic without being harmful to her so she'll have a means of defense, but I'm sure that won't be necessary." Xellos pulled an envelope out of his cloak and handed it to Lina. 

"A letter for me?" Lina opened it and read. "Dear pawn: Since it looks like the moody dragon is doing a good enough job of guarding Xellos' body, probably in more ways than we want to know, I'm assigning you to be the bodyguard of this girl for the time being. Good luck, Zelas Metallium - Lord Beast Master. PS: I'm sure the two of you will be great friends, since you're both just as flat-chested." Lina let out a loud ferocious growl and tore the letter apart into tiny confetti pieces, throwing them on the floor and stomping on them in rage. 

"I guess that's the whole story, Onyx, as Zelas has called her, will be traveling with us for a while. Let's be on our guard for random strange occurrences, though there's no guarantee that anything will actually happen," Xellos cheerfully concluded. 

Filia pouted as she gave Xellos a sharp look. "You're actually happy; you're not just acting cheerful, you're really glad." 

Xellos' replied with a cheerful yet confused look. "Happy to play big brother to an amnesiac girl who could be a time bomb waiting to explode for all we know? I suppose that could be entertaining." 

"Not that," Filia clarified, "it's not about the mission, it's about the fact that you have a mission. You're glad to be working for Beast Master again." Deep down, Filia was glad about it too. She wasn't fond of Beast Master, but Xellos working for her carried a sense of comforting familiarity. It was as if things were slowly going back to normal and Xellos' life was in less danger. 

"I think I said it before that I actually like my job most of the time," Xellos reminded. It was reassuring to have been assigned a mission. It confirmed that Zelas did see his usefulness, which made the test theory seem further off. If she was testing him, why would she entrust him with a mission before the test was completed? If this mission was really that important, why not end the test and return his powers? What kind of strategic gamble was Zelas getting herself into? Furthermore, what was that secret that exposed him to choose dare and be cursed in the first place? The willing kiss of a golden dragon... What did it all mean? What was the hidden secret? 

"Let's be positive, if there's something going on with that girl, isn't it better to keep her near by, so we can help her if needed?" Phythan tried to brighten the situation by looking at the good side. 

"I suppose so," Amelia agreed, "she does have amnesia, so I guess it might be okay to treat her as Mr. Xellos sister for the time being. This way she can feel the security and comfort of having a family, even if it is a rather unusual adoptive family." Not that Amelia should be talking about unusual families. 

"That girl is Xellos' sister?" Gourry caught up a little too late, sort of. 

"Something like that," Lina decided it was best to keep things simple and not try to explain the whole situation to Gourry. He wouldn't understand it anyway. 

"So that's why she's dressed like that," Gourry concluded. 

"Dressed like what?" Xellos inquired. "Zelas said something about her probably tripping one too many times as a kid and her scratched knees not looking good with her dresses. So she gave her that sorceress outfit." 

"It's like your clothes," Gourry observed, displaying a power of perception far beyond his usual attention span. "Does that mean you're identical twins?" Then again, maybe he had not surpassed his limitations after all. "Don't mothers dress their kids alike when they're twins?" 

Xellos' eye twitched and Lina rolled her eyes while Filia attempted to explain, "she's a she, he's a he, they can't be identical twins. Besides, twins don't just dress alike, they look alike. The only thing Xellos and Onyx have in common is the hair color, they don't even look similar." 

"If they're not twins, how come they dress like twins?" Gourry cluelessly inquired. "It's confusing." 

"We're not dressing like twins," Xellos argued. "Our clothes are completely different." 

"Yeah, real different," Lina laughed, "her shoes are black, her shirt is light blue and her cloak has sapphires instead of rubies with an added hood. Other than the colors and the hood, you two are dressed exactly the same. Oh yeah, and there's that wolf head amulet with the wings that looks like that seal you have. I take it that's her power amulet?" 

"Yes, you are correct about the amulet, but wrong about everything else. How can we be dressed the same if you just listed all the differences?" Xellos argued in his 'I'm smarter than you' voice. 

"They're only small differences!" Lina insisted. 

"She even has the same purse as Mr. Xellos," Amelia pointed out, soon realizing her mistake and trying to repair it, "I mean the same bag in a different color." 

"It's not a purse," Xellos emphasized, despite Amelia's correction. 

"It sure looks like one," Zelgadis pointed out with a... mocking grin? 

"You were much less unpleasant when you were gloomy," Xellos glared. 

"Forget about Xellos' purse," Filia tried to get the derailed conversation back on track, causing Xellos' to twitch at the mention of his 'purse'. "We're getting weird looks from everyone because we're huddled up in this corner. Let's go back to the table." 

Said and done, the group moved back to the table. Onyx had stood motionless the entire time with the same blank expression, seemingly not caring about the oddities of the group she would be traveling with. After joining the table, she ate with them, thinking that it was for the sake of feeding her human part, not realizing that she was completely human. The meal finally came to an end with the group debating on what to do next. 

"Rather than rushing to Seyruun, I think we should gather information as we go along. Who knows when and where the Green Alchemist will strike again," Lina stated. "Let's spread out through town and have a look around," she yawned. "I'll join you right after I'm done with my nap; they say people shouldn't be running around right after a big meal." 

"Really? Then I should take a nap too," Gourry concluded. 

"I don't mind getting started on the investigation," Amelia kindly offered. 

"I'll go too, someone has to get things done." It was obvious Zelgadis' comment was directed at Lina, who was clearly throwing the work at everyone else. 

"Onyx, you can hang around with Phythan, he'll show you around the town," Xellos suggested, giving Phythan a meaningful look that warned him to notify him of any peculiar happenings immediately. 

"Huh? Me? Um... okay," Phythan looked at Onyx, who said nothing to him. 

Instead she voiced a monotonous, "yes, brother," at Xellos. 

With the group taking their separate ways, that only left Filia and Xellos at the table with a grim apprehension. "Lina dumped the bill on us, didn't she?" Xellos realized. 

Filia shook her head in disapproval, "we should have seen it coming." 

"I'm so used to getting a warning in the form of sensing the sneaky plotting feeling Lina gives off when she's about to do something like this that I missed it." Xellos never thought he'd see the day when he actually missed his empathy this much. 

"I guess you're stuck interpreting the world with as little information as the rest of us," Filia concluded. "I think I'll go take a nap too. It's a pity that you're putting a dent on your allowance so soon." Her tone was far from pitying and suspiciously close to amused. She got up from the table, glancing towards the door. 

"Mission funds! It's not an allowance, they're mission funds," Xellos corrected before signing the bill and leaving the restaurant with Filia. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Back at the inn, Xellos followed Filia to her room, an action that she did not try to prevent. "Filia... be honest," there was that serious look with his eyes open. Filia could clearly imagine what was to come. Xellos would switch his expression to his squinty eyes, smug grin as he completed his sentence with a confident 'you want me'. It would make her pout, glare and call him raw garbage, but she had no intentions of refusing him this time. Then he took her by surprise by holding out his bag for her to have a clear look at it. "Does this really look like a purse?" 

Filia opened her mouth but no sound came out, as her planned response did not fit the occasion. She closed her mouth again and tilted her head, observing the bag from different angles. "It looks like a normal unisex bag to me. It could be a pretty purse if I tied a few pink bows on it." 

"Not happening," Xellos immediately warned. He gave her his smug, mocking squinty eyes grin. "I appreciate your honest opinion, have a nice nap." Then he turned around and walked out the door, closing it behind him. 

Filia stood in her inn room blinking in confusion. That was random. Maybe Xellos decided to stop being so annoying and give her some time to rest and relax. Maybe his lack of empathy prevented him from realizing he just missed his opportunity to... enjoy her company. She shrugged, it was alright, she could use a nice relaxing nap anyway. She laid down on her bed and stared at the ceiling for several minutes. Her expression turned into a pout, that stupid piece of raw garbage, being so randomly unpredictable. She got up, knowing that she would not be able to fall asleep. She was going to give Xellos a piece of her mind. She marched towards the door determinately, planning all the insults she would throw at him in her head. 

As soon as Filia opened the door to her room, she saw Xellos leaning against the wall in front of it in the hallway. He had a very familiar smug look on his face. "It took you long enough, stupid dragon." He couldn't read her emotions as he did before, but if he was observant enough, he found that he could still predict her behavior. 

Filia's face turned red in anger and she clenched her teeth and fists, "you piece of raw garbage!" She punched the wall next to his head, leaving a hole in the shape of her fist. Of course, for those who didn't know she was a dragon, they would never guess that the pretty blond in the pink dress was the one to damage the wall in such a brutal way. 

Xellos didn't move an inch, his expression frozen in his usual smug grin. He knew that she would miss on purpose and was entertained by her temper tantrum. After amusing himself with Filia's absolutely murderous expression for a few more seconds, he kissed her, just as she appeared to be preparing to throw out her next argument. 

The next thing Filia knew, she was walking backwards. She was retreating back into her inn room. She was unable to say anything because Xellos had her mouth occupied in activities that did not include the formation of words. Then there was the sound of a door being closed. It was followed by the click of a lock being secured. After that, Filia stopped paying attention to the world around her, instead focusing only on Xellos. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 071: Terrible! Cruel Tactics

"It's such a nice day," Lina observed as she looked out the window at the end of the inn hallway. Her and Gourry's rooms were just across from each other. "I kind of want to take a nap and relax before whatever is to come comes, but at the same time I don't want to stay indoors." 

"How about we go up to the roof?" Gourry suggested, "I bet there's a nice breeze up there." 

"You do have good ideas sometimes, Gourry," Lina opened the window. "Here's a shortcut, levitation!" She took Gourry along with her as she floated out the window and landed on the roof of the inn. She gazed at the town's landscape as the calm breeze played with her fire colored hair. "It's pretty relaxing," she looked at where Gourry was standing next to her a second ago and found nothing. 

Lowering her gaze, Lina saw that Gourry had already lay down on the roof and seemed comfortable enough to actually fall asleep. "Hey Lina, doesn't that cloud look like a sheep? And that one over there looks like a sheep too. One, two, three, four, five... There are so many clouds that look like sheep it's making me," he yawned, "sleepy." 

"Of course you'll get sleepy if you count them," Lina looked up at the fluffy white clouds; some of them actually did look like sheep. She sat down next to Gourry. "The atmosphere up here is relaxing enough, but I don't think I'll be able to sleep laying my head on the hard roof. Maybe I should go get a pillow." Gourry began to remove his armor, which made Lina blink in confusion. "Why are you taking off your armor?" 

"So it's comfortable for you," Gourry smiled innocently. 

"Comfortable how?" Lina questioned in puzzlement. 

"If you don't want to lay your head on the roof, you could just rest it on my shoulder, I don't mind," Gourry offered with a sweet smile. 

Lina's face was instantly scarlet. "Rest my head on your shoulder? How did you come up with an idea like that? I mean c'mon, I could just go back to the room and get a pillow. Besides, the roof isn't that hard anyway, it's not so bad." 

"Oh," Gourry seemed disappointed. "If you don't want to..." 

"I didn't say I wouldn't do it!" Lina immediately argued. With her face still burning red, she snuggled close to Gourry, remaining perfectly still. 

Gourry was more relaxed than Lina was at first, his eyes closed as he looked at the sheep shaped clouds passing through the skies above, gently moved by the breeze. "Hmm... Li... na..." He muttered quietly. 

Lina looked at Gourry, but he was already asleep. A well hidden part of her thought it was sweet that he would say her name in his sleep. She felt his arm unconsciously wrap around her waist and her blush intensified. Yet Gourry was already asleep and no one was there to interrupt their moment alone. Feeling herself finally relax, Lina cuddled against Gourry's chest, made herself comfortable and entered into peaceful slumber. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia slowly opened her eyes; she got her nap after all, but only after using up a considerable amount of energy. Xellos was still sleeping next to her, his arms tightly around her body. He was warn, perhaps too warm. It was odd, the temperature of a human shouldn't be warmer than that of a dragon. She touched his forehead curiously, a fever? But why? He was perfectly fine before, in fact, he was full of energy, a thought that made her blush. Perhaps the strain of being trapped in a crystal for several days was having some delayed side effects. 

Maybe it was best to get him some medicine just in case, to make sure his fever didn't worsen. Except it would be difficult to get him to actually take it. Maybe if she added some sugar to it he wouldn't protest. She paused in her action of attempting to get up; Xellos was sleepily pulling her back as if unconsciously seeking the heat of her body. "Xellos?" He was awake, she settled back into bed, she could take care of finding a remedy later. "How do you feel?" 

Xellos rubbed his eyes and stared at her. "It's cold for it to only be the start of fall," he observed tiredly. 

"That's because you might be getting ill. I suppose it's just a random autumn illness. It's probably due to being exposed to the cool wind when we travel or possibly due to having only recently been released from the crystal. Maybe your body needs to get accustomed to the outside world all over again," Filia theorized. 

"Muttering gibberish? Really Filia, you're turning even more rude, you stupid dragon." Xellos blinked and rubbed his eyes some more. "Why is everything so blurry?" 

Filia frowned, "you must be really sick if it's affecting your senses!" She spoke louder that time, expecting Xellos to complain about the volume of her voice despite their close proximity. 

"What kind of an illness causes blurry vision? And why are you whispering?" Xellos attempted to rub his eyes again, but Filia stopped him. 

"Don't do that, it'll just make things worse," she shook her head emphasizing the message," I'll get you a remedy, wait here." She tried not to show it, but she was worried. What if Xellos somehow caught some strange decease? It seemed that one thing was solved only to give way to another problem. Filia got dressed quickly, signaling to Xellos once more to stay in the room, making sure he understood, then she left. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia hurried out to that little herbal remedy shop down the street she saw when they arrived in town, walking briskly. She felt almost short of breath, not in the physical sense, but metaphorically. She shook her head to clear it as she hurried down the street. This was probably just a common ordinary human illness; it was nothing to worry about. Xellos would be fine. 

The little bells on the door chimed as Filia entered the herbal remedy shop. She approached the counter to find an old lady flipping through a book. The elderly woman noticed the customer and seemed to wake up from her concentration. "Hello, welcome to Healing Herbs, how may I help you?" She was wearing a green dress with red details and a red headband. 

"I'm looking for a remedy for..." Filia had no idea what Xellos had and she knew dragging him to a doctor unless he was in extreme pain would be impossible. He wasn't happy about seeing a physician during that octopus allergy incident, albeit he couldn't do anything to stop Filia from taking him to the hospital. "Something that's good to cure blurry vision and a hearing loss." 

"That would be the fountain of youth dear, and as you could probably guess, I have no idea where it is." The old woman replied jokingly, gently pushing a strand of long white hair over her shoulder. "I can offer you something that can help against those conditions, but not entirely cure them." 

Filia laughed, clarifying, "he's still too young to be feeling the symptoms of old age." Well technically, Xellos was over a thousand years old, but his human body appeared to have started out as twenty-something. If he aged normally from there, he should still have plenty of youthful years left, plus he didn't show any signs of having aged. 

"A bad cold or perhaps an infection?" The old lady held a long wooden cane, which was noticeably taller than her. She balanced herself on the cane, climbing it to reach a bottle of liquid on a high shelf behind the counter. 

"Isn't that dangerous?" Filia observed with worry. 

"Don't worry; I still have some balance left in me." The old woman hopped on her cane as if it was a pogo-stick, reaching for another bottle on the high shelf on the opposite side. She jumped down with ease and placed the two items on the counter. "This one," she pointed to a light blue liquid, "is an extract that can clear one's vision. If your friend really has some kind of eye infection, it will be most effective. This here," she pointed at a thicker pink substance with yellow dust particles, "is good for hearing." 

The old woman appeared to be healthy enough despite her advanced age, thus Filia assumed she could trust the remedies to be effective. "Do you have anything good against a fever?" 

"Of course, do you prefer pills or liquid?" The elderly shop keeper inquired. 

"Pills," Filia replied without a second thought. At least then Xellos wouldn't complain about the taste of the remedy. After all, the best medicine usually tasted bitter. 

The old lady reached for a bottle of pills, much lower on the shelves, thus she didn't need to use her staff to reach this time. "Is there anything else that ails your friend?" 

'Yes, a curse that changed him from a monster to a human, which can only be broken by the willing kiss of a golden dragon. Except it's actually some kind of puzzle that's turning out to be really hard to solve.' "I don't think so," Filia replied, keeping her truthful thoughts to herself. 

The old lady tallied up the purchases and placed them in a bag, with a few instructions for each item. She picked up a pen from the counter, quickly writing on a notepad as she spoke. "The dosage for the pills are two every eight hours until the fever is gone. The light blue liquid for the eyes has a dose of one drop on each eye every four hours. The pink and yellow medicine for the ears has a dose of one drop on each ear every six hours. Even if only one eye or ear is affected, I recommend using the medicine on both as a precaution to stop the infection from spreading." The shop keeper tore the sheet off the notepad and handed it to Filia. 

"Thank you," the golden dragon voiced politely as she paid for her purchases. She stopped on her way out, noticing the vase near the exit. "This vase..." 

"It was a gift from my granddaughter," the shop keeper explained. "We used to run a restaurant together, but I've since retired from that busy atmosphere and left the Cat Cafe to my granddaughter. She bought that vase when she was on a trip some time ago. Ah, but I'm probably boring you with my stories." 

"Not at all," Filia smiled fondly, not revealing that she was the one who made the vase. "Have a good day." 

"The same to you," the old lady replied. 

As Filia exited the shop, she caught sight of a peculiar woman with pointy ears and pale platinum hair. She was very short, though she wasn't a child; Filia could tell she was probably a little over a thousand years old. Why was a dragon in town? Feeling uneasy, Filia hurried back to Xellos. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia headed back to the inn with her purchases, swiftly making her way to her room where she expected to find Xellos. Maybe he had fallen asleep again by now. She opened the door and entered the room, not bothering to close it as she caught sight of Xellos seemingly searching for something by feeling for it on the floor. He was fully dressed, save for one missing shoe and he also didn't have his cloak. "What are you looking for?" 

Xellos didn't answer. His hand touched the texture of fabric and he picked up the item, feeling it. A cloak, was it his? He assumed it to be and put it over his shoulders, but then something felt off. The gems on his cloak weren't there and there was a bow to be tied. This was Filia's. She got dressed so quickly that she only put on her pink dress and white boots, leaving her cloak and mace in the room. She would be back in a short while anyway. Xellos dropped the white cloak and resumed his odd search. 

Filia blinked in confusion and glanced at the other side of the room. "It's right there," she pointed, blushing slightly at their previous lack of organization. 

Again Xellos ignored her. His hand reached something small and soft. He examined the thing in his hands, identifying it as the so called holster of Filia's mace. He quickened his search in the area around the item, until he reached her mace. He ran his gloveless hands over the handle and picked it up with some effort. He held on to it, gripping the handle with an impatient look on his face, almost as if he expected to be attacked. 

"Why are you acting so oddly?" Filia asked, starting to get really annoyed. She approached, setting her medicine bag on a table. "You could at least answer me raw garbage!" She yelled loud enough so that if his hearing was failing he should still hear her, unless his sense of sound was completely gone. The thought worried her, "Xellos? Can you hear me? Can you see me?" There was no reply, Xellos just stood there gripping the mace and looking tense. She cautiously approached him, walking a full circle around him. She stopped directly behind him and reached out to tap him on the shoulder. 

Xellos jumped in surprise and swung the mace at whoever was behind him in an automatic motion. Filia saw it coming and easily caught the handle of the weapon, taking it away from Xellos and tossing it behind her back. The mace damaged the floor as it fell, but Filia wasn't paying attention to the property damage at the moment. She tried to hold Xellos still; he struggled for a few seconds, then stopped. "Filia?" He reached out, fingers going up her arm, to her shoulder, neck and finally her face. He held her face with both hands, tracing over her features, then her pointy ears and at last running his fingers through her hair. "You are Filia," Xellos finally ascertained beyond a doubt. 

"What happened?" Filia asked in worry, "can you see me? Can you hear me?" There was no response beyond a blank unfocused look. "Xellos!" She shook his shoulders, trying to get some form of reaction from him. 

"Are you yelling?" Xellos finally spoke. "Are you throwing a temperamental hissy fit? Of course you are, because that's what a stupid dragon would do. If you're still yelling, don't waste your breath, I can't hear you. I can't see you either; I guess looking at your ugly face for so long finally had consequences." He had a mocking expression, but it didn't come as naturally as before, it was forced. 

"You piece of raw garbage! This is no time for a petty argument!" Filia yelled into Xellos' face, receiving no reaction from him what so ever. "Stop trying to act like this is no big deal!" She felt warm tears run down her face; she was scared for his well being. His behavior when she returned to the inn room made sense now. His fever was gone, but that was probably just a side effect while the real problem developed. Xellos managed to find most of his clothes, except for that missing shoe and the cloak that was still on the other side of the room. He finally got a hold of Filia's mace and held on to it, ready to fight anything that might try to attack him while he couldn't see it or hear it coming. Then he waited, he waited for Filia to return. 

Filia hugged him tightly, just when she thought they could finally take a break from most of the tension, at least for a short while, something like this had to happen. Just when she thought she could find a moment of peace in the middle of her chaotic life. Did that dragon she saw in town have something to do with this? They all ordered different things at the restaurant; it wouldn't be difficult to figure out what was intended for Xellos. What if this was some kind of poison? Worse yet, what if it wasn't? Most types of poison had antidotes at least. 

Xellos' empathy was gone; it was like an extra sense to him. What if it was all connected and all his senses were fading away for some unknown reason? What if he was stuck like this until he became a monster? They still didn't know how to change him back. Did Zelas know this would happen? Why would she give Xellos his job back if she expected him to be rendered unable to properly perform it? Was that why she sent Phythan along? But if that was the case, wouldn't she have also sent Fang? Maybe Zelas didn't know about this. There were too many questions and not nearly enough answers. 

Xellos' fingers brushed the moisture away from Filia's face. "Why are you crying, stupid dragon? It's not like I'm dying. This is probably just some random human illness." Xellos knew it wasn't true, what illness could have such terrible symptoms that acted so quickly? There was probably someone behind this, someone who was purposely causing trouble. He just didn't know who, how or when it was all set up. Filia could feel Xellos' warm breath on her neck, his body pressed against hers. "You still smell just as bad," he teased. He nibbled her neck gently, "you taste just as disgusting too. I'm sure you're just as loud and hideous. What insults are you yelling at me now, stupid dragon? Something along the lines of raw garbage? How unoriginal." 

"Idiot..." Filia whispered bitterly. "Why are you consoling me? Why are you trying to reassure me when you're the one who's in danger? I'm supposed to be supporting you. You're the one who's in the most danger." She sobbed almost uncontrollably for several more seconds, letting it all out. Then she took a deep breath and looked at Xellos' face, his eyes were closed and the tension in his features seemed to fade when the shaking of her sobbing stopped. She kissed him and he eagerly responded to it. After they parted, she observed his face again; he looked almost relaxed, much calmer than when she found him gripping her weapon almost desperately. "Is this really enough to calm you?" There was no response as he did not hear her question. "I guess you must really trust me if you're so calm even if you can barely perceive the world around you..." The last few tears escaped Filia's eyes, but she quickly dried them. "I'll find a way to heal you, I promise." 

Filia led Xellos to sit down on the bed, "it might not help much, but I got you some medicine." She let go of him for a moment to go pick up the bag she had brought. She hurried to his side again as if she couldn't stand to let him go for too long. Since he didn't really have a fever anymore, maybe he didn't need the pills, she didn't want to overload him with medicine. The remedies that specifically targeted his most prominent symptoms might as well be worth a try. Filia sat down on the bed next to Xellos. Feeling the motion, he turned his head towards her general direction, but he was only staring blankly at the wall behind her. Filia bit her lip and told herself she wouldn't cry anymore, it wouldn't help the situation anyway. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 072: Truce! An Unlikely Alliance

"These drops might help... maybe... But even if I say that you can't hear me..." Filia took the eye drops out of the bag. "Okay, just one drop for each eye... Right, lay your head back." Of course, there was no reply, so Filia gently pushed Xellos back until he lay down on the bed. "Don't start squirming now, you have to stay still." She exhaled, "but of course, you can't actually hear me. Right, just stay still." Trying to communicate like this was very difficult. She climbed on top of him, one leg on either side. 

"Really Filia, this is hardly the time, but I'm not complaining." Xellos ran his hands from her knees to her thighs, before they were slapped away. 

"Stop it! I'm trying to give you some first aid over here!" Filia argued uselessly. At least Xellos seemed to somewhat get the message from getting his hands slapped away, since he stopped being so grabby. Filia applied one drop to his right eye. Xellos immediately reached over, but Filia stopped him. "Don't rub your eye!" He didn't hear her, but he got the message from having her stop him from reaching his face. 

Xellos blinked a few times in rapid succession. "Eye drops? That does feel refreshing, but I still can't see anything. It's all pitch black, not even the faintest hint of a shape or color." He expected another drop to be applied on his left eye, so he didn't move. He blinked a few times, then kept his eyes closed for a few seconds. Filia guided Xellos to turn his head to the side and brushed his hair out of the way of his ear. "Ear medicine too? I don't think something you got at the local pharmacy will be of any use." He paused, then hastily added, "not that I'm suffering from a horrible deadly disease. I'm sure it's nothing too serious, so don't start crying again, stupid dragon." 

"I'm not crying," Filia argued, though her retort fell, literally, on deaf ears. She leaned forward and kissed him. It was her way of letting him know that she was okay, or at least not panicking. 

"Miss Fi-eek!" Amelia's sudden presence at the door made Filia fall off the bed as she tried to get off Xellos in a hurry. "I'm sorry; the door was open so I didn't expect to see anything too personal. Please remember to close the door next time!" The Seyruun princess closed the door in a rush, blocking the suspicious view from herself and Zelgadis, who was standing in the hallway right behind her. Their investigation was not going so well, but Amelia wanted to share what they heard from the townspeople anyway. 

"Wait a minute!" Filia hurried to the door, opening it and calling out to Amelia and Zelgadis, who were hastily making their way down the hallway. "Please come back, I need your help with something!" 

"Filia? Were you just clumsy or are we under attack?" Xellos asked with unsure urgency. 

"It's okay, no one's attacking," Filia hurried back to Xellos' side and kissed him to let him know that everything was fine. 

At that moment Amelia and Zelgadis had returned to the room at Filia's request. "Excuse me, Miss Filia, but it doesn't look like we should be here." 

"I really don't want to witness this," Zelgadis added with distaste. 

"It's not like that; I really do need your help!" Filia insisted. Before Amelia and Zelgadis decided that they've seen enough and got themselves out of there, Filia hastily explained, "I don't know how, but Xellos can't see or hear right now. I saw a dragon in town a short while ago and suspect the golden dragons might somehow have something to do with this. They could have poisoned his food back at the restaurant. I don't know what exactly is going on, but I'm going to have a word with that dragon I saw. I need you to keep an eye on Xellos until I return." 

Amelia gasped in worry, "this is serious, Miss Filia, you shouldn't go alone!" 

"It's okay, I won't leave town," Filia assured. "I'll try to talk things out first and see if this can be resolved peacefully," and if that didn't work she would beat the antidote out of the sneaky dragon, if her theory about her involvement was correct. "If I get into trouble I'll send out a super charged light spell as a signal. Then you can follow the flare to my location, okay?" 

"Things might get hostile if too many of us show up," Zelgadis understood the point. "Even so, it might be a trap, not that I'm concerned about him of all people," he still didn't get along with Xellos, though he seemed capable of tolerating his presence. 

Amelia quickly diffused the situation before Filia could go from pouting to speaking a few upset words in Xellos' defense. "I guess that's alright, but please be careful. Leave Mr. Xellos to us, we'll make sure he's safe." 

"Thanks Amelia, I'm counting on you," Filia looked at Xellos; he didn't return her gaze, holding the same blank look in his eyes. She let him go, gave him a quick kiss and patted his shoulder, hoping that he understood that she had to leave his side for a while, but that she would be back as soon as possible. Then she walked out of the room, giving Xellos one last glance before she left. 

"Don't you worry, Mr. Xellos, I'm sure Miss Filia will be alright. Who ever did something so cruel to you will surely receive the punishment of justice! Miss Filia will be back soon and she'll bring an antidote for you. Life will be wonderful again!" Amelia tried to cheer him up. 

"Um... Amelia," Zelgadis quietly pointed out. "He can't actually hear us." 

"Oh, right..." Amelia looked disappointed, but then cheered up again. "I'm sure he can hear us in his heart!" 

"Filia?" Xellos inquired unsure. "Are you still here?" 

"How to let him know that Filia will be back soon?" Amelia wondered. She placed her right hand on her chin, her left hand resting on her right elbow in a classic thinking pose. "I know!" She approached Xellos, took his hand and placed it on her bracelet. "Do you recognize this?" 

There was a hand, fabric and a smooth sphere. It reminded Xellos of something, it was like Amelia's bracelet. "Amelia? I guess this means Filia has gone off somewhere? She's probably off hunting for an antidote. Does this mean she somehow found a clue? Don't bother explaining it, I wouldn't hear you anyway. Although I can almost imagine your justice speech, not that I want to imagine it." 

With the idea that justice was something that could magically reach people's hearts, Amelia gave her justice speech anyway. The speech had no effect what so ever on Xellos, but at least she did something a little more useful by showing him to a chair so he could sit around and wait impatiently for Filia's return with no idea of what was really going on. Needless to say, Xellos was quite displeased with the situation. 

"Zelgadis, could you help me find Mr. Xellos' shoe?" Amelia requested with her big and shiny, pleading eyes. "He only has one shoe on, so I guess that means he couldn't find the other." 

"I thought we only had to make sure he didn't get into trouble," Zelgadis made a brave effort to resist Amelia's pleading face. 

"Please, Zel, pretty please?" Amelia insisted, her eyes appearing to be about three times the size they normally were. 

Zelgadis couldn't resist, he looked around the room, trying to spot the shoe. "I don't see it, but I'll find it." Great, all Amelia had to do was look sweet and call him Zel, then he was willing to make it his life's mission to track down Xellos' shoe. Yet he had to draw the line somewhere, he would not put the shoe on Xellos' foot, he absolutely refused to do that. Unless Amelia asked him nicely, then he knew he couldn't refuse even that. He peeked under the bed and finally found the shoe, reaching over to retrieve it. "Here it is." 

"Thank you!" Amelia took the shoe and rewarded Zelgadis with a kiss. If that's how it went, then Xellos should misplace his shoes more often. "Here you are Mr. Xellos, it's your other shoe." 

Something was handed to Xellos, which he identified as being a shoe, his shoe to be specific. He assumed that Amelia must have noticed the missing shoe and located it for him. He put on the shoe; at least he wouldn't feel silly wearing just one, though that minor development was hardly enough to make an improvement on his overall mood. "I'm bored," Xellos declared, interrupting Amelia in the middle of her words of encouragement which made use of shoe metaphors. "And I'm thirsty," he added. Perhaps Amelia would feel it was just to get him something to drink, maybe even whatever he wanted. "I want some cold lemonade." The information was passed along, now he just had to wait for kind Amelia to place a glass of lemonade in his hand. 

"Don't worry Mr. Xellos, I'll get your lemonade right away and I'll make sure it's nice and cold!" Amelia purposefully declared, in the same tone she would use for her justice speeches. Filia had entrusted her with taking care of Xellos in his time of need and Amelia believed it was her duty to make sure he endured the situation as pleasantly as possible. "Zelgadis, please keep Mr. Xellos company and make sure he's as comfortable as possible." After entrusting her beloved chimera with a mission that he was not exactly thrilled to receive, Amelia leapt out the window, "levitation!" It seemed like the fastest route to go out to find some cold lemonade. 

"I want chocolate ice-cream pie too," Xellos continued, not realizing that Amelia was already gone. "Don't forget to put extra sugar on my lemonade." 

Zelgadis frowned, he didn't want to be stuck babysitting Xellos. He got up from his seat across from Xellos abruptly and walked around the table, while Xellos kept going on about the snack he wanted. He tapped Xellos on the shoulder, making his speech about snacks pause. 

"What is it? Did you bring it already?" Xellos carefully reached to the space atop the table in front of him, slowly so as to not knock over the lemonade glass if it was there. "Where is it?" At least Zelgadis could get a little bit of payback out of this. He stood to Xellos' right and tapped him on the left shoulder annoyingly. "What?" Xellos automatically turned his head to the left, though there was nothing there. "What are you trying to communicate?" He paused, realizing something. That poke on the shoulder was too solid to be Amelia. Where Amelia was, usually Zelgadis could be found not too far away. "Zelgadis? You're just trying to be annoying, aren't you? My guess is that Amelia is gone, or she wouldn't let you act in such an unjust way." 

"Unjust? You don't deserve all the help you're getting," Zelgadis argued angrily, though Xellos didn't hear him, thus presented no reaction. 

Xellos waited a few more minutes. Why was Amelia taking so long with his snack? More importantly, why was Filia taking so long with his antidote? "I'm going out," he finally decided and stood up. He walked a few steps, reaching in front of him until he found a wall. He followed it until he found a door and opened it. Then he walked into the closet. Zelgadis watched the scene, his previously upset face changing into a growing smile until he was laughing. He could hardly remember the last time he laughed that hard. Xellos couldn't perceive Zelgadis' laughter, but it was easy to guess it was there. "I meant to do that," lame excuses aside, Xellos managed to find the actual door and exited the room. 

Finally calming his laughter, Zelgadis declared to no one in particular, "good riddance." He sat down and leaned back, rocking back and forth slightly on his chair. A few seconds passed and he swiftly got up. "What was I thinking? If Xellos gets into trouble Amelia will be very upset!" Not to mention that though Zelgadis would gladly accept the title of heartless mythical swordsman, he was not actually heartless and deep down thought it was kind of mean to let Xellos wonder around in his current state. He had to admit that the monster turned human had his fair share of bad times lately and his trials weren't finished yet. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Zelgadis arrived just on time to see Xellos reaching the bottom of the stairs, using the banister to guide himself and making his way towards the inn's exit. At least he didn't trip and break his neck or something. The chimera was wondering how he should go about bringing Xellos back to the room, since if he was feeling particularly stubborn he might make the task of being dragged back rather difficult by throwing fireballs at the one doing the dragging. Plus fighting back would defeat the purpose of keeping Xellos safe to avoid the heartbreaking disappointment of failing the mission entrusted to Zelgadis by his beloved Amelia. 

Then something peculiar took place near the inn's main entrance. There was a rather short woman standing there. She was just going in when Xellos was making his way down the stairs doing an admirably fine job of pretending he could see exactly where he was going. She had paused and waited for him, this was almost too easy. She glanced around the establishment; there were too many unrelated people there. Thus she took Xellos' hand without warning and proceeded to try to lead him away down the street. The woman had pointy ears; maybe she was the dragon Filia saw earlier, though she appeared to be a particularly tiny one. Her full height would barely reach Lina's shoulders. None the less, Zelgadis followed them. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos made his way down the street, led away by an unknown person. "Who are you supposed to be?" The hand was small and somehow feminine, but ordinary little girls didn't try to steal strangers away. "Are you with the Green Alchemist?" If she replied, Xellos wouldn't hear her, not that she had said a word anyway. Her grip was consistent as if Xellos' words weren't getting to her. "Are you a monster?" There was no reaction. "Are you a dragon?" Her grip tightened and her pace quickened. "So you are a dragon. A golden dragon I presume? What are those dragons thinking, sending children to do their bidding?" 

The dragon woman glared, she was well over a thousand, certainly not a child despite her small stature. She tried to ignore Xellos' words. He couldn't hear her even if she did give him a piece of her mind anyway. 

"Don't worry kid, I have no intentions of making you mess up your mission," Xellos grinned smugly. "I'll let you take me to your superiors. Then I'll beat them all." This was better than sitting around in a room, being guarded as if he was helpless, while Filia was off somewhere, probably getting into trouble without him. She might be stomping around in annoyance and screaming out insults directed at him in the public plaza because she was frustrated that she couldn't find an antidote. Or maybe she was crying, or maybe she was both throwing a temper tantrum and crying at the same time. Either way, Xellos wasn't going to sit around doing nothing. He didn't need a babysitter and he would prove it. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos and the unknown dragon made their way a considerable distance away from the town. Once there, the dragon let go of Xellos' hand and looked back at the roadside bushes. "You can stop hiding, I know you're there." 

Zelgadis jumped out to the open road. "Don't misinterpret, I wasn't planning to stay hidden, I just wanted to see what your intentions were." 

"Is it not obvious? I plan to kill Xellos," The dragon revealed. 

"You're no child," Zelgadis observed. 

"Indeed, I am over a thousand years old." The golden dragon recalled being seen by Filia, though it was only a quick glance. "Filia must know I was around, she looks so much like that other person, just as he resembles... Never mind, it makes no difference." 

"What are you talking about?" Zelgadis demanded to know. "You sound almost as if your reason to do this is beyond the enmity between the golden dragons and the monsters. Who are you?" 

"My name is Cleo," the dragon woman revealed, though it didn't provide any information for Zelgadis. "The golden dragons decided not to interfere with Xellos. Even if he is in a weakened state, he's still not helpless and he has strong allies. Furthermore, it seems Beast Master would prefer to keep him alive, thus the dragons decided not to pick a fight." 

"Then this is a personal grudge," Zelgadis concluded. 

"It doesn't matter if you understand or not, I only wish to know the truth. I wish to know if they are the same," Cleo roared. "If Xellos is really the same as him, he'll somehow overcome this!" 

"The same as who?" Zelgadis demanded in confusion. He didn't have the slightest idea of what Cleo was going on about and she seemed more interested in fighting than in talking. She appeared to be tiny and almost fragile, but Zelgadis knew not to underestimate her, especially since she was a dragon. 

"Fireball!" Xellos shot out a fireball that flew past Cleo, missing her by several feet. The flame rushed by close to Zelgadis, crashing into the bushes on the roadside and setting them ablaze. 

"Watch where you're aiming at!" Zelgadis shouted in annoyance, his cape had been close to catching on fire. 

"I don't know what's happening, but it's suspicious that I haven't been attacked yet," Xellos voiced. "Are you still here, dragon child? Hurry up and get the one behind this!" 

"As tempting as it may be to sit back and watch Xellos helplessly get beaten up by a dragon, while he can't even hit a target point blank with a fireball, I can't really do that." Zelgadis unsheathed his sword and casted Astral Vine on it. "I promised someone that I would keep Xellos safe and I intend to keep that promise." 

"Your face tells me you're not particularly fond of him, and yet you'd still take his side in battle? Why would such a terrible monster deserve such treatment?" Cleo growled in anger, her long fangs and sharp claws starting to make an appearance. 

Impatient with the lack of response he was getting, or rather because he couldn't perceive any sort of response save for the scent of something burning near by, Xellos casted another spell. "Freeze arrow!" 

Zelgadis had to jump out of the way of Xellos' spell, something that he was not happy about. "Stop it! If you can't aim, don't fire!" Of course, it was useless to say that, since Xellos couldn't hear him anyway. 

"We've wasted enough time. If you choose to defend that terrible creature, then you'll die along with him!" Cleo was surrounded by a bright golden light as she transformed into her dragon shape, ready to put up a fierce fight. 

To be Continued


	25. Chapter 25

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 073: Gigantic! Size Matters

Zelgadis had seen a few golden dragons before, with Filia and Phythan being some of them. By his calculations, Filia must be of average size in dragon form. Phythan was as tall as Gourry in elf form, but he was relatively small as a dragon. He was still large enough to carry the whole group on his back with ease and compared to a human, he was huge, but he was noticeably smaller than Filia. That was a sure hint that a dragon's size in elf form couldn't be used to determine their size in dragon form. Even if Zelgadis knew not to underestimate his opponent, he wasn't expecting this. Cleo was huge, much larger than any other golden dragon Zelgadis had ever seen. "You've got to be kidding me, this is her true form?" 

Xellos didn't know exactly what was going on, but he knew there was a battle. There were several dragons stomping around judging by the vibrations on the ground, or at least that was his theory. He didn't know it was only one huge golden dragon rather than a group of dragons. Strangely, no attacks had reached him, thus he theorized that the dragons were distracted with someone else, though he didn't know who. If they weren't paying attention to him, thinking that he was harmless in his current state, then this was his opportunity to get ready to attack. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows, buried in the stream of time is where your power grows." 

With a mighty roar, Cleo stomped towards Zelgadis, "it will be your end!" She let out a massive beam of laser breath that left a deep indentation in the land. 

"Levitation!" Zelgadis dodged the powerful beam and retaliated with "Elmekia Lance!" Cleo easily countered with a laser that canceled out the Elmekia Lance and continued on a collision course with Zelgadis. He dodged the remainder of the laser breath, using the bright light of the attacks when they collided as a distraction to charge forward with his sword. Zelgadis only managed to make a small cut on Cleo's hand, as she quickly reacted by trying to claw him. She growled loudly, shooting out another laser breath that sent Zelgadis on the retreat once more. 

While Cleo was focused on fighting Zelgadis, Xellos continued casting the Dragon Slave. "I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hands. Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess." 

Cleo stumped on the ground making it trembled as she dashed forward, slashing away at Zelgadis who kept narrowly dodging. She suddenly spun on one foot, swinging her tail. The long tail of golden scales collided harshly with Zelgadis, sending him to land hard on the ground. If he wasn't a chimera, he would have probably broken a bone. With another loud roar, Cleo tried to sink her claws into Zelgadis. His skin proved to be resistant enough, but the chimera was still in pain. He knew he better move when he saw Cleo raising her massive clawed foot to stomp on him. "Ray Wing!" 

"Dragon Slave!" Zelgadis had retreated just in time to be out of the way of the Dragon Slave that caught Cleo unprepared. The effect was as usual, with a large crater on the ground, but the foe was not disintegrated this time. 

The injured golden dragon emerged from the crater in bad shape, though she wouldn't be that way for long. "Resurrection!" Releasing a massive amount of healing magic, Cleo restored herself back to fighting conditions. 

The enraged golden dragon targeted Xellos next, who felt the vibrations on the ground and knew there was something coming. He attempted to retreat enough to dodge it, but didn't get far away enough to avoid the hit from the dragon tail that threw him several feet away. Then a very large scaly claw picked him up from the ground. 

Zelgadis realized that this battle would be even more difficult than he thought. Any opponent capable not only of surviving a Dragon Slave, but also of using high level healing with such speed and affectivity, was an extremely deadly foe. "Source of all souls which dwell in eternal and infinite. Everlasting flame of blue, let the power in my soul be called forth from the infinite..." 

"What are you? Some kind of giant dragon?" Xellos struggled to get free, but could not. At this rate, that big dragon would crush him to dust. Where was the distraction from before? Did the dragons get rid of it? 

"Ra Tilt!" Zelgadis released the powerful spell, which hit the target right on. With another loud roar, Cleo was forced to release Xellos, who was caught by Zelgadis' Ray Wing, which provided a much softer landing than he would have otherwise had. "You better not be hurt too badly or Amelia's going to be really upset." 

There was someone casting a Recovery spell on Xellos. As soon as he had recovered a little, he also casted Recovery on himself to make the process faster. "Who are you?" He couldn't help it but to wonder. Filia would have given him a panic filled kiss by now, so it wasn't her. Lina would focus more on the fight than on the healing and Gourry couldn't use spells. Maybe it was Amelia who had come to find him. 

"As if I can actually answer that right now," Zelgadis grunted. 

"Resurrection!" After a repeat performance of the powerful healing spell, Cleo was once again on the attack. She charged towards Zelgadis and Xellos wildly. 

"We have to move!" Zelgadis levitated away, grabbing Xellos by the wrist as he moved. At least there was just enough time to heal him. 

Xellos only knew one person with such a stone-like grip. "Zelgadis? I never would have guessed." 

"I wouldn't have guessed either," Zelgadis admitted, though he wasn't heard. "You need to get out of here; you can't fight this dragon if you can't see her coming." 

"I'm going to cast another Dragon Slave to get rid of the reinforcements," Xellos decided. "By that I mean stop trying to drag me around and go create a distraction." Since when was he willing to team up with Zelgadis anyway? Well, he wasn't, it was more like he had no choice, though he hated to admit he wasn't going to get through this battle without help. 

"Reinforcements? There are no reinforcements, just one ridiculously strong golden dragon," Zelgadis uselessly pointed out. 'The Dragon Slave and the Ra Tilt alone won't work. We'll have to hit her at the same time, but synchronizing our spells won't be so easy, especially because casting them is near impossible while we're stuck dodging lasers, claws and a tail like this,' Zelgadis thought. 

"Didn't you hear me?" Xellos insisted impatiently, "let go of me, I'm going to cast the Dragon Slave." 

"This would be easier if we could communicate somehow," Zelgadis was very frustrated with the way things were going. He would exhaust his energy before he managed to land an effective hit if things went on this way. Cleo flapped her large wings, creating a wind current strong enough to blow Zelgadis away, despite his considerable weight, being part rock golem. 

"Fireball!" Xellos threw out an attack when he felt a strong wind that blew him away and would have thrown him further if not because Zelgadis still hadn't let him go. The fireball surprisingly hit its target, though with little effect. 

"Wind..." Zelgadis got an idea. He moved away from the line of incoming laser breath attacks, creating a wind current in the same direction as they went. "You're terribly annoying, but you're not stupid, so you better understand this." He stopped, let go of Xellos, gave him a little push forward and created another gust of wind in the same direction. Then he created another minor wind current like a miniature whirlwind and placed it on Xellos' hand. 

"What are you trying to do?" Xellos paused, giving the situation some thought. "I get it..." 

"Let's see if it's true," Zelgadis created another gust of wind that moved upwards. 

"Hit the dragons from above? Easy! Ray Wing!" Xellos flew straight up very high beyond the clouds. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Back at the inn, Amelia returned with a picnic basket in her hands. "Sorry I took so long. One of the shops in town just imported supplies from far away. They were a bit pricey since this land is still recovering from the famine, though it's not as bad as the towns closest to the main farm lands. They had such yummy looking ice-cream sandwich cookies that I decided to bring some to go with the cold lemonade." Amelia paused in the middle of her speech. 

The princess had entered the room and started talking immediately, focusing on trying to fill the atmosphere with positive emotions, since she expected the area to be tense, given that Zelgadis and Xellos had been alone in the room for a while and they didn't really get along. She didn't notice until she was done with her speech that there was no one there. "Zelgadis? Mr. Xellos?" Where could they have gone? 

Without another second to waste, Amelia went down stairs, asked the inn keeper to please place her basket of snacks in the icebox for a while, then went off to search the town. She knew she could trust Zelgadis to try to get along with Xellos for her sake, but she still had an uneasy feeling about this. On the bright side, the room's condition had not shown any signs of a battle taking place, thus the apparent fact that they left willingly was at least somewhat comforting. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Cleo charged forward, she swung her massive tail at Zelgadis, who dodged skillfully and responded with "Bomb Di Wind!" The wind attack hit Cleo head on, but it wasn't enough to damage her. Her attention stayed focused on Zelgadis, as she went on an angry rampage of wild claw slashes, until three subsequent Flare Arrow spells hit her from above. Zelgadis took the opportunity to send a Blade Haut attack Cleo's way, following up with yet another Blade Haut and finally Bomb Di Wind again. The wind attack hit Cleo with a remnant current flying past her as a signal of her location. 

Cleo was once again focused on Zelgadis, assuming that Xellos' earlier Flare Arrows were just a lucky shot. Then another trio of consecutive attacks came from the sky, this time Freeze Arrows. The distraction was enough for Zelgadis to go all out, attacking with consecutive successions of Blade Haut. Cleo finally decided that staying on the ground was too troublesome. She didn't know how Xellos was managing to hit her from above, but she could take him down more easily and at the same time free herself of being the target of Zelgadis' Blade Haut, plus have better mobility, if she was flying. Thus the large golden dragon flapped her massive wings and took to the skies. 

Flying was exactly what Zelgadis wanted Cleo to do. Zelgadis followed with Levitation, flying several feet above the ground, but still remaining below the dragon, trapping her along with Xellos, who was levitating above Cleo. Zelgadis sent out another Bomb Di Wind, this time making it noticeably stronger. He then aimed at Cleo's wings with a series of Flare Arrows. 

Xellos could tell her position from the wind current created by the movement of her large wings and knew she was moving around, angrily chasing after Zelgadis most likely. The wind target signal was stronger this time, which meant it was time to cast a bigger spell. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows, buried in the stream of time is where your power grows. I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hands." 

Cleo was focused on Zelgadis' rapid attacks, trying to knock him out of the skies. The chimera had to put every bit of effort he had into dodging, sending out attacks as often as he could. Cleo appeared to be unaware of it, but several feet levitating above them, Zelgadis saw that Xellos had began to cast the Dragon Slave, which meant he understood the signal and it was time for Zelgadis to add in his own half of the battle tactics. Just as Cleo angrily reached forward to shoot a laser breath attack at point blank, Zelgadis let out a super charged light spell. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Amelia was hurriedly making her way through the town streets, when she spotted a frustrated looking Filia, "Miss Filia!" 

"Amelia?" Filia turned around at the voice, following the sound to spot Amelia making her way over down the street. "I've been searching for that dragon I saw earlier all over town, but I can't find her anywhere. I asked around and people say they saw a pointy eared blond leave town with a man, it was probably her." Filia didn't consider the possibility of Xellos being the man people saw, because he was supposed to be guarded by Amelia. Except for the fact that Amelia was right there without Xellos. "Where's Xellos?" 

"Don't worry, he's with Zelgadis," Amelia assured. "I just went out to get a snack for Mr. Xellos. I'll try to help him endure these hard times as best I can." 

"Thank you," Filia sincerely voiced. "I appreciate that you're keeping an eye on Xellos and being so helpful, but I thought Zelgadis didn't really get along with him." 

"I'm sure they've put their differences aside and become friends by now." Amelia had a look on her face similar to the one she had when giving a justice speech. "In fact, even if the shadow of doubt invades my mind whenever I think about it, even if I can't help it but to feel a little concerned, I know it deep down in my heart that Zelgadis and Mr. Xellos have become great friends! That's why they weren't at the inn when I got back from the store. They must have decided to go out for a walk and get some fresh air like good friends would!" 

Filia stared at Amelia. The golden dragon's face went from relatively calm, to concerned, to panicked. "They're gone? We don't know how strong the enemy may be! What if they both got kidnapped?" 

"I really don't think that's what happened," Amelia assured. "The room showed no signs of a fight happening there." 

"No fighting..." Filia couldn't really imagine Xellos and Zelgadis calmly going out for a walk. Xellos couldn't even tell where he was walking and Filia couldn't imagine Zelgadis being willing to lead him by the hand, very much less Xellos allowing it. Before Filia could decide if she should calm down or worry even more, a brilliant flash of light in the distance outside of town caught her attention. "What was that?" 

"I don't know, but my sense of justice tells me that we should investigate!" Amelia bravely declared. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Cleo was temporarily blinded by the bright light, her movements losing their accuracy, making it easy for Zelgadis to dodge her and cast a spell at the same time. "Source of all souls which dwell in eternal and infinite. Everlasting flame of blue, let the power hidden in my soul be called forth from the infinite..." 

Xellos was almost done casting the Dragon Slave. "Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess..." Finishing the spell, he released its powerful force, "Dragon Slave!" 

At the exact same time, Zelgadis released his spell as well, "Ra Tilt!" 

The two powerful spells collided with Cleo simultaneously, attacking her from the physical and astral plane, leaving her with no escape. After the attacks had passed, the powerful dragon was surrounded by a bright light as she reverted to her elf form and fell to the ground below. She knew this was her end and she didn't want to die as a dragon, she didn't want the world to witness the death of another of her kind in their true form. She lay motionless in a pool of blood on the ground, feeling as if the broken pieces of her mind were fading. 

"Zelgadis!" "Xellos!" Amelia and Filia arrived at the scene, rushing over to hug their respective boyfriends. All four of them landed, watching Cleo with perplexity. Except Xellos who couldn't actually look at anything for the time being, but he was glad to have Filia back. Though he would never admit it, if he was caught in the middle of a fierce fight, he was worried about her being caught in the middle of something worse. 

Filia was the first to break the silence and address the dieing Cleo. "Were you the one who poisoned Xellos?" 

"Poison?" Cleo choked out. "I didn't poison him, I cursed him. It seems he was already under the effects of a stronger curse, so it is no wonder that he didn't sense mine. It's his own fault for accumulating bad karma; I used the negative energy to curse him. Who knows for how long he would have to remain like that if the curse was only to run out when his bad karma does, a very long time, I would guess. However, it seems he will be undeservingly spared, because the death of the curse caster signifies the end of the curse." 

Filia stared at the fallen golden dragon, who looked familiar somehow. "Cleo?" 

"My name is Cleo Von Rupee, though I was born Cleo Ai Kant..." She closed her eyes as she continued speaking in a strained whisper. "Are you and him the same? Are you the people who freed that town? How could you be? Was it by the legendary Temple of Chronos or by some other means that you made your way to the past? I must know, before I die." The few people who had heard about the Temple of Chronos had various theories about it. Some said it was a time travel device, while others ascertained that its true function was to connect paths between alternate worlds. 

"You really are the same Cleo," Filia realized. "You're the Cleo who was there with my grandmother and my father; you knew them before I existed. That time over nine hundred years ago... Yes, we're the same. We didn't find the Temple of Chronos and I cannot fully explain the means by which we were sent to the past, except by saying it was the will of a being of great power. That was not something we planned, we weren't thrown to that era of our free will, but we ended up getting involved. Are you here because the golden dragons sent you? Have you come alone?" 

"The golden dragons are staying out of this, my actions are only representative of my own will," Cleo confirmed. Her voice became weaker and more strained as she went on. "After that time over nine hundred years ago, Narez continued to hold a great admiration for the mysterious human sorcerer and his golden dragon companion. You must have heard the name of Narez Von Rupee before..." 

"Of course, who hasn't heard about the mysterious Narez?" Amelia immediately recognized the name. "He's never been known to have public autograph signings, but everyone knows the author of the Fluffy and Ice-cream comics." 

"Bad things came from that occasion even if it looked as if it was good," Cleo bitterly revealed. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 074: Teasing! Among Friends

Clinging to life by a thin, breakable thread, Cleo made her final revelations. "Some of the humans that were released from that town nine hundred years ago were terribly bitter and wanted vengeance. They became the Dragon Slayer clan, which has existed through the generations. They especially hated Narez who wished to encourage the peace between humans and dragons through his art. Eventually, they killed him. Long before that, we feared for our son's life because of our past, so we kept our egg a secret. I gave the child to my cousin, thus Phythan Von Rupee took on the name of Phythan Ai Kant. Ironically, he doesn't resemble either Narez or me, but he is the splitting image of Narez's father when he still lived. How did he end up teaming up with a group that protects Xellos? I suppose I don't have the right to complain, since I was not the one who raised him, despite it being my duty as his mother." 

Feeling her life extinguishing, Cleo slowly reached for a scroll she kept in her dragon robes. She was half golden dragon and half dimos dragon, albeit she looked like a golden dragon. The mixed blood gave her amazing strength, which was why she had survived that long after the deadly attack that pushed her to an inch of death. Despite the blood on her hands, the scroll strangely remained a pristine white. "I who have worked as a secretary in various aspects of the golden dragons' business for years, became the keeper of the main archives. The magical lists of golden dragon citizens revealed your name for a day not too long ago. I was the only one who noticed, as it was my job to watch over such things. I do not know why you wish to be a citizen of the golden dragons, Filia, but this scroll will grant you that if you sign it. It has no time limit, thus it will be valid until someone discovers you and removes you from the archives." 

"With no current keeper on the job, it is likely that your name will slip by unseen. When you are removed from the archives, the signed scroll will disintegrate." Cleo took one last ragged breath. "In the end, I do not know what I was fighting for. To avenge my husband by condemning the one who saved the ancestors of his murderers long ago, since I knew I could not take on the elusive Dragon Slayers myself? Because I was frustrated at what my son had become? Or maybe because I had fallen into despair?" With those final ominous words of parting, Cleo's life finally ended. 

As a result of the curse caster's death, Xellos recovered. He blinked in confusion as his sight returned to reveal an unexpected picture. "Just one? Did the other dragons escape?" 

"There were no others," Zelgadis revealed. "We were only fighting this one the whole time." 

"One dragon gave you this much trouble?" It looked like Xellos was back to his sarcastic mocking self. "I guess that's how it is for a weakling." 

"You should talk! If it weren't for me, you'd be dead!" Zelgadis argued reproachfully. 

"It was my Dragon Slave that defeated the enemy," Xellos retorted. 

"No, it was my Ra Tilt that got her!" Zelgadis defended, though he knew it was actually the joined forces of both spells that were effective. 

"The enemy wasn't defeated by the Dragon Slave or the Ra Tilt!" Amelia loudly declared with a definite voice that left no room for arguments. "It was the power of justice and friendship that made this victory possible!" 

"There's no way..." Xellos felt his eye twitch in annoyance. 

"Absolutely no way..." Zelgadis had a similar expression to Xellos. 

With matching faces, they both declared in unison, "we're not friends!" The chorus caused them to glare at each other and reproach the other in a simultaneous, "don't copy me!" It was made funnier by the fact that even their expressions and twitching were in perfect synchronization. 

As soon as Amelia managed to calm the fit of laughter that assaulted her and Filia, the Seyruun princess smiled happily. "You really have become friends, or close enough. I can tell that you've at least made peace with each other. I'm so proud of you Zelgadis!" Amelia had her shiny eyes expression of sweetness; it was Zelgadis' absolute weakness. Then she kissed him. 

The chimera blushed as he returned the affection. He had a silly smiled on his face when they parted. "If it makes you happy, I guess it's okay." 

Xellos snickered as he playfully elbowed Zelgadis, though he did so gently, remembering he was still human and Zelgadis was still part rock golem. "She's got you completely tamed." 

Zelgadis returned the mocking expression, "you should talk." 

Xellos held a look of unawareness that was probably real, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Never mind that his arm was currently around Filia's waist and he had not let her go for even a split second since she arrived. At least he could see and hear normally again, even if his empathy was still gone. Xellos assumed that it was something separate from the recent curse, something that he couldn't really explain, but was probably related to the time he spent trapped in the black cone gem. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia, Xellos, Zelgadis and Amelia returned to town among the snide remarks of Xellos and Zelgadis about who was being bossed around the most by their respective girlfriends. "Whatever I may do for Amelia, I do it of my own free will, because I want to make her happy." 

"I don't even have to do anything for Filia, she does stuff for me," Xellos replied with what he thought was a smart comeback. If he still had his empathy, he would have sensed Filia's increasing anger and realized it was a very stupid comeback. The fact did eventually sink in, but it was too late, as Xellos' indication that he might have said something wrong, was Filia's action of giving him a nasty glare as she removed his arm from around her waist and quickened her pace to walk ahead of the group. "Moody dragon..." Xellos muttered in annoyance. 

Zelgadis gave Xellos a smug look as he placed his arm around Amelia's waist and she immediately snuggled up close to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. Xellos, who knew he was being mocked, decided that a classic all purpose retort was in order and he stuck out his tongue. A look of disbelief invaded Zelgadis' features, before determination shone through and he responded in the same way. 

Amelia sighed and slipped away from Zelgadis, who was surprisingly so absorbed in the task of blowing raspberries at Xellos that he didn't even notice. The Seyruun princess hurried ahead to catch up with Filia. The two women looked back one last time to find that Xellos and Zelgadis had stopped walking and where locked in a raspberry blowing glaring contest in the middle of the town's main street. Shaking their heads hopelessly, Amelia and Filia went on their way, leaving Zelgadis and Xellos to resolve their differences on their own. 

Several minutes passed before Xellos and Zelgadis noticed that Filia and Amelia had left. They looked around their surrounding area and noticed that people were giving them odd looks. Then they finally spotted their missing girlfriends a considerable distance away, almost all the way back to the inn. Taking off in a desperate mad dash after them, they only managed to further convince the local town residents that they were both insane. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At the inn, Filia borrowed a pen and signed up for a golden dragon citizenship in hopes that the name would slip by unnoticed in the magical lists of the archives, while Cleo was without a replacement. That wasn't enough to break Xellos' curse and Filia wasn't even sure if it was even necessary, but she might as well get that detail out of the way just in case. "I feel bad for Cleo. I wonder if Phythan has any idea about his parents." 

"I don't know, it would be difficult to tell him, but he has the right to know the truth," Amelia voiced. "Maybe we can ask him about his family in friendly conversation and see how much he knows before deciding what to do with this information. A family are the people who help, protect and care, it doesn't matter if they're not related." 

"I agree," Filia couldn't help it but to be reminded of her own family and the new family she had now, they were all the same to her. 

Xellos and Zelgadis arrived, hurrying up the stairs to catch up with Filia and Amelia. They both stood at opposite sides with the two women in-between. They glared at each other, then wordlessly looked away, while Amelia and Filia exchanged knowing looks. Seeking a way to break the tension in the air, Amelia remembered her snack basket. "I got some refreshments earlier and left them in the icebox. Why don't we all have a nice snack now?" The suggestion was met with immediate unanimous approval, thus Amelia went off to get the basket with Zelgadis trailing behind her. 

A few minutes later, Amelia and Zelgadis returned with the snacks to find Xellos and Filia kissing in the hallway. Accompanying them were Phythan and Onyx, who had just arrived at the inn after their little tour of the town. "It's the same..." Onyx quietly commented, while holding a comic book open to a certain page. The page depicted the main hero and heroine, Ice-cream and Fluffy sharing a moment of affection much like this one. 

"They really are the same!" Amelia squealed with joy, which made their arrival obvious, thus Filia parted from Xellos and tried to pretend that she had simply been innocently standing next to him the whole time. "That reminds me, I need to get your autographs! To think that Fluffy and Ice-cream were both here all along!" Amelia gave the comic another glance, "that issue..." 

"It's a special edition," Phythan explained. "Many artists have added to the comic series with their own interpretations of what Fluffy and Ice-cream looked like. In many versions, Fluffy is said to be an elf who was granted shape shifting power. It's kind of annoying how they censored the whole dragon and human thing when they realized where things were going with the two main characters. This issue is different, it's an original version with no edits where Fluffy is actually referred to as a dragon and they don't cut out the dramatic kiss scene right before Fluffy and Ice-cream go off to face the evil monster that has challenged them to a duel to the death!" 

"You certainly know a lot about comics," Amelia observed. 

"That's because my father drew the original version of the Adventures of Fluffy and Ice-cream," Phythan revealed with a noticeable sense of pride. "Many other artists have contributed to the series over time, but my father was the one who started it all, my biological father, I mean." 

Amelia and Filia were immediately in attention. "Your biological father?" Filia questioned. She had thought that Phythan didn't know about his parents. Then again, that was before Filia and Xellos messed around with history, leading to the creation of the Fluffy and Ice-cream comics. 

"I was raised by my mother's cousin, so Tifa is still related to me, though a little more distantly, but it doesn't really matter," Phythan explained. "My biological parents passed away a long time ago, their names were Narez Von Rupee and Cleo, who was previously of the Ai Kant family before she became a Von Rupee. So technically, even though I've always gone by as Phythan Ai Kant, my real name would be Phythan Von Rupee. I guess that doesn't really matter since I'm not inscribed as an official golden dragon anymore anyway. That was all supposed to be a secret before for some reason, but I think my mom and dad, the ones that raised me I mean, were probably just worrying too much, thinking I would get picked on for being an orphan or something." 

Phythan knew part of his origin, though not the whole story. Amelia and Filia nodded to each other in a silent agreement that what he knew was enough for the time being. Xellos wasn't sure what kind of hidden communication was going on between Filia and Amelia, but he had something to inquire about from Phythan, which did not include learning about his family tree. "Phythan, report on Onyx's progress." 

"Yes, sir!" Phythan did a funny little salute. "We went around town and Onyx said she was very bored. I showed her to a comic shop and she seemed right at home there. We talked about comics and she knew a lot about the characters and plot for someone with amnesia, I mean for someone who was only recently created. Then when she saw the special edition of the Fluffy and Ice-cream comic she smiled and I got it for her-ow!" Phythan's hastily spoken report was interrupted when Onyx stepped on his foot, an action which surprised everyone. 

Onyx didn't even look annoyed, she had the same blank look she always had in her face, though her dark eyes looked a little more focused. "I guess no one likes being spoken of as if they're not even present," Xellos stated while he tried to look for any further indications of a thought process reflected on Onyx's expressionless face. She liked comics and some of her memories about them resurfaced. Maybe having Phythan keep an eye on her turned out to be a better idea then Xellos expected. He had to admit that figuring out the amnesiac girl would be easier if he could sense her emotions, or whatever small traces of emotions she might have. 

Yet with his empathy gone and giving no signs of a possible return, Xellos would simply have to rely on more conventional observations. "We're making progress." Xellos said more so to himself than anyone else, with Onyx's response consisting of giving him a blank look before going back to flipping through her comic. This was Xellos' first mission since he started working for Beast Master again, and he certainly didn't want to mess it up. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, up on the roof of the inn, Lina and Gourry had slept through all the most major happenings of the day. They had actually woken up a short while ago, but they were very comfortable so they didn't move. It was good to take some time off to relax every now and then. 

Gourry seemed skilled in spotting all kinds of shapes among the clouds, many of which Lina didn't quite understand. "That one looks like you casting the Dragon Slave." 

Lina tried to see herself in the clouds but couldn't. "It looks more like cotton candy to me, all of them do." 

"That's because you're always hungry right after waking up," Gourry concluded. 

"I guess it could be that," Lina agreed. She had gotten comfortable enough with her current position so that she could talk to Gourry without having her face turn into a fireball, despite the fact that she was still half laying on him. "You know me pretty well." She shifted slightly to see his face, hovering over him. 

"You know me really well to," Gourry smiled up at Lina. 

"I guess so," Lina felt her blush coming back. It was more difficult to control the coloration of her face when she was actually looking at Gourry straight in the face. She found that she couldn't go back to her previous position and stop looking at him either. Then she realized she wanted to kiss him and the second the thought even began to cross her mind, her blush went from clearly noticeable to alarmingly red. 

"Are you okay, Lina? Your face is very red," Gourry inquired with concern as if he had no idea that he was the cause of Lina's current facial pigmentation. "Are you hot?" He was referring to the weather of course. 

"Ho-hot?" Lina questioned in a nervous stutter. 

"Are you?" Gourry innocently asked. "Because it feels like there's a nice breeze." 

Lina shook her head trying to clear her thoughts. "I'm not hot, just hungry!" She snapped defensively. That's right, she was hungry and it was probably the lack of food that was giving her those crazy thoughts about kissing Gourry. Then again, he was her fiance and he had kissed her before. Given all those circumstances and the convenient fact that they were alone, there really would be nothing wrong if she did kiss him. He was obviously okay with having her close to him, a thought that made Lina take extra notice that she was somehow now completely on top of Gourry and he had both his arms wrapped tightly around her. When did their positions change to that? She could feel her heart pounding wildly as if it wanted to burst right out of her chest. 

Finally, Lina couldn't stand it anymore. She went ahead and kissed Gourry. He seemed to be taken by surprise for a split second that Lina would actually take the initiative, but he soon gladly responded, intensifying their kiss. That was how they were found when Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia, Xellos, Phythan and Onyx arrived at the rooftop. Amelia thought it would be the perfect place to have a snack while enjoying the nice weather, the relative calm of the town and the cool autumn breeze. It was just Amelia and Zelgadis' luck that day that they kept walking in on kissing couples. 

Feeling the unmistakable sensation of being watched, Lina parted from Gourry and slowly turned her blushing face towards the others. "What are you looking at?" She jumped to her feet immediately and went on the offensive, "Fireball!" 

Amelia, Zelgadis, Xellos, Filia, Phythan and Onyx went on an immediate retreat back down stairs, away from the wrath of the embarrassed Lina Inverse. In her haste, Amelia dropped the snack basket, which Lina picked up. Without another word, Lina began to devour its contents relentlessly, while Gourry nervously looked on. He wanted to ask her to share, but wasn't sure if it was the safest thing to do right now. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After the peculiar detour was done and over with, the group later left town, to continue on their way to Seyruun. Thus Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia, Xellos, Phythan and Onyx were on the road again. There was an unspoken rule that no one dared to reference, but everyone knew and followed, that the event they witnessed between Lina and Gourry at the roof of the inn should by no means be brought up or even hinted at. It seemed that Lina was content enough with pretending she wasn't caught kissing Gourry and everyone else was content enough with pretending they had no reason to fear for their lives to be ended at the hands of the fiery redhead. 

Time passed with stops at inns and some camping along the way, until eventually the group reached the majestic kingdom of Seyruun. Happy to be home, Amelia led the way to the castle where Philionel welcomed his daughter and her friends. Introductions were exchanged in relation to those who had not met Phil before and the whole group settled comfortably into their usual rooms at the castle. They weren't sure what course of action they should take next, but knew that the way would somehow present itself as it always did. For the time being, they would relax for a little longer. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 075: Ghost! Unfinished Business

The sun sunk in the horizon and night fell over the majestic kingdom of Seyruun. Lina and Gourry were happily raiding the kitchen determined to consume everything that had not been sent off to help supply the other lands. Amelia and Zelgadis were taking a moonlit walk through the gardens, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. Phythan and Onyx had been given permission from Amelia to delight in reading her comic book collection, including her priced special edition full series of 'Fluffy and Ice-cream: Justice For All'. It was a peculiar side story where the duo acted as both detectives and lawyers, solving various crimes and defending the innocent. 

With everyone occupied in their own tasks, that left Xellos and Filia with some rather peaceful free time on their hands, or so they thought. Xellos finished writing a few notes to send Beast Master, as she wanted him to keep her informed in Onyx's process. He was seated at a desk in his purple decorated room at Seyruun castle, which was filled with too many hints of pink for his liking, thanks to Filia moving most of her furniture there. 

Filia claimed it was so that Onyx could take her room and that they wouldn't occupy too many rooms in the castle, which had plenty of vacant guest rooms anyway. She also claimed it was so that she could keep an eye on Xellos, to make sure he didn't cause trouble. Xellos knew it was simply because, one way or another, they always ended up sharing a room somehow, so she finally figured it was useless to try to pretend it wasn't true. His dear dragon was getting smarter... 

Filia was brushing her hair in front of a mirror, humming cheerfully as she did. She set the brush down, put her hat on and got up, making her way to the window so she could gaze at the calming night sky. She peeked out and saw something unexpected, there was an adorable little kitten, small enough to fit in the palm of her hand, sitting on the windowsill. The tiny creature was white with brown and black spots and had golden eyes. "Aw," Filia reached out to pet the calico kitten, but the little one swiftly climbed up her arm, to her shoulder and jumped under her hat. Before she could retrieve the kitten from under her hat, Filia saw something else that took her by surprise. There was a semi transparent figure outside, floating near the castle. 'A ghost in Seyruun? I thought such beings would have trouble entering here.' Filia mused. Then the ghost headed straight for her all of a sudden at full speed and she didn't have time to dodge it as it flew, literally, into her. 

Xellos took a moment to look over his finished report while the shadow of Filia could be seen from behind over his desk. He didn't move, pretending he didn't notice her. Maybe she wanted attention, which he was all too willing to give. The lighting spell, which was much better than candles to be used as light for writing, was starting to ware off. The brightly glowing orb floating overhead finally flickered and went out. Xellos felt Filia's hands on his shoulders from behind. He relaxed into her touch, but only for a few seconds before it became apparent that there was something wrong. 

A pained whisper escaped Filia, "no..." Then her hands tightened around Xellos' neck as she lifted him off the chair. He tried to make her let go, but it took a few seconds for her grip to be loosened. "Run," Filia breathed, "run away!" She held her head in pain, screaming at the top of her lungs. 

Xellos lit up the room with another light spell. The orb floated over their heads producing enough brightness for it to be easy to see Filia's face going from desperate to enraged, from fighting, to possessed. "Let go of her!" Xellos wasn't sure who or what was possessing Filia, but he wasn't about to let it take her. Besides, how was this even possible in Seyruun? Shouldn't the city have defenses against this? 

"Xellos..." Filia spoke in an ominous voice. Her fangs were showing, her eyes were glowing, her tail was out and her hands were covered in golden scales, culminating in sharp claws. "My Xellos... join me in death!" 

She tried to slash at him, with Xellos narrowly avoiding the attack. An exorcism spell would be good right about now, which meant finding Amelia was probably a good plan. "If you want to kill me so badly, you'll have to catch me!" Xellos taunted as he hurried out of the room and down the dim hallways of the castle with Filia close behind. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Kally was walking down the hallway with a basket of various medical herbs in her arms when Xellos saw her. "I need an exorcism!" 

"Oh, hello Mr. Xellos, Miss Filia," Kally cheerfully greeted. Though she was terrified of octopi, she wasn't easy to scare otherwise and she seemed to be a bit slow in taking notice of things, despite being such a genius with medicine. 

Xellos ducked as Filia tried to claw his head off, then jumped when she attempted to trip him with her tail. "Never mind the greetings, exorcise her!" 

"My apologies Mr. Xellos, I cannot remember why, but I have a feeling I should be upset at you for some reason." Kally mused, she had ran around in a panic after Xellos had said 'pulpo' on that day some time ago, a word that translated to octopus and made Kally think of her fears. All her wild running and screaming eventually made her pass out. She remembered everything up to the last few seconds before Xellos said the terrifying word, but her rampage was a blank. Even so, she did hold a certain amount of inexplicable resentment towards Xellos. "I'm afraid you'll have to endure your relationship troubles on your own." 

Xellos narrowly dodge Filia's laser breath. "I'm not having relationship troubles. Filia is having possession troubles!" He argued. 

"Nonsense," Kally shook her head in disbelief. "Ghosts cannot easily enter Seyruun and possess someone. This city is protected. I'm sure Miss Filia is simply angry at you. If you think hard you might be able to figure out why. Have you forgotten any birthdays, anniversaries, or any special dates recently?" Kally paused, realizing that Xellos was several feet away, dashing down the hallway with Filia still following him. She shrugged and continued on her way, this was none of her business anyway. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Kally was of no help, though Xellos was reasonably sure that she did know a few exorcism spells. Of course, that was useless if she wasn't willing to cast them. He made a mental note to say octopus in her presence at some point in the future. Xellos ran for his life, then rolled for his life when he reached the stairs and tripped on them, wishing he had casted a levitation spell instead. He painfully scrambled to his feet and continued his dash through the lower levels of the castle. Wasn't the kitchen near by? If there were evil spirits in Seyruun, then something had to be wrong. It might be a good idea to share this information, thus Xellos hurried into the kitchen where he knew he would find Lina and Gourry. 

"Back off, Xellos!" Lina didn't even give Xellos the chance to speak. "The chocolate ice-cream pie is mine and so is the rest of the food!" Lina loudly growled as she aggressively hurled silverware at Xellos. The knives, forks and even the spoons, became embedded on the wall behind Xellos in a shape outlining his silhouette. 

Realizing that he would be in double the danger with not one, but two wild women trying to assassinate him, Xellos hastily retreated out of the kitchen. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos continued his run for dear life with Filia still chasing after him. He hurried out of the castle, running past Kalio, who was standing guard at the back exit that led to the royal gardens. The castle guard sighed sadly, "it seems that everyone has a special someone except me. Maybe one day I'll have someone to lovingly chase me under the moonlight." 

Not catching anything from what Kalio said, as he was far too focused on the task of making a speedy get away, Xellos ran across the royal gardens. He jumped over the sign that read 'Don't step on the flowers. -Aeris' disregarding the gardener's request by trampling several white and yellow flowers as he hurried away. 

Xellos finally spotted Amelia and Zelgadis, happily walking around at a slow pace, hand in hand; laughing about some joke only they could understand. "Amelia, exorcise Filia!" Xellos ran in circles around Amelia and Zelgadis, with Filia still chasing him. 

"Mr. Xellos, what did you do to make Miss Filia so upset? You should apologize at once!" Amelia commanded. 

"I'm telling you, she's possessed!" Xellos argued, still running in circles around Zelgadis and Amelia, with Filia continuously chasing him. 

Amelia placed her hands on her hips in an upset way. "How could Miss Filia be possessed here in the heart of Seyruun? Not only that, but I'm sure she knows exorcism spells. Miss Filia would not be an easy target to possess. I think you just don't want to admit you've done something to upset her!" Amelia adamantly insisted. 

"Filia really is possessed!" Xellos argued uselessly. Why was it that no one believed him? Just because he often upset Filia enough to make her look as if she was possessed by something fierce, didn't mean people should disregard it when he told them she really was possessed. "Can't you cast an exorcism spell just in case? If it turns out I'm wrong then I promise to apologize!" 

"Somehow, I don't think you're going to keep your word," Zelgadis doubted. 

"I don't think so either," Amelia initially agreed, before giving it some further thought. "Even so, it's only fair to give Mr. Xellos a chance." She casted an exorcism spell on Filia. If she wasn't possessed it would be harmless anyway. 

Filia stopped running suddenly in front of Amelia and Zelgadis. Xellos was so focused on keeping his legs moving that he finished running the full circle around them until he bumped into Filia's back. He stumbled back and watched Filia as she stood there with her fists clenched, tail swinging left and right, her whole body twitching with tension. "Get out!" The golden dragon screamed at the top of her lungs. A ghostly figure floated out of Filia, but it was only visible for a moment before it went back in. "No! Get out! Get out... Let me go..." Filia's countenance changed to pure evil and she let out a mighty roar worthy of a golden dragon. "Join me in death, my Xellos!" 

Saying 'I told you so' was usually very satisfying, especially for Xellos, but not on that occasion. "You see? I told you she was possessed, I told you so!" After making such a declaration, Xellos resumed his previous activity of running for his life. 

Amelia and Zelgadis watched on in shock as Xellos ran all over the gardens, being chased by a murderous Filia. "She really was possessed," Amelia reiterated. 

"That was unexpected," Zelgadis admitted. 

Amelia nodded, still in shock. "I guess that means we should help out?" 

"If you want to," Zelgadis voiced. 

"Coming through!" Xellos was running right towards them, causing Zelgadis and Amelia to jump left and right so Xellos could run past them, with Filia chasing him closely. 

"Wait up Miss Filia! Let me try that exorcism again!" Amelia joined the mad dash, with Zelgadis tagging along after her. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos entered Seyruun castle once again, in hopes of losing Filia in its many hallways. Lina and Gourry were just coming out of the kitchen, with Lina holding a chocolate cake, covered in sugary white frosting, with cherries on top. "This will be my midnight snack later," she happily decided in a song-like voice as she practically skipped back to her room with a satisfied stomach. 

Lina was about to turn the corner, when Xellos suddenly showed up running as if his very life depended on it, which it did. "Out of the way!" Xellos was followed by Filia, who was followed by Amelia, who was followed by Zelgadis, all of them running in a wild stampede. 

"Eep!" Taken by surprise, Lina jumped in a startle and tossed the cake she was carrying into the air. "No!" The world seemed to move in slow motion for the gluttonous sorceress as she watched her precious cake land on Gourry's head. "My cake! You'll pay for this!" The furious Lina ran after the group, with a cake covered Gourry following after her. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At the Seyruun castle library, Onyx was situated at one of the tables reading a comic, while Phythan sat next to her drawing. He was rather talented in art and enjoyed it very much. It was his dream to become a famous comic artist like his father. His only problem was that though his art was beautiful, he wasn't very good at coming up with interesting stories to tell and often ended up drawing random scenes. 

Phythan paused and examined his pencil. He glanced around for a pencil sharpener and spotted one on a neighboring table. He walked over to get it, picked it up and quietly stood over the trash can, that was easily visible next to the entrance, and proceeded to carefully sharpen his pencil. He softly tapped his tail on the floor while his attention was focused on his pencil sharpening task. His tail sometimes came out when he was drawing. It was an automatic habit akin to someone sticking out their tongue on the side of their mouth when in deep concentration. 

Xellos continued his desperate exploration of Seyruun castle, arriving at the royal library. He dashed in and accidentally stepped on Phythan's tail as he went, causing the dragon to let out a very loud painful roar. Phythan's pain was made worse when Xellos' little parade of chasers mimicked the action. Filia, Amelia, Zelgadis, Lina and Gourry all dashed by, following Xellos' every step a little too closely. They didn't seem to notice their action in their haste and continued chasing after Xellos between the book shelves with no librarian working after hours to tell them to stop running and be quiet. 

"My tail, my poor tail!" Phythan cried pitifully. A loud noise invaded the library as a shelf was knocked over with books and dust flying all around. The shelf collided with the one next to it creating a domino effect that all those at the library scrambled not to be crushed by. 

In the hallway outside of the royal library, the group took a deep breath of relief, with some coughing at the dust that was still in the atmosphere. The trance of relief at having escaped being crushed was soon broken when Filia once again growled, "join me in death, my Xellos!" She continued where she left off, once again trying to murder Xellos, who was once more running for his life. 

The exasperated Xellos ran away followed by the murderous Filia, who was followed by the excited Amelia, who was followed by the vexed Zelgadis, who was followed by the angry Lina, who was followed by the confused Gourry, who was followed by the upset Phythan, who was followed by the curious Onyx, who was the slowest runner of the group. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The sound of yelling in the hallway alerted prince Philionel that something was wrong. He sat up on his massive bed and adjusted his light blue hat with little yellow stars that matched the fabric of his pajamas. Curiously, Phil listened to the voices in the hallway, recognizing them. 

"Snap out of it!" A desperate Xellos. 

"Join me in death!" A murderous Filia. 

"Stay still!" An excited Amelia. 

"What could have caused this?" An annoyed Zelgadis. 

"My cake!" A distressed Lina. 

"Wait for me!" A confused Gourry. 

"My tail hurts!" An agonizing Phythan. 

"This is fun..." An amused yet monotonous Onyx. 

All the owners of the voices invaded the royal chambers when Xellos dashed in, with the whole parade still after him. They ran around Phil's room creating a loud ruckus, knocking things over and making a big mess. Then just as suddenly as they arrived, they left, dashing out the door in the same order that they came. Philionel was left in open mouth puzzlement for several seconds before he cheerfully declared. "I don't know what's going on, but you're all so full of energy I want to join in!" Then he ran after them. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos' random running next led him to the Seyruun castle storage basement area. He reached out to open a large door, finding it to be locked. He turned around just in time to see Filia swinging her claws at him and dodged. Instead of reaching Xellos, Filia's sharp dragon claws collided with the lock on the door, breaking it. Xellos took the opportunity and dashed further into the deeper levels of the basement. 

Xellos and all those after him arrived at a large storage room cramped with boxes. He ran for his life leaping and dodging the merchandise as if it was some kind of obstacle course. At the center of the storage room, protected by a magical barrier, there was the magical pearl known as the fickle wish granter, which was said to contain the spirit of a heartbroken mermaid. Amelia threw another exorcism spell at Filia, this time with a good amount of extra power to it. The possessed Filia dodged it and Amelia's magic collided with the force field around the pearl, causing it to short circuit and fade out. 

The pearl glowed brightly as a ghostly mermaid appeared floating before it. Stunned beyond words, Xellos, Filia, Amelia, Zelgadis, Lina, Gourry, Phythan, Onyx and Philionel watched on in shock. "Lost spirit, I sense that your pain is very much like my own. You too suffer with a broken heart. I thought that no one could understand my sorrow, but you surely can. Allow me to call you my sister and let us find in each other the courage to finally pass on!" The mermaid ghost extended her hand towards Filia. 

The ghost within Filia came out, finally releasing her from the possession. Upon closer inspection, the ghost looked familiar. "Saramina?!" Xellos jumped back. He thought she was gone forever, but she came back to haunt him after all. 

"That mermaid... that peaceful light around her... I feel that this person truly understands me. Yes, dear lady, I shall call you my sister!" Saramina's ghost glanced at Xellos. "I'm done chasing after you Xellos, my heart will no longer be broken because of you. It is time for me to move on!" Saramina and the mermaid ghosts faded away, and the magical wish granting pearl dissolved into dust, which also disappeared. 

"I'm finally free," Filia took in slow calming breaths. "It seems that when I exorcised Saramina, I only destroyed her zombie body and her spirit was left to wander." 

"How did she enter Seyruun?" Amelia inquired in concerned confusion. 

A little calico kitten popped out of Filia's hat and jumped down to the floor. The tiny creature was surrounded by black light as it took on a different form to reveal her true identity as Lord Beast Master Zelas Metallium. "The answer to that is quite simple, I escorted her here. As for my purpose in doing so, that holds an easy explanation too, I wanted some amusement. Well, it's been fun; I bid you all sweet nightmares!" Fading away to the astral side, Zelas was gone. 

To be Continued


	26. Chapter 26

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 076: Extras! More Side Quests

It was a brand new day in Seyruun, where Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia, Xellos, Phythan and Onyx were, mostly, hanging around outside idly enjoying the nice weather. Onyx was reading comics inside the castle sitting next to the window, as she had stated that she disliked being outdoors. At least the window was close enough to the area where the others were, so that she was somewhat 'hanging out' with them, for the sake of humoring Amelia. Phythan was sitting outside leaning his back against the wall next to the same window, sketching on a drawing pad. 

Lina and Gourry were happily devouring the contents of a picnic basket, though not with their usual rush, they were savoring the treats. Amelia was showing Zelgadis a family album and explaining who was who among her relatives. Filia was sitting under the comfortable shade of a tree with Xellos laying down with his head on her lap. They seemed to be locked in some kind of petty debate about if the current season could be more properly referred to as autumn or fall. Their arguments consisted mostly of insulting each other, which had little to do with the topic at hand. Even so, they weren't particularly loud this time, as there was a lazy and amused tone to their quarrel. 

Kally arrived on the scene with an oversize backpack upon her shoulders. "Miss Amelia and guests, I have come to bid you farewell." 

"The same for me," Kalio joined in as well, carrying similar luggage. 

"You're leaving?" Amelia inquired in surprise. "Where are you going?" 

"I'm going to a far away place called Amor Resort to work as the local doctor!" Kally revealed with excitement. "It's always good to have a doctor in those big amusement parks, just in case. Plus the place gets so many different visitors from all across the land; I'm sure it'll be a very interesting and inspiring experience." 

"I have decided to accompany my sister on her journey and hopefully become a better swordsman to serve Seyruun upon my return," Kalio added his purpose to the explanation. 

"I wish you both the best of luck on your journey and quests!" Amelia happily declared. Thanking her for the words of encouragement, the siblings Kally and Kalio Kalamari went on their way. 

"Amor Resort," Xellos mused aloud. "Maybe I should have a word with Celo about this curse." Said and done, Xellos summoned Jarde and sent him away with a letter to Celo. Several minutes passed as the group continued their previous activities, until Jarde returned with a reply letter. "Honorable general Xellos: If you have the time let us discuss the matters concerning your curse in person. Respectfully, Celo Metallium - Amor Resort Manager." Xellos crumpled up the paper and tossed it away. 

"Don't litter, raw garbage!" Filia scolded him. 

Xellos gave her an exasperated look from his position resting his head on her lap. "I don't want to go all the way back to Amor Resort." 

"Too bad, because you're going!" Filia got up, which forced Xellos to get up as well. "Our progress has been lazy lately. There were no clues waiting for us here, we need to go out and find clues! We need to stop the Green Alchemist's evil plans and break the curse before Zelas loses her patience!" Filia determinately declared, her speech being received with groans from everyone else except Amelia. "I know you're all tired after all our adventuring and usually we get to take a break after fighting two major antagonists, but the big boss still eludes us. We need to settle this matter. For that purpose we must return to the place where our adventure began, Amor Resort!" 

The speech at least had an effect on Amelia, "Yes, let us journey for justice!" The princess cheered loudly. "We should leave right away!" Thus it was decided and another journey began. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After giving their farewells to Philionel, Filia and Amelia led the way out of Seyruun. Xellos and Zelgadis were following them, then Lina and Gourry and finally Phythan and Onyx. That was until Lina realized that as the leader, she should be the one walking first and hurried past Amelia and Filia. They passed through a park full of children that were playing and were joined by Fang, who abandoned his game of fetch to follow them in fox form. "Mr. Fang... I didn't expect to find you here, but if you want to travel with us, you're welcome to." Amelia petted his head, while Zelgadis pouted, but said nothing. 

"Bye Mr. Fang! Bye Princess Amelia! Bye Miss Dragon Spooker! Bye everyone!" The kids gathered around to wave goodbye as the travelers continued making their way out of the city, with Lina twitching slightly in annoyance. 

"I dislike children," Onyx muttered under her breath, which seemed to be a normal monster-like thing to say, except for the fact that she wasn't a monster. 

Remembering that he was supposed to be figuring out what was sealed in her memories and if it was of any use, Xellos made a mental note to keep a discrete eye on Onyx and observe the details of her behavior. This was especially necessary with Fang around, as he would most likely be reporting to Beast Master. Xellos knew that his presence in Seyruun was no coincidence. In fact, the whole group seemed to be silently aware that Fang had to be there for a reason, though they didn't directly address the issue, instead allowing him to simply join their little traveling group. If he had any intentions of sharing information, he would do it of his own accord and if he didn't, then asking would serve no purpose. 

"You don't?" Phythan asked somehow surprised. "I don't mind them at all," he smiled cheerfully. Ah yes, the dragon was useful after all, maybe he could bring out a little more of Onyx's past self. 

"Children need but cannot give, for they are helpless to do so until they are old enough to be capable. I despise sacrifice without reward; it is unfair that they to whom one owes nothing dare to ask for something. Helplessness is not inspiring of true kindness but only pity and I hold no pity to give. Those who need are not more precious than those who have, simply because they need. Helplessness and misfortune are not crimes, nor are they achieved on purpose by any sane person, but they are not virtues to be rewarded." Those were probably the longest sentences Onyx had so far spoken outside the topic of comic books. "It is best to depart from such a place, to abandon the situation that can yield nothing." Depart from such a place? Was she almost remembering the place where she came from? 

"What do you mean?" Phythan inquired in innocent confusion. "I suppose it's okay to wish for a fifty-fifty, give and take, but doesn't the satisfaction of kindness balance things out?" 

"Those who are dissatisfied cannot satisfy others. It is what prevents them from achieving such a rare form of selfless satisfaction." Onyx frowned for several seconds before regaining her blank expression and saying nothing more. 

'For someone without memories she speaks in an almost philosophical tone, when she does speak at all about something other than comics.' Filia mused while she gave Xellos a concerned look. Onyx had ran away from somewhere, but where and why? A soft breeze blew and Onyx automatically tugged a strand of wavy black hair behind her ear, before putting up the hood of her cloak over her head. She had white wing earrings that Filia had not noticed before. They looked like angel wings, but they were probably supposed to be crafted after Zelas' true form wings. Filia wondered what the Lord of Nightmares gave this girl, who she was before losing her memories and how she ended up in such a broken state as she was when they first saw her? 

Just outside of Seyruun, Lina's group caught up to Kally and Kalio. Xellos took the opportunity to say the word 'octopus', which caused Kally to take off in a mad dash, screaming at the top of her lungs. "You shouldn't have said that! Wait up, sis, don't be scared, it'll be alright!" Kalio ran after her, while Xellos snickered and Filia gave him a nasty glare. Aside from that, the journey towards the port, then to Amor Resort. went by relatively uneventful. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia, Xellos, Onyx, Phythan, Kally, Kalio and Fang all arrived at Amor Resort in a seemingly peaceful day. They made their way to the main street where they would journey to find Celo. Kally needed to report to him about her job and Xellos had a clue to his cure to inquire about. It was true that when Celo first offered to reveal the cure, Xellos threatened to kill him, but now it seemed pretty obvious that he should ask about it. 

The monster turned human let out an exasperated breath. Where did that sense of pride that pushed him to figure this out on his own disappear to? Since when was he willing to accept assistance, as opposed to manipulating others to fulfill his purposes? Maybe he had remained in human form for far too long, it was all the more reason to make haste and change back to his normal monster self. 

The group made their way to the area where Celo's clock tower used to be, which was reduced to practically nothing after the battle against the Green Alchemist's minions when they were last at Amor Resort. The place had been seemingly restored to how it used to be, with a thick dark forest and a rickety clock tower in its center. However, upon closer inspection, it became evident that the trees were plastic. 

Before they reached the clock tower, the group was interrupted by the arrival of a familiar jellyfish woman who attempted to tackle Phythan in an amorous hug. "My precious dragon has returned to me!" 

"Oh no!" Phythan moved out of the way quickly and ran in circles around the rest of the group with Medusa chasing after him. "Stop chasing me!" 

"Never! You are my destined one, I know it!" Medusa adamantly insisted. "Just give me a chance!" 

"Maybe you should give her a chance, Mr. Phythan, it's only fair." Amelia suggested, though she wasn't sure herself if she was entirely serious about it. 

"Fair?" Phythan came to a sudden halt, which caused Medusa to run into his back. The jellyfish quickly jumped to her feet and wrapped her tentacles around Phythan in a tight embrace. Yet strangely, he didn't seem to notice as he was in deep thought. "I don't want to be unfair, but I just don't like jellyfish people that way. Am I vain?" 

Sensing an opportunity, Medusa feigned crying. "Oh, you're so terribly vain! How dare you call yourself an agent of justice? You're too cruel, superficial and absolutely unjust!" Never mind that her interest in Phythan was only based on the fact that he was handsome. 

Phythan gasped in horror, "unjust?" He looked like he was having some sort of emotional breakdown. "I'm unjust? I thought that I was being fair and free of prejudice when I took on this internship to better understand monsters before judging them, but I've been deceiving myself all along. How can I uphold justice if I cannot look past species in the personal matters of my life? Alright, I've decided!" 

Medusa's eyes turned into metaphorical hearts, while the group watched the strange twist take place with perplexed expressions. "Does that mean you'll become my husband?" 

"Husband?" Phythan's look of horror returned to his face, overshadowing his determination. 

"Yes, my husband, a good defender of justice needs a loyal ally," Medusa tried to explain as a matter of fact. "How can you defend justice without a suitable wife by your side to help you accomplish your dreams?" 

"My dreams..." Phythan gave it some thought. "I dream to one day become a famous comic artist and inspire people to pursue noble adventures to spread goodwill and justice, just like my father did with his stories about Fluffy and Ice-cream. I can draw the comics, but I'm not good at coming up with interesting plotlines. Taking that into consideration, a suitable wife that will help me accomplish my dreams would be someone who's very good at coming up with interesting plots. If I choose a fiance based on talent rather than species, then no one can say I'm being vain, because intellect, creativity and imagination are not superficial traits. That's it! I'll become the fiance of the one who can come up with the best plot outline!" 

"Good idea," Phythan jumped in surprise at the sudden voice from right next to him. Everyone else had seen Celo and Tiffany's arrival except Phythan who was so focused on his speech. "We can have a contest to broaden your options and people can buy tickets to listen to the contestants sharing their stories." 

"You're a businessman to the end," Lina commented. "Speaking of business, how about giving me a raise in my bodyguard salary?" 

"Let's go inside and have some nice tea and cookies as we get reacquainted with each other." Celo invited them in, immediately going on his way back to the wooden clock tower. 

"Hey! Didn't you hear me?" Lina hurried after him, determined not to be ignored. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Once inside the rickety clock tower, Lina was distracted by the yummy snacks that were waiting for them and occupied herself in eating, along with Gourry. Celo seemed all too happy to arrange things for the plot writing contest to take place as it meant an economical benefit for himself. Among the random pleasantries and unimportant small talk, Xellos brought up the subject of his curse and its cure with a simple and direct, "what do you know about the cure to my curse?" 

"I know that I must remain silent or you'll kill me." Celo recited with an almost mocking amount of respectfulness in his voice. 

"I changed my mind about that," Xellos grinned cheerfully, his eyes in his familiar squinting expression. "If you don't tell me, I'll kill you." 

"I see..." Celo turned his attention to Tiffany for a long moment before speaking his words of parting, "farewell my beloved." 

Tiffany responded with a dramatic, "you'll always be in my heart." 

Celo looked at Xellos again, taking a deep breath. "You may ask me about the cure now." 

Xellos didn't understand why Celo sounded like he was soon to die if he had not refused to reveal the secret. He felt like he was walking straight into a trap, but asked anyway. "What is the cure to my curse?" 

Celo smiled with a seemingly infinite joy as he wagged his right index finger and voiced an amused, "that is a secret." The world stood still for several minutes in absolute silence as Xellos blinked in disbelief that his quote was used against him. Then Celo burst out in a fit of joy, "I did it! I said it! General Xellos, I have always admired how cool you sound when you say that and wanted to one day say it myself. I set things up to say it to you, the master of the phrase, when we had that conversation before on the night of the ball. Yet you threatened my life and refused to ask the question, so I did not have the chance to say it. But now that I have finally spoken the words that I longed to speak for so long, I can die a happy man. Go ahead, General Xellos, end my life if that is your wish. I will not resist, for I am eternally grateful to you for granting me the chance to speak your amazing words." 

Xellos felt his eye twitch as he glared at Celo. "The willing kiss of a golden dragon... You know that the clue to the curse's cure is a puzzle, but you have no idea what the answer to that puzzle is!" Xellos concluded. 

"That is correct, you truly are a genius, general Xellos," Celo smiled with admiration. 

"I really should kill you for making me go through all the trouble of coming here." Xellos twitched in anger. 

"Xellos," Filia frowned, speaking in a warning tone. 

"I'll spare your life in one condition, an all expenses paid vacation for as long as we're here, no questions asked!" Xellos declared with an air of cruelty worthy of a monster. He needed to get back at Celo for all the expenses that he allowed Lina and the others to throw into his account during their previous vacation there. 

"You want to vacation in my resort for free?" Celo cried out in agony. "My profits, my precious profits! General Xellos, you are far too cruel, it's no wonder you're Lord Beast Master's favorite monster!" 

xoxox xox xoxox 

With all the expenses taken care of for the duration of their stay, Lina and Gourry went to raid the restaurants and devour everything they could. Zelgadis and Amelia decided to take the opportunity to go on a romantic get away, while Fang ran off to play. Kally settled into her new position as the local doctor and Kalio decided to hang around to check out the various rides in the resort. Meanwhile, the plot writing contest was swiftly organized with Xellos and Filia being dragged into becoming the so called neutral judges. 

Filia thought that if Phythan had such a deep appreciation for writing talent, then maybe being fair and neutral would be the best way to find a good fiance for him. Even so, she still thought he was being far too hasty about becoming engaged. Xellos on the other hand, was determined to vote for the least eligible bachelorette just so he could enjoy the amusement of watching Phythan being miserable. 

Then again, maybe Phythan was already miserable. Medusa was seated at one of many desks in the large classic round arena where the contest would take place. Next to her desk, there were many others, occupied by all sorts of living creatures, humans, beast people, fish people, trolls, young and old, female and male. Watching on from a balcony reserved for important guests, there sat Celo, Tiffany, Filia, Xellos and Phythan. "Um... Mr. Celo, why are there so many different people here?" Phythan asked nervously. 

"You want to be fair, don't you?" Celo spoke in his usual overly respectful tone that added to his mockery. "If you're going to be completely fair and neutral without a hint of vanity or prejudice, then you can't be swayed by your own personal preferences. That is why there are so many different people here, both females and males, of many different species and ages." 

Phythan looked very much afraid as he sunk into his chair. "It's all for the sake of justice; I only need to keep reminding myself of that." 

Filia felt truly sorry for him. She placed a comforting hand on her fellow golden dragon's shoulder. "Don't worry; I'll make sure to choose a good bride for you." 

"Or groom," Xellos added just to annoy Phythan. "Like that one over there." He pointed at a particularly big and hairy wolfman that looked like he had not groomed his mud colored fur in years. 

Filia glared at Xellos, "stop scaring him!" She continued trying to calm Phythan, who was scared out of his mind, but felt unable to go back on his word. "Look," she pointed at a figure in a black hooded cloak among the contestants. "I managed to convince Onyx to enter, just as you asked me to." 

"Really?" Phythan leaned over the railing of the balcony to have a better look. He seemed to have cheered up considerably. "Maybe Miss Onyx will win. She's always so insightful about the stories and characters and often talks about situations that she would have liked to see happening in comics. I enjoy our discussions very much and she's so smart, even if she's kind of cold sometimes. But that's okay, I'm sure that she'll conquer whatever is bothering her and be the best she can be!" 

"So you like Onyx?" Xellos asked in a mocking tone. "I'll make sure not to vote for her." 

Phythan pouted and once again sunk into his seat while Filia reproached Xellos with a glare. "It's alright, don't listen to my bias, just vote for whoever you think is best," he sighed tragically. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 077: Random! Unforeseen Events

After an hour had passed, during which the writers got no silence to concentrate in, due to the crowd noisily yelling about the kind of stories they wanted to hear, it was time to put the pencils down. One by one, each person read their stories which ranged from alright, to pretty good, to copyright infringement. As a big fan of literature, Tiffany identified the rip-off stories and disqualified the contestants. When it came down to it, it seemed that Medusa was ahead in terms of what the audience thought, as they continuously cheered her name. 

"Do you hear that, Filia?" Xellos teased Filia, who was starting to look as nervous as Phythan thinking she wouldn't be able to help him. "The crowd has already decided the victor. Who are we to argue?" 

"It's not over yet! Onyx still hasn't read her story; she was a late entry so they left her for last. Look, Tiffany is approaching her in the arena right now," Filia held on to a thin shred of hope. 

Phythan on the other hand, already looked half-dead. "It's okay, it's not so bad, given the proper time I'm sure we'll fall in love and live happily ever after... Miss Medusa and me... We'll be... happy... eventually... I hope..." 

"What kind of story can an amnesiac girl come up with?" Xellos laughed, "I think I'll take a nap," he leaned back on his cushy chair and closed his eyes. "Wake me when the boredom fest is over." 

At the arena, Tiffany was looking over Onyx' notes. "This story is..." 

"It is a plotline, that is what the contest required, a plotline rather than a story, in other words, a list of events rather than a novel. I can narrate it in detailed prose using these productions notes as a guide, but writing it down will be time consuming, as it is made of many chapters," Onyx explained. 

"You're right, the contest did ask for a plotline and it was explained that the contestants had to read it. Some people didn't even bother writing and just made a story on the spot while others didn't finish writing and continued without reading. The writing part was only for convenience anyway," Tiffany reasoned as she handed Onyx her notes back. "Okay, tell us your story and I will give you this! She took a book out of her cloak. Under the proper spell, this blank book will record your words so that you can write a novel in as little time as it would take you to speak the words, plus your hands won't get tired and you won't have to worry about grammar, which isn't your strong point, judging by the notes." 

Thus Onyx began to narrate her tale. It started out with an introduction of a few characters and the presentation of a conflict with a few peculiar questions cunningly weaved into the plot that presented a scenario to generate curiosity. Several plotlines came and went as more characters were introduced, with the main plot and cast present through the whole tale. The key to it was that the hints of the next plot line began before the previous was finished, but the information of unsolved mysteries was balanced so that the story wouldn't be confusing with too many questions, but had enough questions to make people wonder about it. From drama, to humor, to unexpected plot twists, the tale presented well developed characters and an interesting plot with lots of adventure and just enough romance. Overall Onyx seemed disinterested in romance, but used it well as a tool of suspense, creating issues that would remain present through the story, developing as the adventure unfolded. 

When the story finally reached its end, the crowd cheered and Xellos was no longer pretending to sleep. "She has more of an imagination than I thought. Not bad," he had to give her credit. 

"Miss Onyx, she did it!" Phythan cheered happily. "This proves it, justice will bring good things to those who put their trust in it!" 

"That was too much of a gamble!" Filia scolded. It might have been a happy occasion in the end, but she didn't want Phythan to get into trouble in the future for taking unnecessary risks. "Don't take risks like this again. Trusting justice is one thing and leaving things to chance is another. You have to be careful and work towards what you want to achieve instead of becoming a victim of circumstance!" 

"I understand, Miss Filia," he didn't really, but at least he was trying to. From Phythan's confused interpretation, he assumed that Filia was somehow telling him to be a good husband, though he did not feel exactly ready to be a husband at all. Maybe Onyx would be okay with having a long engagement. 

The judges casted their votes, which pleased the crowd. Xellos knew there was no use in arguing because if he voted against Onyx while Filia voted for her, the crowd would have to break the tie between their two selected candidates. Given that Onyx would win anyway, Xellos decided to join the winning team. 

The losers were not pleased. They couldn't believe that this girl could weave such a wondrous tale out of her short notes with so little planning. They seemed to be just about ready to attack, but stopped when they were taken by surprise by Onyx's announcement. "My prize will be auctioned to the highest bidder!" 

"What?" Phythan and Filia exclaimed in a shocked chorus. 

Xellos laughed with real amusement. "She is a master of plot twists, so we should have expected the unexpected." 

"She can't do that!" Filia adamantly declared, then she whipped her head around so fast that Xellos who was next to her, got a slap from her hair. She glared at Celo who had remained up on the balcony with them while Tiffany was on the arena with Onyx and the other contestants. "Can she do that?" 

"Phythan's engagement is her prize to do with as she pleases. This is Onyx business," Celo approved. "Besides, it wouldn't' be fair to force Onyx into marriage, she wasn't the one to bet her freedom, Phythan was the fool." 

Phythan looked like he was about to cry, "I'm doomed, aren't I? Oh what a fool I was to leave things to luck, my luck is usually decently good," which was a very subjective observation, "but it had to run out some time." 

"This wasn't a battle of luck, it was a battle of talent," Celo corrected. "However, it wasn't your own talent that was being tested, so you never stood a chance. You left this in the hands of someone else." 

"I think I understand what Miss Filia was trying to say. This really was a foolish risk. I should have simply escaped the situation by saying something neutral and ambiguous like 'I reserve judgment' or 'no comment' but it's too late for that now!" Phythan agonized. 

"I bid a thousand gold coins!" Medusa called out. 

"Two thousand!" The mud colored wolfman shouted. 

"Two thousand and one!" A young human girl bid. 

"What kind of a way to outbid is that, girly?" An old woman criticized, "I bid three thousand, five hundred and seventy two gold coins!" 

"Four thousand!" The wolfman argued. 

"Rats, those were all my savings," the old woman went away grumbling under her breath. 

"Bid five thousand!" A voice shouted from the audience near the balcony. 

A young woman with glasses far larger than what was needed to cover her eyes, in turn shouted, "five thousand gold coins!" Her hair was purple and she wore a helmet. 

"Hmm..." Phythan looked thoughtful for a moment. "That purple haired girl is kind of cute. I do like intellectuals best." 

"Whatever happened to not being vain? I suppose I should expect nothing less of a golden dragon," Xellos teased. 

Phythan slapped both hands over his mouth, trying to pretend he had not said anything. He considered arguing that you couldn't see intellect, so it couldn't be classified as vanity, but then Xellos would probably just point out his comment about the woman being cute. Feeling that he had hopelessly lost the argument already, the distressed golden dragon decided to remain silent. 

"Don't get your hopes up for her." The same voice from the audience near the balcony spoke again, this time directly addressing Phythan. 

Phythan, Celo, Xellos and Filia recognized the owner of the voice, or at least they recognized her from the neck down as they couldn't see her face. It was a good thing they couldn't see it, or else they might have been turned to stone. "Galathia! Why are you here?" Phythan asked, already fearing the worse. 

"I'm here to compete for you, of course. If I win you fair and square, I'm sure Beast Master will allow us to be together. She allows Celo and Xellos to have golden dragon lovers after all." Galathia revealed, speaking from behind her thick veil. "I'm not very good at coming up with stories myself, so I hired a representative. I didn't expect for her talents to be surpassed, though I'm sure we can all agree that she deserves at least third place after Onyx and Medusa." 

"Seven thousand!" Medusa defiantly shouted at the arena below. 

"Miss pretty nerd is your representative?" It seemed that Phythan couldn't catch a break. He would be kicking himself for his hasty action of giving his future over to justice probably for the rest of his life. "Isn't that cheating?" 

"Not really," Celo smiled assuring, as if it was supposed to be good news. 

"Eight thousand!" Galathia yelled, with her representative relaying the message. "I can't wait for us to get married, how I long for your kiss and so much more my sexy dragon!" The gorgon monster declared at the top of her lungs. 

"Wouldn't that turn me to stone?" Phythan stuttered, though perhaps being turned to stone would be a mercy, given the circumstances. 

"Not if you close your eyes, lover," Galathia winked though no one could actually see it. She tried to speak in her most seductive voice, which just sounded snake-like and creepy. 

"Nine thousand and that's my final offer!" The mud colored wolfman declared. 

"If you're not willing to go all the way, then move over, hairball!" Medusa challenged. "I bid ten thousand gold coins!" 

"I grow tired of this," Galathia grinned confidently behind her veil. "Fifteen thousand!" The large bid was repeated and made official by her representative. 

"I... I don't want to get married!" Phythan started crying an exaggerated waterfall of tears all of a sudden. 

"You can't escape your fate, let's not forget you allowed me to place you under a magical oath as part of the final arrangements of the competition," Celo reminded. "If you break your word, there will be dire consequences." He revealed the scroll with Phythan's signature. "Even death..." Celo warned ominously, which only made Phythan despair even more. 

"Twenty thousand!" Medusa shouted. Getting angry, Galathia made her way from the audience benches into the arena. "What are you doing?" The jellyfish woman gave the gorgon an accusing look. 

"This girl is my representative, so I have the right to be here!" Galathia defended. "I'll take it from here; I left your payment with that handsome blue haired man that was with you." 

"You gave him my money?" The purple haired girl didn't seem at all pleased. "I better catch up to him before he spends it all buying cat toys for Alfador!" She ran off in a hurry. 

Continuing with her business, Galathia made her next bid, "thirty thousand gold coins!" 

Medusa rose to the challenge with great determination. "Fifty thousand!" 

"One hundred thousand!" Galathia retorted confidently. 

"Two hundred thousand!" Medusa doubled the offer. 

"Five hundred thousand!" Galathia challenged. It finally looked like Medusa was unable to fight back. 

The suspense hung in the air as Medusa gave the wailing Phythan a dramatic look and finally spoke, "one million, five hundred thousand gold coins!" Medusa tripled the offer and the crowd went wild. 

"I refuse to lose, that yummy dragon is mine!" Galathia was ready to be buried in debt for the rest of her life all for the sake of catching a handsome husband that would be otherwise virtually impossible to obtain. "Two million!" 

"Three million!" Medusa countered. 

Galathia glared under her veil. "Fine, you win. That clumsy dragon probably would have opened his eyes at the wrong moment and gotten himself turned to stone anyway. I can get handsome statues for far less than this sum." Defeated, the monster faded to the astral side. 

Unknown to his previous traveling companions, Kalio had made his way into the arena stadium to watch the show. 'Amazing, I have never seen a woman show such fiery determination for the sake of the man she loves,' he thought as he witnessed the events from the audience. 'Phythan doesn't know how fortunate he is to have such a devoted woman after his heart...' 

"Three million going once!" Onyx announced, making a small pause before continuing, "three million going twice!" 

"Ten million gold coins!" Filia shouted out from the VIP balcony. 

"You can't bid! You didn't enter the contest and you don't have a representative!" Medusa argued defensively. 

"The contest is over! Onyx has already won the prize and decided to auction it to the highest bidder. The auction has nothing to do with the competition, it's a separate business deal and I can bid if I want to!" Filia defended her point fiercely. She couldn't stand to see poor Phythan be forced to marry someone he didn't love. She intended to give him back his freedom. "In the same sense, once I win this auction I can do what I please with the prize, including returning his freedom. Phythan, the choice of who to marry and when to marry is yours, please don't risk it so foolishly again." 

"Miss Filia, you're so kind, thank you so much!" Phythan cheered. 

"Twenty million!" Medusa shouted back, refusing to give up. 

"You don't have that much money!" Filia argued. 

"You don't have enough money to back up your bid of ten million!" Medusa threw back the argument. 

"Yes I do!" Filia presented a seal with the silhouette of a wolf's head with angry eyes and wings in the background. "This seal is proof of the Metallium family fortune!" 

"Hey! That's my seal!" Xellos argued. "When did you steal that from me?" 

"A few minutes ago," Filia confessed. "Don't tell me you didn't notice me sticking my hand into your pants pocket. 

Xellos pouted in annoyance, with a hint of disappointment. "I did notice, but I never would have guessed you had such inappropriate intentions. Or rather, I thought you had inappropriate intentions of a different nature." 

"Shut up raw garbage, you're the one who's always getting too grabby!" Filia accused. 

"I really don't want to hear this!" Phythan protested. 

"Honestly, neither do I," Celo agreed. 

Blushing bright red, Filia tried to get back into topic. "Anyway, the point is that this seal serves as proof of my-" 

"Lover's" Xellos inserted the word. 

"Financial status," Filia finished with a glare. "What will it be, Onyx? Will you accept my offer, or waste the auction on a bankrupt false bidder?" 

"Security is important in finances," Onyx determined. "Can you present proof of your economical standing?" 

"I..." Medusa looked fearful and defeated as a few bitter tears escaped her. "I cannot..." The jellyfish woman gave Phythan one last glance before dramatically declaring. "I'm sorry I'm not good enough for you, Phythan, but even if I'm a poor insignificant jellyfish girl, I'll always love you!" Then she ran out of the arena crying loudly and abundantly. 

"Ten million gold coins going once!" After Medusa's theatrical exit, Onyx continued the auction. "Ten million gold coins going twice!" There was a dramatic pause during which no one dared to speak. "Sold, to Filia Ul Copt!" Once again the crowd cheered wildly. 

"Filia, do you have any idea how long it's going to take me to pay up the debt you just acquired in my name?" Xellos reproached in annoyance. 

"I'm sorry, but I had to do something!" Filia kept her determination strong, though she still managed to look apologetic. "I'll pay you back if you give me a reasonable payment plan," she offered. 

Xellos gave it some thought, "there are other ways for you to compensate me," he grinned mischievously with a wink. 

Filia blushed, remembering that they had an audience, "let's talk about this later." Taking a deep breath to calm herself after the suspenseful auction, Filia tried to clear her head of the implications of Xellos' suggestion and addressed Phythan. "You're free now Phythan, you can follow your heart and fall in love naturally with no pressure. Just make sure you're careful in the future. As the new owner of your magical oath, I hereby free you from it!" On Filia's command, the contract Celo still held turned to dust and Phythan was freed from his promise. 

"Kind Miss Filia, I'll make sure to pay you back for what you've done, even if it's little by little," Phythan assured. "Then if one day I become a famous artist and sell lots of comics I'll pay you the rest of the debt in one go with interest!" 

"It's okay, you don't have to do that," Filia ruffled his hair like an older sister to her baby brother, never mind that he was taller than her. 

"This isn't over yet!" Medusa suddenly levitated towards the balcony with a slingshot in hand armed with a very suspicious looking berry. "My beloved, give into the embrace of absolute passion!" Medusa shot the berry straight at Phythan with great speed. 

"No!" Filia jumped in front of him, trying to save the innocent Phythan from falling pray to the lustful effect that those specific berries had on dragons. Unfortunately, other then jumping in front of Phythan, Filia didn't actually have time to raise her hand to catch the berry projectile and it flew right into her mouth. With an expression of horror, Filia gravely declared, "I swallowed it..." 

"Was that what I think it was?" Tiffany levitated over to the balcony and seized Celo by the ear. "I told you to stop selling those dangerous berries at the resort!" 

"Ow! Ow! I thought it would be safe enough as long as I kept them away from you!" Celo tried to excuse himself, but Tiffany kept angrily pulling his ear. 

"Such underhanded tactics..." Tiffany growled menacingly, "guards, get her!" A group of guards dressed in classic gladiator armor levitated to try to arrest Medusa. 

"You haven't seen the last of me! The flame of love still burns in my heart! Ray Wing!" Medusa made a speedy get away, with the gladiator guards chasing after her and disappearing in the distant sky. 

"This is terrible!" Phythan grimaced. "I feel guilty about hurting Miss Medusa's feelings and I feel awful about you taking a poisonous berry for me." 

"Don't worry about me," Filia forced herself to smile as serenely as possible. "I have an antidote." 

"I guess you mean me," Xellos gladly volunteered. 

"Don't complain, you were far worse as a golden dragon and that was without berries!" Filia retorted. 

"As I recall, you weren't even kind enough to properly assist me with the problem until later, you inconsiderate stupid dragon. Besides, I'm not complaining," Xellos grinned mischievously. "I'm not complaining at all... Let's go find a private place to... heal you. Ray Wing!" 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 078: Vengeful! The Dragon Slayers' Secret

As Xellos and Filia flew away, Phythan couldn't help it but to innocently wonder. "Why can't Xellos give Filia the antidote here? Maybe it's some kind of complicated spell that requires a lot of concentration and that's why they need to go somewhere without any distractions." He theorized. 

Celo laughed nervously, while Tiffany was still abusing his ear. "I just hope she doesn't kill him, dragons can be so sadistic sometimes..." he muttered under his breath. 

"What did you say, Mr. Celo?" Phythan inquired as he did not quite catch the remark. 

"I said my ear's about to come off!" Celo complained. 

Phythan had finally learned his lesson when it came to letting his mouth run away with too many words. He didn't want Tiffany's anger to somehow extend to him if he pleaded for mercy on Celo. Thus he wisely declared, "no comment. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find Miss Medusa and properly apologize or this guilt won't let me live in peace." He transformed, once again paying no mind to the many witnesses, then flew off. At least most of the crowd appreciated the show. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, far away, for the purpose of furthering her training, a white dragon girl visited Celestina's villa one day. She was received by the girls who studied under her guidance and was granted an audience with the mysterious lady. The beautiful white dragon, who went by the name of Kirei Ivory, approached Celestina in her garden. "My lady, I have come to request your instruction." Her voice was clear, melodious and very formal. 

"You think you have chosen power over reputation, but in reality you merely render a service. By forcing upon yourself discipline and artificial determination, you are killing the desires of your heart. Far from leading to balance, such mechanical pursuits lead to emptiness. A pity as you could, should you permit such a thing of yourself, have a very strong heart. Should you persist in acting rather than living, you are destined to be consumed." Celestina spoke calmly yet with great authority. "Go..." 

Never had Kirei been so shaken in her life. She left the villa in disappointment and judged herself unworthy. Far from properly heeding the warning as it was meant, she returned to her secluded home with her clan and intensified her training. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At Amor Resort, the day after the auction started out as a relatively peaceful one. Filia and Xellos were nowhere to be found. Those who knew nothing of the previous day's occurrences assumed they were somewhere around the resort and would turn up soon enough. Those who knew of the previous day's occurrences concluded that it was best not to bother them. Onyx had started working on some edits for her novel, while Tiffany dragged Celo around, making him get rid of all the dangerous dragon lust berries. With Amelia and Zelgadis still off on their romantic vacation and Fang taking a long nap after spending the whole previous night eating pet treats, that left Lina and Gourry as the most suitable candidates for a certain mission that Tiffany gave them before she went off with Celo. 

The gluttonous duo had been assigned the task of finding Phythan and making sure he didn't stupidly get himself into more trouble than he could handle. Despite being good with luck spells, he was ironically, also good at getting into trouble. Perhaps he didn't cast those spells often enough. With a generous payment being offered half in advance and another half still waiting to be claimed, of course Lina was more than willing to help out. Thus she set out to track down the dragon that had apparently gone off to find the jellyfish that he was trying to get away from the previous day. It made no sense, there was something about apologizing to her, but since when would someone need to apologize to a stalker? Who cares, Lina got paid and that was all that mattered. 

After levitating all around above the resort looking for clues, Lina was starting to get tired and of course hungry. She landed on one of a series of protuberant cliffs on the edge of the shores of the Amor Resort island. Taking in a breath of salty beach air, she loudly called out, "Phythan! Where are you?" 

Kally and Kalio landed near Lina and Gourry unexpectedly, after having spotted them from the ground and followed them. Before they could explain why they were there, another voice replied. "Miss Lina?" 

Those above the cliff searched around for the source of the voice, which seemed to be originating from below. They levitated under the beach-side cliff to find a cavity hidden under the shade of the long cliff with the calm ocean waves reaching into it. "Phythan, this is where you were all along? Why are you in this place?" 

"I was flying around looking for Miss Medusa to apologize about hurting her feelings, then I felt dizzy and fell in the ocean. I would have drowned if not because a few friendly sea creatures help me reach this place," Phythan explained. 

"Well, I found you, so that means my job is done! Tiffany's worried about you. She probably thinks that Medusa girl kidnapped you or something." When it was all said and done, Lina was glad to have gotten an easy job out of the equation after all. 

"Actually, I wasn't able to find Miss Medusa at all," Phythan, who was looking feverish with a tint of red on his face, tried to get up but fell back into a sitting position. "I'm sorry, Miss Lina, could you tell Tifa I'm okay, I think I might have to stay here for a while. I have a really bad headache and the ocean waves help me relax." 

Kally and Kalio had matching sour looks on their faces. "Sister, are you certain?" Kalio inquired about something that only the Kalamari siblings seemed to be aware of. 

"There's no doubt about it, this is the will of Ceifeed, it is the guidance I requested as a shrine maiden. Brother, this is our answer, we must do this," Kally insisted strongly. 

"Right, then I will fight with everything I have!" Kalio bravely declared. 

Gourry blinked in his usual clueless fashion. "I'm confused," he informed with a smile. He was confused all the time anyway, so it was nothing to make a fuss about. 

"Me too," Phythan added. 

"Me three," Lina agreed, "which means the situation actually is confusing. It would be nothing if it was just these two getting lost, but if the brilliant Lina Inverse is puzzled, something strange is going on." 

Kally and Kalio both looked unsure, as if they held a dark secret that was about to be revealed. "I'll tell them if you're certain," Kalio offered. 

"I was the one who asked for Ceifeed's guidance and received it, I will tell them," Kally insisted. 

"I don't care which one of you tells us whatever it is you're going to tell us, as long as you tell us fast!" Lina impatiently rushed, her face showing that it was not a good idea to make her wait any longer. 

Kally took a deep breath and began to reveal the story that was a heavy burden for her and her brother. "A long time ago, around nine hundred years ago, there was a town in the world outside the barrier where a group of golden dragons kept humans as slaves, even when the majority of their race frowned upon it. Through a series of events that have received varied interpretations over the years, the town was freed by a pair of travelers, a dragon and a human. The town then became a symbol of peace between the dragons and the humans. However, there were some humans who wished for vengeance and were not willing to forgive the golden dragons. They unfairly judged their whole race as being as evil as the monsters and set out to form a clan of dragon slayers." 

Though he had left the task of telling the story to his sister, Kalio couldn't resist but to add to it too. "The dragon slayer clan continued to exist through the generations, living up to its name. At some point, the clan was split into two. There were some who wished to make the dragons their servants and went to extremes with cruel methods. The other half of the clan only slew the dragons that got too close to human villages. The extremists were eventually found and punished by the golden dragons." 

"Even so, some of their poisonous recipes were left behind," Kally continued. "That included some peculiar berries which I saw in this resort. They can be in a sense, rather dangerous if ingested by a golden dragon, but the effects are not deadly or permanent." She didn't think it was really necessary to elaborate beyond that. There were no more vital historical explanations for the time being, thus Kally moved on to the main point. "My brother and I are descendants of the Dragon Slayer clan." Rightfully so, both Lina and Phythan's surprise became visible in their facial expressions. As expected, Gourry was just as confused as ever, smiling dumbly. 

"We disagreed with their ways," Kalio assured. "That is why we left as soon as the barrier fell and journeyed to the land that was within it before. We realized that the golden dragon race as a whole wasn't bad. The dragons that had been cruel to humans nine hundred ears ago were a minority. Plus in more recent years the golden dragon race has become more receptive to building peaceful relationships with humans." 

Kally nodded in agreement as a specific event came to mind. "Prince Philionel sent out people to try to contact the golden dragons and ask for their assistance in helping the lands that were affected by the famine. They responded more readily than anyone expected and have been working alongside Seyruun, Taforashia and other kingdoms. After Princess Amelia's report was received, soldiers from Seyruun were dispatched and were told to be on the lookout for situations in which the land's nutrients were being drained away. They found lesser manifestations of the symptoms, but no culprits were identified." 

"I see, then the Green Alchemist's minions are still out there collecting energy from the land. The only difference is that they're being sneakier about it, taking only a little from here and there," Lina concluded. "It might not seem like much right now, but the strain will pile up eventually and future harvests will steadily decrease. Plus the farm lands that were most severely affected were left in such a barren state that they'll be dependant on supplies from other lands for a while." 

"Yes, they'll have to rely on a different form of commerce that's not based on the products of the land if they are to recover," Kalio agreed. "Not even the golden dragons can restore the health of the land fast enough for it to be possible to harvest any time soon. At least it has been reported that the magic of the golden dragons that blessed other lands less severely affected has proven to be beneficial." 

"I confess we tried to run away," Kally revealed, going back into the topic they had started. "I wished for guidance and felt that my brother and I were destined to face our past. We were happy living in Seyruun, then Nai shows up, calling herself Onyx, with seemingly no memories about our clan. She's so different but I'm sure she's the same person!" 

"Wait a minute!" The mention of Onyx caught Phythan's attention. "You know Miss Onyx, you knew her from before? Please tell us about her!" 

Once again deviating from the warning Kally intended to give, she took a moment to elaborate upon the inquiry. "Nai was born in the dragon slayer clan; however, she cannot use magic. She also reacts negatively to it. Despite living in what is known as the outer world, the dragon slayers trained in magic, making us a rare group in a land were most people don't have knowledge of magic. Our ancestors originally gained the knowledge by observing the golden dragons while in captivity and developed it further from that basis. I believe the reason Nai cannot use magic is because of a genetic condition. As such, she would be at a disadvantage as a dragon slayer, a liability many would say, thus she was never trained to be one." 

"I see," Lina allowed the information to sink in. She tried to understand Onyx, who was originally called Nai, to try to figure out what the Lord of Nightmares could possibly want with her. "It must have been hard for her then. Was she rejected by her clan?" 

"Not exactly, though in a sense yes..." Kally elaborated, "she could never reach the rank of the magic users, the rank of a true dragon slayers. But she could help in other ways, working around the village, preparing the slayers equipment, meals and so on. Although, her father was a prominent dragon slayer, so she never had to do much. Her older sister who was capable of using magic, albeit she was only an average dragon slayer in terms of skill, was always praised for her hard work and dedication. Nai on the other hand was a daddy's girl whom her father always sheltered, perhaps he thought she needed more support from him because of her lack of magic and rank." 

"Everyone knew that Nai didn't really get along with her sister," Kalio added. "I guess no one can blame Nai, she didn't choose to be born with her condition and it was her father who deprived her of the chance to become self sufficient with his well intended care. Even so, I think she was content to hang around her father's house and read comics all day." 

"Until her niece and nephew were born," Kally followed up. "Kalio and I had already left by then, but Nai was my friend and I was secretly exchanging correspondence with her. With her father retiring to a peaceful old age and her sister and brother-in-law busy with work, Nai often got stuck babysitting. The twins were spoiled brats and Nai hated having to baby-sit, she always said she disliked children, but I think it was just those two hyper brats that she disliked." 

After a bitter paused, Kally continued, "one day, a dragon attacked the village and Nai's house was burned down. They managed to slay the dragon, but Nai's father gave his life to make sure she and her sister's children were safe. Nai was never close with her mother, who always compared her with her sister, so with her father gone and all her possessions burned to ashes, she had no reason to stay with the clan. She said she was going on a journey to find a new life and that was the last I heard of her. She used to be such a dreamer, always hoping that her prince charming would take her away from the clan, although her luck with men was pretty bad." 

Lina was perplexed. Onyx held no power or rank in her past and she didn't appear to be someone who could be used as a hostage for ransom either. What could the Lord of Nightmares want with her? Was it all random? Was Nai simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? What magic did the Lord of Nightmares seal in her? Was it only done because Lina and the others were near by, to play with their heads? If the magic was sealed into her memories, then it was evident that she would have to fully recover her memories to release it, but was it a trap? "Pandora's box..." Lina muttered in uncertainty. 

Not understanding, Kally inquired, "what do you mean? What has happened to Nai?" Lina shook her head; there was no need to involve more people in the lord of Nightmares' business. Kally paused, thinking about insisting, but then let things be. Kally had chosen not to speak to Nai until Nai, or rather Onyx, spoke to her, so she shouldn't go asking someone else. "About what we were getting to before," at long last, she finally revealed what needed to be said. "After the attack on the dragon slayer village, we heard that the clan decided to adopt their ancestors' ways and once again become nomads." 

"We kept in contact with the blacksmiths and suppliers that assisted the clan on occasion, as their numbers have decreased over time. More people kept getting tired of their senseless battles and abandoned the dragon slayers," Kalio revealed, adding with some bitterness. "But of course, anyone is willing to help their cause if the proper number of coins is given." Lina made no comment on the subject of monetary rewards, instead remaining silent to allow Kalio to continue. "Since dealings with people from outside the clan have increased out of the necessity of the smaller clan, rumors always run faster and money can also buy information." 

"Even if they are wrong, what's left of the clan were once our comrades," Kally sadly declared. "There are certain golden dragons that grow a horn similar to a unicorn's horn. This doesn't happen to all golden dragons; it is a rare genetic trait of only a few golden dragons with mixed dimos dragon ancestry. This particular horn is different from the horns other golden dragons have and can be identified by its glow. If the horn is removed, a very sharp blade can be crafted from it." 

Lina connected the dots and looked at Phythan, "the horn you have when you transform. It glows, but it's kind of small. Lately it's been glowing brighter though." 

"Horn?" Gourry curiously voiced. "That thing on Phythan's forehead is a horn? Wasn't that just a zit?" 

Pouting deeply Phythan argued, "how can anyone have such a big and pointy zit that glows? Although I'll admit it is small for a horn. Now that I think about it, I got a headache like the one I have now when that horn first started to grow out a few years ago." 

"Since you've been giving us rides now and then, it stands to reason that someone could have seen it," Lina added. 

"Exactly," Kalio confirmed. "The dragon slayer clan will come after Phythan. My sister and I did not wish to fight our past comrades and reasoned that everyone would be safe enough in Seyruun, so we both came up with reasons to leave. Then we met up on the road and ended up traveling here together. Maybe it is an inescapable sign that the time has come for us to face the past. The dragon slayer clan has surely followed Phythan here. It is only a matter of time before they seize the opportunity to attack." 

"Than we have an upcoming battle on our hands," Lina concluded. 

"I was still living with the golden dragons at the time when this horn first started to grow out and went to see a doctor about it. He said I shouldn't expect my horn to grow out completely until I was five hundred and that's still almost a hundred years away. I wonder why it grew out so soon..." Phythan mused aloud. Giving it some further thought, he added as a voiced personal musing more so than a piece of information, "maybe those vitamins Zelas gave me were better than I thought. Monsters have a good side to them after all." 

"Vitamins..." Lina noted. Maybe the fact that Zelas decided to accept Phythan as her intern was no coincidence after all. Those vitamins couldn't have been something she gave him merely for his health either. No doubt about it, Zelas must have been trying to make that horn come out sooner, but why? Could she be interested in the weapon that could possibly be crafted from Phythan's horn if it were to be removed? Each new clue brought a group of questions along with it. One step forward and two steps back... "Let's be ready," Lina finally spoke. "When the dragon slayers attack, we can't let them slay Phythan and steal his horn. Gourry and I will help out too." Everything was connected somehow, Lina knew it was, she just wasn't sure how. 'The plans of the Lord of Nightmares...' the redhead sorceress mused, 'Zelas, how much do you know about it that you're not telling us?' 

To be Continued


	27. Chapter 27

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 079: Thankful! Little Miracles

Lina, Kally, Kalio and Phythan were trying to come up with a plan to defend against the dragon slayers' expected attack. They remained in the small cave under the seaside cliff, planning and plotting, all except for Gourry, who just sat around relaxing to the sound of the calm ocean waves. The peace and quiet was interrupted by a sudden voice, which came from a certain troublesome jellyfish woman, who levitated just above the waves in front of the cavern's entrance. "Phythan, I found you! Oh, Gourry's here too, the pain of heartbreaks past and present." 

"Miss Medusa, I was looking for you," Phythan wasn't sure how she managed to find him, but he might as well get his apology out. "I wanted to apologize for-" 

"Don't lie to me!" The heartbroken jellyfish cried. "You weren't looking for me, you were hiding from me. Oh cruel love! If I can't have you, no one can!" She laughed insanely, in a far creepier way than Martina and Naga put together. "I've made new friends; they were the ones that told me where to find you. When I confessed what a horrible heartbreaker you are, toying with the emotions of an innocent maiden before cruelly abandoning her with an eternally broken heart, they agreed to assist me in your punishment!" Medusa shouted and sobbed at the same time as if it were all a scene from a very bad soap opera. "My heartbreaks past and present, you shell both drown!" 

"Put a sock in it!" Lina yelled all of a sudden as she slapped Medusa across the face. "Are you going to spend the rest of your life whining because some guy dumped you? You're pathetic! Grow some guts and move on!" Lina's speech was interrupted by the arrival of a tidal wave that swept away all those inhabiting the area and threw them to the sea. Lina emerged from the water and started to levitate right above it. "Where did that gigantic wave come from?" 

Gourry, who was floating in the water next to Lina, felt accomplished that he knew the answer. "It came from the ocean." Lina decided that such an obvious reply should not be dignified with a reaction beyond a simple groan. 

"That wave was made by my friends!" Medusa victoriously declared as she began to levitate next to Lina. "Although, they could have waited for me to get out of the way..." She added addressing the ocean. 

Several small rounded heads started peeking out from the waves where Phythan, Kally and Kalio were still floating in the water next to Gourry. "Sorry Miss Medusa, we'll be careful next time!" One of the sea creatures spoke as they became visible on the water's surface. 

"Octopus..." Kally's eyes widened as all the color was drained from her face. "Octopi!" She screamed at the top of her lungs and Ray Winged her way out of there, throwing the levitating Lina and Medusa back into the sea. 

"I don't know what that was," Medusa surfaced in the water, levitating once more. "But it doesn't matter, that girl has nothing to do with this anyway." She backed away in the air allowing her army of octopi to take the front lines. "Go my friends; drown the terrible men that broke my heart!" 

Lina was ready to go on the attack, Gourry couldn't fly and fighting from the water would put him at a disadvantage. Phythan was ill, which left her and Kalio as the main attack force of the team. She glanced at the magic using swordsman about to mention something akin to a plan of attack, but it didn't look like Kalio was quite all there. 

"I hate octopi," Kalio's voice was ominous and could be classified as murderous. "I hate octopi!" With some well controlled levitation, it looked as if he was running on the water's surface, swinging his sword wildly, slashing away at all the octopi that got in his way. There was no stopping him, he was completely berserk. 

Severed tentacles rained upon the water, giving Lina an idea. "That's it!" She helped Gourry out of the water with one hand, forming a ball of fire in the other. "Hey, Phythan, do you think you can manage a levitation spell in your condition?" 

"Yes, I can at least do that," Phythan joined Lina and Gourry in the air, levitating above the water, while Kalio still continued going crazy with his octopus killing spree. "I think there's something really wrong with Mr. Kalio," Phythan stated the obvious. 

"Let's make the best of the situation, Fireball!" Lina shot several fireballs in rapid succession at the water below, where the octopi were being torn to pieces. Soon, a peculiar scent filled the air. 

Gourry curiously grabbed one of the tentacles from the water, "it's octopus soup!" He bit down on the cooked limb. "The salty water really gives it a nice flavor!" 

"Don't eat it all yourself!" Lina protested. She felt oddly proud of herself for having prepared a delicious meal that Gourry enjoyed. 

"Here," Gourry held out a piece of octopus for Lina to eat. Without a second thought, she bit into the octopus meat, not thinking about how she might look being fed by her fiance. 

Phythan looked at the banquet in the water and wrinkled his nose in distaste. "I think I'll pass. Besides, those octopi saved my life. I wouldn't feel right eating them no matter how good they might taste." 

"Octopus! Octopus!" Kalio floated above the water, swinging his sword wildly at the empty air in front of him. "I hate octopi!" He looked around like a wild animal searching for prey to dismember, but he had already massacred all the octopi. "Octopus! There's one left, die!" 

Medusa was levitating above the water a few feet away, trembling in fright, scared out of her mind. "No, I'm not an octopus, I'm a jellyfish!" 

Kalio only partially heard Medusa; he was starting to wake up from his berserk trance, but his sword was already heading towards Medusa. He tried to stop himself, he tried to hold back, but his blade still reached her, albeit he managed to hold back enough not to kill her. The injured jellyfish woman let out an earsplitting wail of pain as the cold steel of Kalio's sword made a diagonal cut across her face, which was also her torso considering she was such an odd being. "What have I done?" Kalio cried out in horror, "what have I done?" He dived into the water to rescue the sinking injured jellyfish then quickly Ray Winged to another location to treat Medusa's wounds. 

"They're gone," Phythan once again felt the need to state the obvious. Everything happened so fast. Medusa's arrival, her attack with the octopi, Kally's panic, Kalio's berserk rage, Medusa's injury, Kalio's retreat with Medusa... It was mind boggling and what was even more perplexing was that Lina and Gourry were so focused on the food and each other that they seemed to have missed the conclusion of the dramatic events. "Miss Lina, Mr. Gourry, Miss Medusa and Mr. Kalio left!" 

"Thesh lash teh-tah-clesh ish minefh!" Translated, Lina's speech between her teeth meant 'The last tentacle is mine'. The sound impediment was due to the fact that she had said tentacle in her mouth as she spoke. 

"Nofh fairsh!" Gourry retorted in the same way, which in normal speech would have come out as 'not fair'. They both kept competing for the octopus meat until they each consumed half of the last piece, their lips meeting after the last bite of food. 

Phythan backed away slowly, then went on a full retreat. He remembered Fluffy and Ice-cream accidentally did something like that in a special edition Valentines' Day comic while distractedly eating spaghetti, but he had never seen it being done with an octopus tentacle. Either way, he figured Lina and Gourry were busy, so it was time for him to leave and let his cousin know that he was alright. That dip in the ocean seemed to wake him from his dizziness enough to journey back to the wooden clock tower at least. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

For what was left of the day, Kalio and Medusa remained missing, while the disoriented Kally didn't remember anything past the point of the tidal wave. She regrouped with the others at the wooden clock tower, where she learned of the happenings as eloquently told by Lina when she showed up to collect her pay. Of course, the word octopus was conveniently omitted from the narrative for Kally's benefit. As a result of the recent events, Kally resolved to go search for her brother. 

Tiffany advised Phythan to remain at the clock tower, where Onyx also was. That left Lina with yet another overpaid job as a bodyguard, which meant she got to laze about eating snacks and reading comics along with Phythan and Onyx, while accumulating more coins to her name. Life was good, for her at least. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A new day began at Amor Resort with Kally still out looking for Kalio and Lina still enjoying her easy employment. Elsewhere, at one of the resorts many luxurious honey moon suites, Filia parted the curtains, moved the glass door aside and stepped into the balcony of her and Xellos' room. She took in a deep breath of morning air, feeling revitalized after taking some time to... rest. She felt Xellos coming up behind her, but before he could throw out some kind of snide remark about her hair being messy since she just woke up, never mind that his hair had not been brushed yet either, a familiar melody invaded the sound waves. A small bird perched himself on the balcony, chirping contently. 

"Delivering news of an emergency in such a cheerful tone?" Xellos inquired. "Who said you could copy me?" Curious to see what could be annoying enough to have Jarde in such a good mood, Xellos took the small paper the bird carried. "This isn't for me." 

Filia caught sight of the name on the envelope and snatched away the letter. "Last time I wrote to Jillas and Gravos I included instructions about how to summon courier birds, I guess this means they figured it out. I can't wait to read what they have to say!" 

"Judging by how happy Jarde sounded, it has to be pretty bad," Xellos reminded. 

"Maybe he wasn't copying your sarcasm," Filia refused to believe anything could be wrong with her family until she confirmed it, though a part of her was starting to worry. 

"He was chanting 'emergency, emergency!' I'm pretty sure that's what he was saying," Xellos insisted with a cheerful grin. 

Filia huffed, her best plan of action was to simply open the letter and prove that there was nothing wrong. But that wasn't good enough; she had to throw some kind of comeback at Xellos. It had to be something that would really annoy him. Something that he couldn't counter with criticism of his own, something like a compliment. "It's really cute that you can understand Jarde," she petted the small bird gently. "He's a monster, but he's so cute and it's just adorable when he communicates with you." 

Xellos crossed his arms and glared, "stupid dragon," he grumbled in annoyance while Filia grinned victoriously. 

Unfortunately, Filia's victory was short lived, because the letter she held really did bring news of an emergency. Her eyes widened as they took in the words written on the letter. Her expression became a sharp contrast to what it was before, she was worried, perhaps even terrified. "Something's wrong with Val," her hands trembled as they gripped the sheet of paper. "Jillas and Gravos can't figure out what to do, but they think something's really wrong. I need to go home right away!" Without waiting for Xellos' reply, Filia ordered Jarde, "find Fang and tell him to come here!" The bird was too small to transport her via the astral side, but Fang should have enough power to take her the long distance with ease. 

Jarde chirped indignantly and turned his back on Filia, standing on the balcony railing. He was a courier; he delivered letters and occasionally small packages. It was true that he could communicate with Fang well enough to get the fox to follow him, but that wasn't what he did. He delivered written messages. 

Filia grabbed the stubborn bird, holding him tightly in her hand and shaking him. "Go get Fang this instant or else!" 

Jarde squeaked in fear and faded to the astral side while Xellos gave Filia a nod of approval. Only a few seconds passed before Jarde returned with Fang, though it felt like much too long for Filia. Once Fang had arrived, Filia wasted no time in demanding to be taken to her home town. Thus Filia, Xellos and Fang, faded into the astral side for a trip that Filia knew would turn her stomach upside down, but this was the fastest way to go and there was no time to waste. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia faded into existence in her living room, stumbling around with her hands on her stomach. "Going through the astral side always leaves me disoriented, but the longer the trip the worse it is." She soon became alert to the sounds coming from Val's room and hurried over, followed by Xellos and Fang. "What's happening?" 

Filia's sudden entry startled Jillas and Gravos, who were crowded around Elena, with Palou running in circles around them as if that would help the situation in any way, though one couldn't blame an energetic child for being an energetic child. Fortunately, Elena was able to stay calm and keep a gentle hold on the glowing dragon egg that had been given to her to watch over. She was a mother, thus Jillas and Gravos assumed she would know what to do about Val's glowing pulsations, since she had experience taking care of a baby. Never mind that this baby was of an entirely different species. "Val is glowing and pulsating, I told Jillas and Gravos that I thought he was hatching, but they're afraid it might be some kind of serious illness." 

Filia observed the glowing and pulsating egg. She carefully cradled little Val in her arms as Elena gently passed him over, while Jillas and Gravos waited with baited breath for Filia to give her verdict. "Calm down," the golden dragon finally spoke with a smile, which caused the collective held breaths of Jillas and Gravos to be simultaneously exhaled in relief. "Elena is right, Val is about to hatch," Filia gently caressed the smooth see-through surface of the egg and the pulsations seem to increase in a happy rhythm. "It's alright, mommy's here to welcome you into the world," she sighed happily as she cradled her precious child. 

"And so is daddy," Xellos added in his most teasing tone. 

Filia pouted, a part of her thought it was cute that Xellos called himself Val's father, but the reasonable part of her that still subsisted past the warm and fuzzy feelings reminded her of how mischievous Xellos was. Filia loved him, but that didn't mean she should lower her guard around him and allow Xellos' mischief to run loose. That could only end in troublesome chaos, but she didn't have the heart to snap at him, not this time, not in front of Val. "You just focus on hatching, my little Val, daddy will come visit you again soon. Your aunt, uncles and cousin will make sure he stays out of trouble in the mean time and mommy will be here to guide you through everything." 

Xellos raised an eyebrow in curiosity. The aunt, uncles and cousin were Elena, Jillas, Gravos and Palou. Who knows, maybe Filia even counted Fang as another uncle since he was technically a relative of the father, though blood relations obviously weren't important in this peculiar picture. "Why must daddy be kept out of trouble?" Xellos innocently asked. 

Filia's pout evolved into a frown, "you know perfectly well why. The first living being a newborn dragon sees is the one the baby will listen to the most. Both my parents and my grandmother were there when I hatched, but since I caught sight of grandma first, I would always listen to her the most." Of course, Filia was a generally obedient child who listened to everything her mother and father said too, but what her grandmother said was always special in a way she couldn't explain. "That's the way it is for golden dragons, so I can only guess it's the same way for ancient dragons." 

"Thanks for that valuable piece of information, stupid dragon." Xellos purposely grinned mischievously, getting on Filia's nerves. "Although, I must say, I fear for Val's safety if he only has you to count on through his hatching. It would be for the best if I saw to it that he makes it out alright." 

"That shows how much you know!" Filia held Val's egg protectively as she snapped at him and began to share the facts as if giving an academic lecture. "I have experience; grandma told me all about how my hatching went." Albeit Filia obviously didn't remember any of it, since she was a newborn and all. "I know what to do and I know you're not supposed to help the baby dragon out of the egg; that could hurt him. Val needs to overcome this first trial of life on his own and though I want to help him, I will do what's best and allow him to hatch at his own pace. I'll only cheer for him. As for you, I'm not letting Val see you first and listen to you when you tell him to misbehave like a mischievous boy more that he'll listen to me when I tell him to behave like a good boy!" 

"If I leave him to you, he'll grow up to be gutless," Xellos continued his teasing. 

The pulsations of the egg increased, getting Filia's attention. "He's hatching! He's hatching! Get out!" 

"I'm not-" Xellos was going to say that he was not going anywhere, but the combined strength of Gravos, Jillas, Elena and Palou forced him out of Val's room. 

Fang stood around wagging his tail, his ears twitching curiously. "Fang, please get everyone. Tell them Val is hatching and help them teleport to the living room, then wait there with them." Without question, Fang did as he was told. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

It took only a few round trips through the astral side and some minutes for the whole gang to gather at Filia's home. Fang sniffed out Kally, though she seemed too preoccupied with the search for her brother to give Fang more than a split second of attention, excusing herself by saying that an ex-dragon slayer wasn't worthy of witnessing the miracle of a new dragon life. She didn't even try to ask the fox to sniff out her brother's location, almost as if she was afraid to find him before she was ready to face him after all that happened. 

In truth the Kalamari siblings shared a special almost psychic connection and the search was just an excuse for Kally to go off and try to compose herself, though she actually could easily locate Kalio if she tried. Thus with the exception of Kally and Kalio, everyone else was there: Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Phythan, Onyx and even Celo, Tiffany, Zangulus and Martina were present. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 080: Rebirth! The Light Of New Hope

Gravos, Jillas, Palou, Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Zangulus, Martina, Phythan, Onyx, Celo, Tiffany and Fang watched as Xellos paced across the living room for the twenty-something time. Elena emerged from the hallway with all eyes immediately landing on her with curious expectant gazes. "It will be a little while longer, it seems that first hatching was a false alarm, but it's definitely happening soon. I just finished setting everything up so Filia can bathe him when he hatches. Val needs to concentrate to find the strength to break out of his egg. If there's a big crowd when he comes out of the egg it can frighten little Val." 

"Yes! You can do it Val! Keep going, that's it! Go Val!" Filia's voice was heard from Val's room, catching everyone's attention. Val was hatching, this time for real. Xellos attempted to head over, but Gravos blocked the hallway, shaking his head in a silent indication that Filia's wishes should be honored. 

"Filia told me where she kept the baby dragon formula, I'll go prepare it." Elena headed over to the kitchen to prepare a bottle for Val. 

The rest of the group remained in the living room, listening to Filia's cheers and watching Xellos pace impatiently. Unable to take it any longer, Lina paused her activity of stuffing her face with the potato chips she stole from the pantry and warned, "you're going to make a hole on Filia's rug if you keep pacing around on it like that." 

Xellos looked down at the pink oval on the living room floor. "It's an ugly rug anyway," he remarked with his usual squinty eyes grin, though his expression showed impatience shining through the cheerful mask. A well hidden part of him couldn't help it but to wonder what this would signify for him and Filia. It was obvious Filia intended to raise Val and she was being extra careful with that task. Surely she knew better than to actually expect Xellos to behave, he was a trickster, it was in his nature to cause annoyance. Given those two seemingly incompatible facts, where did he stand in all of this, where did they stand? He wondered what Filia expected of him, or if she expected anything at all. "Why must that stupid dragon be so loud?" 

"Don't worry, Mr. Xellos, child birth is supposed to be loud, that's perfectly normal," Amelia assured. 

"Filia isn't actually giving birth," Xellos pointed out, "or laying an egg for that matter. She's just watching over an egg that's hatching." 

"Regardless of the technicalities, when a baby is born a mother is loud," Amelia insisted. "That's just the way it is, I've seen a few births in Seyruun, it's always good to have someone who knows white magic near in those cases and I volunteered to help. I've never seen an expectant mother who isn't loud... or an expectant father who can sit still," the princess added with a smile. 

Xellos knew Amelia was referring to his impatient pacing around, though he decided he was probably better off pretending he didn't catch the hint. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The glow of Val's egg slowly faded as the sphere cracked and the baby inside it fought to make his way out. He could hear the familiar voice that spoke to him gently in the past now cheering loudly, as if she wanted him to go to her. Answering to his mother's calls, Val clawed at the egg shell with his tiny arms, pushing a portion of the egg aside and sticking out his neck. He finished making his way out of his confinement, crawling out into a soft material, and slowly opening his small eyes. The world was bright, but it didn't bother him, his egg had a see-through shell thus he was used to the light. 

"Val," the baby ancient dragon focused on the source of the voice, the image forever recorded in his mind. "I'm so happy you're here, my little Val." Filia gently held her child in a soft blanket. Everything was silent as the world seemed to stop on that very moment. "Let's get ready to meet your family." She set him down next to the small container of water. "The water is nice and warm, whenever you're ready, honey." 

The tiny black dragon curiously crawled out of the blanket cocoon. He stretched his small arms and legs, he could move around easily enough, as it was natural for a baby dragon, though it would be a few days before he was ready to fly. He kept his small wings close to his body and was yet to try to extend them. It would probably be a while before he attempted his first transformation into a human-like form. For the time being, he would remain in his true form until he gained enough control to change. Val dipped his tail into the warm water and looked at Filia, who had an encouraging smile on her face. He slowly went into the container, splashing around a little and making a giggling sound, with more of a dragon-like tone to it, though it was still baby-like in pitch. 

Filia watched Val play for a few more seconds before she got to work on getting him all cleaned up. He didn't seem to want to extend his wings yet, though she would have to get him to do that soon as the thin membranes of the wings needed to be properly cleaned so as to not risk infection. The black feathers that characterized the wings of the ancient dragons would grow out in a few days. Debating on it for a second Filia, finally called out, "Xellos, come help me get Val ready!" 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The living room was filled with mutterings about what was happening and why everything was so quiet all of a sudden, until Tiffany spoke up. "Just so you know, dragons don't usually cry at the top of their lungs when they're born." 

"Then Val hatched," Xellos assumed. That would explain why Filia had stopped cheering him on, the trial of breaking out of his egg had already been accomplished. He didn't waste another minute, making his way to Val's room as Filia called him, while everyone waited with excitement until Val was ready for them to see him. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos entered Val's room, spotting the tiny dragon splashing around while Filia carefully cleaned him with a soft sponge. "Filia?" 

Filia received him with a smile that was absolutely radiant. "Look Val, daddy's here." Xellos approached them under Val's curious gaze. "Could you help me finish bathing him? I have to clean his wings." 

"I knew you wouldn't be able to do such a simple task on your own," Xellos teased, as it was expected for him to do. Nonetheless, he was secretly glad that Filia trusted him enough to call him over to help her take care of Val. All that teasing Filia by calling himself Val's father was in the past, because somewhere along the way, Xellos ended up being given the role for real. 

"I knew you would have something like that to say," Filia retorted, though she was in too much of a good mood to sound annoyed. "Just hold Val still and comfort him. His wings are a little stiff and stuck together. It might annoy him to stretch them out, but it needs to be done." 

Filia's request seemed easy enough to accomplish. Xellos removed his gloves and rolled up his sleeves so as to not get them wet. He tried to hold Val still, though it didn't really seem necessary, as Val was only lightly splashing around anyway. Filia gently tugged on one of Val's wings and the little dragon, growled in protest. Filia looked heartbroken. "Is something wrong?" Xellos inquired. 

"No, Val is alright, it's just that I know this is going to be uncomfortable for him but I need to do it anyway." Filia frowned. "C'mon, sweetie, please bear with it, your wings will feel much better when they're not stuck together anymore. I'm trying to help you, honey." 

"You're a wimp," Xellos teased with a mocking grin. 

"Be quiet, I have to be careful. Newborns are fragile," Filia argued with a slightly more defensive tone. As strong as dragons were, their young were exceptionally fragile right after hatching. She tugged on Val's wing again, applying a pale blue baby soap as gently as she could. His wing extended a little, though Val still squeaked in protest and squirmed in Xellos' hands. "Keep him still," Filia reminded. 

Xellos attempted to do so, but he realized that Filia wasn't kidding when she said newborn dragons were fragile. Val felt almost disturbingly breakable with such a small body that could only house thin bones in his diminutive size. Surely he would grow and become far stronger than any human could be, but for the time being, he was more fragile than a human baby. Keeping Val still would be a lot easier if accidentally crushing him wasn't such a real and present possibility. 

"There, I'm all done with this wing." Filia finally released Val's right wing from her hold. The tiny ancient dragon stretched it fully and flapped it in relief. "See? I told you it would feel better. Now be a good boy and let me clean your other wing." More willing to cooperate now, Val didn't put up much of a fight, instead trying to willingly stretch out his other wing. It wouldn't move so he tried harder, ending the attempt with a cry of complaint. "It's alright, honey, don't push yourself. Mommy's here to make it all better," Filia cooed. She took an extra moment to observe Val's wing. "The wing's membrane is stuck with the fluids from the egg. I'll have to be extra careful." 

"How come his wings are like this?" It was obvious that this Val didn't have the memories of his past existence, or else he wouldn't be so calm to be near Xellos. But Xellos did remember that Valgaav's wings were different, they weren't so paper-thin and fragile. 

"It's because he just hatched, his wings will develop over the next few days, then he'll be able to fly," Filia explained. 

"With how thin his wings are right now, I'm surprised you haven't poked a hole through them with how clumsy you are." Xellos teased with his usual mocking sarcasm. 

Filia froze, unable to continue the task at hand. She pouted and glared at Xellos, finally snapping, "don't make me more nervous then I am!" Then she took a deep breath and counted to ten to calm herself before continuing. 

Filia was finally done with the cleaning. She gently tugged on Val's wing. He tried to extend it again and succeeded, though it stung, causing little Val to squeak in discomfort and bite Xellos' hand. Xellos immediately moved his hands away from Val in an automatic motion. "He bit me!" 

"Don't make a scene, you'll upset him!" Filia warned with emphasis. 

"I'm not making a scene," Xellos argued. Val seemed to disagree, as he was letting out a series of upset sounds. "Don't blame it on me; I wasn't the one who hurt him." 

"He's not injured, he's upset!" Filia argued. "He only bit you by accident because his wings were stiff and stretching them out hurt. He's upset because you let him go so suddenly." 

"It's not like I dropped him," Xellos pointed out. He noticed that Val was looking at him with sad eyes. Dragons could be pretty sensitive at times, if Filia was any indication. "It's okay, I'm not mad at you." Xellos reached out to pet little Val, touching the top of his head and his long neck with the end of his fingers. Val produced a giggle-like sound and happily snuggled against Xellos' hand as if wanting to be held again. 

"Here, you can dry him." Filia handed Xellos a towel, though on second thought she added, "just leave the wings to me." 

"That might be best," Xellos agreed, missing a chance to tease Filia, albeit there would be plenty more opportunities. 

After Val was dry, he was placed into a new soft blanket, snuggling comfortably into the cocoon of baby blue fabric with yellow stars in Filia's arms. "Are you ready to meet the rest of your family?" Filia smiled at the tiny bundle in her arms, the baby gazing back at her with curious loving eyes. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia made her way back to the living room with the newborn Val in her arms. Everyone curiously surrounded her, saying something or other about how cute the baby was. The noisy crowd made little Val retreat further into the cocoon of the blanket, only peeking out slightly. "Aw, it's okay Val," Filia tried to coax him out. "Everyone is just excited to see you, don't be shy." Val peeked out from under the safety of the warm soft blanket and curiously examined the multitude before him. 

"You're so cute!" Amelia squealed with joy as she slowly reached out to Val. The tiny dragon observed the approaching hand but decided not to retreat. The following touch on the top of his head was gentle and soft. Val shifted around in the blanket and peeked out further, with growing curiosity about the world around him. 

Feeling him squirming around, Filia decided to set him down. "Here you go Val, go greet everyone." The little dragon crawled out of the blanket and took a few steps as the room was invaded with a chorus of "aw!" Val retreated to the safety of his soft blanket for a moment before peeking out again with another similar reaction from the people around him. He journeyed out again and the next thing he knew, everyone was on their knees calling him over. 

Val made his way over to Lina, who petted him like Amelia had done before. The little dragon curiously sniffed her hand then eyed the bag she held on her other hand, making a little noise in indication that he wanted it. "What? You want my chips? Do baby dragons even eat chips?" 

"They're baked chips, it's okay for Val to have some of those," Filia approved. 

"Really? Well okay," Lina took some chips out of the bag and offered them to Val who gladly ate them from her hand. 

"Wow, Val is so cute you're even sharing food with him, that's really something," Gourry commented while he gently petted his new little nephew on the head. 

"Be quiet jellyfish brain! I'm always a very generous person," Lina defended, everyone knew it wasn't true, but nothing beats the power of cuteness. 

In a similar way, Val curiously approached every person in the room one by one. Jillas and Gravos were all too happy to see Val hatched and in such a cheerful mood. Elena was reminded of when Palou was born and treasured watching the two little boys as the young fox told the little dragon about how they would be great friends, promising to come play with him often. Zelgadis was reluctant to hold Val at first, fearing that the tiny creature might dislike the less than soft texture of his skin. Amelia picked up Val and held him close to Zelgadis, then the little dragon playfully jumped on the chimera's shoulder, dissipating any self-conscious doubts Zelgadis might have had. 

Tiffany was reminded of her days living among dragons, it had been a long time since she had seen a baby dragon. Celo was quite curious, as a high level of curiosity was in his nature. He also had a feeling that a certain someone would show up soon, which he quietly communicated to Xellos with the look in his eyes. Xellos nodded in understanding, though he made no attempt to give Filia a heads up. Fang was happy to have one more potential playmate, so he was quite cheerful with the event. Phythan was all too glad to be another honorary uncle and thought it would be lots of fun to have a nephew to visit and play with now and then. 

Onyx watched in silence until Val curiously approached her. She studied him and he studied her. "Not a drooling screaming creature but a quiet, well behaved elegant being from the start... I like dragons." She finally concluded. 

"You like dragons? As in dragons in general or just Val?" Phythan inquired like a little boy with a crush, which he in certain ways was. 

"I have not met a sufficient number of dragons to generalize. However, I do not dislike the dragons I have met so far," Onyx replied in her usual monotone, albeit sometimes a hint of emotion shone through. 

"That's good, I think," Phythan concluded. 

Val had continued his exploration of the living room and examination of its inhabitants. He was a bit startled by Martina's sudden joyous squeal as she loudly exclaimed, while pointing her index finger at him, "I want one!" Deciding to be brave, Val curiously approached the loud creature that luckily turned out to be gentle after all. "Aw, how cute, I want one!" She insisted, while she cradled Val in her arms. 

"You want a baby dragon?" Zangulus asked. "Even if dragons have some sort of adoption program, I doubt they would let a couple of humans raise one of their own." 

"No silly, not a dragon, a baby," Martina giggled. "It doesn't matter if it's a dragon, a human or a spawn of Zoamelgustar. As long as it is our child, I'll love it with all my heart!" 

Zangulus blushed slightly, "our child?" Then he went over Martina's words in his head again, "why would our child be a dragon or a spawn of Zoamelgustar?" 

"Well, maybe not a dragon, but Zoamelgustar is kind of like a part of me in a sense, so that might interfere in terms of genetics," Martina mused. "It would be all of our child, yours mine and Zoamelgustar's!" 

Zangulus gulped in worry, "great, we'll be a happy little family." He hoped that if they did have a child, the part about it having Zoamelgustar as a sort of third parent was only Martina's active imagination and not an actual possibility. 

After having satisfied his curiosity, Val returned to Filia, eyeing the bottle she held curiously. Filia once again wrapped her baby in his blanket and offered him the bottle. "Here's some yummy dragon formula for you, say thanks to aunty Elena for preparing it." Val made a pleased sound as he drank from the baby bottle. 

The living room once again fell mostly silent as everyone seemed to be entertained by watching Val drink the milk-like substance that was the dragon baby formula. It seemed thicker than regular milk though, due to the added extra proteins. The quietude was shattered by a loud voice calling out from the front entrance, "Gravy!" The voice got closer as its owner found that the door was unlocked and let herself in. "Gravy, I came to visit! Ah ha ha ho ha ha!" 

"Naga," Gravos went to greet his dear Naga, while most of the others present wondered quietly about how such an odd pair could work. "You're just in time to meet Val." 

"Val?" Naga curiously approached, making a pause to look around the room. "Everyone is here; this must be quite the occasion." 

"It is," Amelia smiled happily; she rarely got to share any special occasions with her sister lately, so she was thankful for this. "Val is our nephew too." 

"Aw how cute!" Naga gently tickled little Val who giggled. "Auntie Naga is very happy to meet you! Ah ha ha ho ha ha!" 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 081: Dramatic! Building Up Tensions

"That laugh, that style of clothing..." Martina commented as she observed Naga. 

"Yes? Did you say something to me?" Naga inquired. 

There was a certain challenging tone to the atmosphere which was beginning to worry all those present. "I am Martina Zoana Mel Navratilova, the queen of Zoana!" The pale haired woman loudly declared with abundant pride. "Ah ha ha he ha ha!" 

With the same volume and pride, Naga answered to the challenge, "I am Gracia Ul Naga Seyruun, the legendary White Serpent! But you can just call me Naga... Ah ha ha ho ha ha!" 

You could cut the tension with a knife. Amelia wasn't sure if she should interfere with the possible war that was apparently about to break out, or advise everyone to run for their lives. This could potentially be as deadly as a pissed off Lina's Dragon Slave. Time stood still as Naga and Martina stared each other down, until they both loudly declared in unison, "best friends!" 

The rest of the group stared in disbelief, with Lina solemnly muttering, "we're doomed." The newly acquainted best friends began to laugh together. Val produced a little high pitched growl of discomfort and hid himself in the blanket, holding his tiny paws on the sides of his head. Then the earth suddenly began to shake, causing Lina to yell, "shut up, you're making an earthquake!" 

Martina and Naga quieted, coincidentally just as the earthquake ended. "Such is the power of our combined laughter!" They unanimously cheered. 

"I'm pretty sure that was just a coincidence," Xellos pointed out. Albeit no one seemed to be listening to him, as their ears were still ringing from having heard the two most annoying laughs in the world simultaneously. 

"It could be a bad omen," Jillas frowned. 

Then suddenly, another person joined the already crowded living room, teleporting out of the astral side right in the middle of it. Before Filia could stop herself, she voiced, "oh no, you were right, that was a bad omen!" 

"What did you say, dragon?" Zelas glared in Filia's direction. 

"A good omen, that earthquake we just had was a great omen, because the wonderful Lord Beast Master is honoring us with her presence." Filia laughed nervously, fearing for her life and most of all for Val's life. If she had to take a guess, she would conclude that Fang told Zelas about what was happening. 

"It is an honor for you indeed," Zelas agreed with a mocking expression. "Don't worry, I'm not here to put on a pair of white gloves and run my fingers on every dusty surface of the house just so I can criticize how filthy your living quarters are. Maybe I'll do that in another occasion, but right now I'm only here to see Val." Zelas approached Filia, who held Val in her arms, while giving Xellos worried looks. Val peeked out from the blanket now that things had quieted down and stopped shaking, staring curiously at the lady who wasn't there before. "I see..." Zelas muttered mysteriously. Then she stepped back and announced, "well, I've seen Val, so I'll be going now." 

"That's it?" Filia inquired in disbelief. This was far too easy and it worried her. 

"I did say I was simply here to see Val, have you forgotten already?" Zelas feigned surprise. "There are things that science cannot explain. The fact that you're still alive despite not possessing a brain is one of them," she smiled a mocking smile. 

Filia felt herself twitch in annoyance. "Oh yeah, now I remember," she growled through gritted teeth. Zelas wasn't there just to see Val; she was there to bother Filia and the golden dragon knew it. In a grim corner of her mind, Filia knew that she better get used to occasional visits from Zelas, who was without a doubt the most fearsome mother-in-law in the known universe. 

"Wait a minute!" Naga and Martina exclaimed in a chorus. Lina wished they would stop being so synchronized, it was creepy. 

"There's a certain elegance to her," Martina observed. 

"Yes, and I must say I really like the jewelry," Naga added. 

Martina and Naga nodded to each other before unanimously inviting, "join us!" 

Zelas blinked, finding herself face to face with two of the few humans who were strange enough to surprise even a monster lord. "Join what?" She curiously inquired, while Xellos, Celo and Fang shook their heads frantically, but were ignored. 

"Join our group of best friends," Martina explained. 

"Of course, you must have the laugh for it," Naga elaborated. 

"Laugh..." Zelas grinned, "so you want to hear my laugh?" Celo and Fang exchanged looks, then looked at Xellos, who had a horrified expression upon his face. They had the so called honor to hear a real loud all out laugh from Zelas in the past and it was an experience they would not soon forget. Letting the suspense hang in the air for a few more seconds, Zelas finally spoke. "Perhaps in another occasion, this is a busy time for me. I need to prepare for the winter holidays and all." With that said, Zelas disappeared, fading away into the astral side. 

"That was close..." Xellos breathed in relief. 

"What's her laugh like full force?" Filia felt compelled to ask. 

"It's like a mix between a roar and a howl that makes entire armies run away in fear," Xellos explained. Filia shuddered as she thought about what they almost witnessed. 

"That sounds pretty cool," Naga observed. 

Martina nodded, "I agree, I would like to hear her laugh one day." Martina and Zangulus had become aware of Celo and Tiffany's true nature, but they didn't know who Zelas really was yet. Albeit they might find out sometime in the near future. 

"Me too," Naga concurred among the hopeless head shaking of most of those present. 

A few seconds of blissful silence passed before Gourry made a seemingly stupid observation that took him way too long to analyze. "It's still fall, isn't it?" 

"Yes, it's fall," Xellos confirmed, remembering his little argument with Filia about the use of the words fall and autumn. "The trees are drying up, the leaves are falling off. All the vegetation is falling and dying." The remark was, as expected from Xellos, spoken full of cheer. 

"Actually, it's more proper to say it's autumn," Filia argued. The word autumn was much more elegant in Filia's opinion and less gloomy sounding than fall. Plus it was more season exclusive than fall in terms of what it could mean. 

"Oh," Gourry dumbly acknowledge. "I thought so. I guess Zelas must be planning a really big party for the winter if she's getting ready for the holidays this early." 

Of all the places to find a clue, in the words of Gourry Gabriev was the last place Xellos would expect it to appear. What looked like too much stupidity to be capable of interpreting sarcasm could be a stroke of genius in disguise... or just a useful observation fueled by dumb luck. Xellos glanced at Fang, who looked like the possible hidden meaning of Zelas' words had gone clear over his head. Then he looked at Celo, who shook his head lightly, in an indication that he did not know what was going on. Xellos couldn't draw much information out of this, but whatever secret plans Zelas had that she couldn't even share with her own general and priest were to take place no later than in the coming winter. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Things had calmed down at Filia's house. Celo and Tiffany had returned to their duties at Amor Resort. That meant that Zangulus and Martina had to return to work as well. Phythan, who had been feeling better, got another wave of annoying dizziness and decided to retreat to the Amor Resort wooden clock tower to try to sleep it off. Though one would have to wonder if he wasn't just running away from the possibility of being auctioned again. Onyx's payment didn't go through, thanks to Xellos halting the transaction, leaving Phythan in her property once more. She had a word about it with Xellos, though that was not the only topic of conversation, nor was it the most interesting one. 

"I'm not going to approve the transaction, even if Filia gets angry. She's in too much of a good mood to get really annoying right now because of Val. If anything, this is the perfect time to cancel that stupid shopping spree of hers. If you want money, you could track down that jellyfish or I could call up Galathia. I'm sure either of them would be all too happy to purchase that useless dragon Phythan, they both have such bad taste." Xellos stated his case while Onyx remained silent. She had requested to speak to her so called brother privately, though Xellos wasn't sure what sort of argument she couldn't speak in front of everyone else. Perhaps she thought she had blackmail material in her hands, albeit Xellos couldn't imagine what it could possibly be. 

"I see..." Onyx didn't look like she would put up much of an argument about her lost fortune. 

"So, what was it you really wanted to tell me?" Xellos inquired curiously, maybe she had remembered something. Maybe she knew what the Lord of Nightmares sealed in her. 

"I'm a defect, aren't I, brother?" Onyx finally asked. "I have this amulet to rely on for self defense," she referred to the winged wolf necklace Zelas had given her. "Yet I have no power of my own. My monster power has not awakened and it doesn't feel like it will any time soon, perhaps never. I'm a failed experiment, the human side somehow poisoned the monster side, maybe even erased it from existence. Why was I made into a chimera? Why such a weak creature? I'm certain I would have been better off as a monster. What is my purpose, why did Zelas create me?" 

"I can't give you that answer," just when Xellos thought he might be getting a good clue, it turned out Onyx had more questions than answers. "Finding yourself and all that cheesy stuff is something you need to do on your own. You should go with Celo and the others and take some time to think, figure out your existence and all that meaningless and insignificant stuff," he smiled like he always did when mocking someone. 

"Very well," Onyx replied in a monotone, though there was a well marked hint of angry and sad frustration in her eyes. In the end, Onyx tagged along with the group that headed back to the resort. 

A day passed and by then Lina and Gourry had consumed all the food at Filia's house, thus they returned to Amor Resort as well, along with Amelia and Zelgadis. Naga's urge to wander around kicked in and she said her farewells, continuing her trip around the world again. That left a relatively calm atmosphere at Filia's house with just Filia, Xellos, Val, Gravos and Jillas there, plus their close neighbors Elena and Palou. Needless to say, Filia was all too happy to have the chance to relax and enjoy taking care of little Val, even if relaxing with Xellos around often proved to be a difficult task. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Later, Amelia and Zelgadis were going around Amor Resort enjoying their time together. Things had slowed down for the group once again, though they deep down knew the peaceful and calm atmosphere wouldn't last for long. The princess and the chimera were enjoying a picnic in the park area of the resort, with a checkered blanket on soft grass beside the shade of a tall tree surrounded by fallen leaves and a basket full of delicious goodies. They spotted two familiar faces not too far away, where Phythan was playing fetch with Fang, who was in his fox form. 

Everything was peaceful until a loud voice called out, "there he is!" As a tentacle pointed at Phythan. Medusa was back, having survived her seemingly mortal wound with a scar that went down diagonally across her face to show for it. 

Medusa only had one companion as her ally this time. He was a young man, whom Amelia immediately recognized and called out to him. "Mr. Kalio! Where have you been? Miss Kally has been worried about you!" 

"My sister can find me when she so pleases." Kalio didn't lift his gaze from staring at the ground. "I'm not surprised she hasn't come to face me, after all, I'm a traitor to everyone. I'm a traitor to my promise; I'm a traitor to Seyruun and a traitor to justice!" He dramatically declared. 

Amelia gasped with equal drama, her expression filled with disbelief. "This cannot be! Mr. Kalio, you always worked hard at Seyruun and followed the path of justice! Why do you call yourself a traitor?" 

Inpatient and angry at the prolonged exchange, Medusa interrupted. "Kalio, if you have truly sworn your loyalty to me, you'll kill that cruel heartbreaker!" 

"Miss Medusa, I've actually been meaning to apologize," Phythan began, though no one seemed to be paying any attention to him. 

"I'm sorry princess Amelia," Kalio still didn't look up, his eyes sad and ashamed. "I injured this innocent maiden and endangered her life. Though she survived, she has been scarred for life by my lack of control. That is why I must swear my loyalty to her, to compensate her. My life now belongs to Miss Medusa, so I can no longer serve the fair kingdom of Seyruun. Please forgive me, your highness, but I must do as Miss Medusa tells me to. Kally, dear sister, wherever you are, I'm sure you can sense the suffering of my tortured soul. I'm sorry, but I must raise my sword against a dragon once again, even if I swore never to do that." Kalio finally lifted his face and glared at Phythan, drawing his sword. "En guard dragon!" 

Phythan stood still like an idiot in shock as Fang kept tugging at his clothes with his paw, trying to get him to notice the little ball at his feed so he could throw it again and continue their game of fetch. With the same exaggerated dramatic flare with which he had delivered all his lines thus far, Kalio charged forward, sword in hand, aiming to pierce Phythan's heart. 

"No!" Amelia dramatically cried out, while Zelgadis was the only one who actually moved to do something about the situation. 

The chimera unsheathed his own sword and soon the clash of metal against metal echoed all over the park. The clueless bystanders assumed that this was one of the many shows that the resort had to offer and formed a circle around the battle zone to watch the sword fight. "Stop this nonsense!" Zelgadis demanded. "If you don't really want to betray justice and kill Phythan, then don't do it!" 

"I have to!" Kalio stepped back, freeing his blade from its lock against Zelgadis'. "Don't you see? This lovely dedicated maiden has stolen my heart, but hers is broken. If Miss Medusa is to gain the strength to love again, her past heartbreak must be avenged!" 

Zelgadis blinked with a weirded out expression, "what?" 

"Hey, wait a minute! I thought Miss Medusa liked me!" Phythan protested like a child whose candy was stolen by a classmate. 

Amelia gasped loudly, "it's a love triangle! How romantic!" She was in her soap opera fan hyper mode, a side of her that shone through on occasion. Such as that time when Gourry was dragged to be involved in that strange dramatic incident with a family of fish people. 

Medusa got a starry eyed look with metaphorical hearts floating all around her. "My dear Kalio, I had no idea you felt that way about me! End the life of that horrible dragon so that I can forever put the memory of his hot naked body out of my mind and focus on my new relationship with you!" 

Kalio's jaw dropped, his face turned red and his eyes twitched wildly in an alternating rhythm of left and right. "Just what kind of relationship did you have with Miss Medusa you... you... you... you beast!" 

"I'm a dragon, not a beast," Phythan pointed out. "Although I am Beast Master's intern, so maybe that makes me like an honorary beast? Anyway, I have no relationship with Miss Medusa what so ever, so you don't have to get all jealous." 

"Calm down, Mr. Kalio," Amelia tried to solve the situation as peacefully as possible. "Mr. Phythan is completely innocent in every way. It's just that he has no modesty what so ever when it comes to transforming. In fact, we've all seen him," she paused, noticing that Zelgadis was frowning and looking generally annoyed. "But it was such a long time ago that I barely remember anything," the princess quickly added with a hint of embarrassment. 

"I see..." Kalio was visibly relieved, but he wasn't about to back down from the fight. "None the less, I must carry out this battle to the bitter tragic end! Please step aside princess Amelia, I must fight this dragon!" 

"I won't!" Amelia adamantly argued. "Mr. Phythan is an ally of justice and I cannot allow you to harm him! Besides, if you act in such an unjust way you'll be hurting yourself too, Mr. Kalio. The terrible regret of injustice will consume you!" 

"The terrible regret of injustice is already consuming me!" Kalio stubbornly insisted. 

Zelgadis huffed in exasperation, "Amelia, if they really want to fight, let's just let them fight and get it over with. There's obviously no reasoning with this guy." 

Amelia looked as if she was about to disagree, but before she could voice her thoughts, Phythan stepped forward. "A brave warrior of justice never backs down from a challenge. I will defeat Mr. Kalio in battle and prove to him that justice always wins against injustice. Then he'll leave his unjust ways behind and once again become an ally of justice!" 

Feeling all excited and inspired by Phythan's little justice speech, Amelia joined in with a few encouraging words of her own. "Yes, go forth bravely into battle, Mr. Phythan. The power of justice is with you to help save Mr. Kalio and guide him back into the path of justice!" 

Without any further warnings, Phythan transformed into his dragon shape, roaring a loud battle cry. Zelgadis was a moment too late in covering Amelia's eyes, which left him grumbling in annoyance. Medusa wasn't making things any better by shouting out, "kill him dead, very dead! Because otherwise such perfection would be impossible to forget!" 

Amelia moved Zelgadis' hand away from covering her eyes, repositioning his arm around her shoulders. He blushed, seeing that though she, naturally, didn't want a hand obstructing her view of the battle now that Phythan was fully transformed and modesty issues didn't apply, she didn't really push him away either. Amelia always made it clear that she very much enjoyed having Zelgadis near her and that made him fall in love all over again every time it happened. "I can't believe how big it is," the princess commented with amazement. 

Zelgadis nearly choked on air, almost too afraid to ask. "How big is what?" 

"Phythan's horn," Amelia innocently pointed out. "It was barely noticeable before, but now it's like a really big sword." 

"You're right," Zelgadis acknowledged and it looked as if Phythan was putting that horn to use by parrying Kalio's sword with it. The golden dragon's movements were clumsy at best, since he wasn't use to wielding a horn like this, but it was somehow effective against every blow. For the eyes of a skilled swordsman such as Zelgadis, it was easy to detect that Kalio wasn't really trying. It was clear he didn't want to fight Phythan, even if he was compelled to do so by some odd sense of obligation mixed with a strange crush on an even stranger jellyfish girl. 

To be Continued


	28. Chapter 28

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 082: Unpredictable! Impulses Of The Heart

"Go Mr. Phythan! Justice is on your side, you can't lose!" Amelia loudly cheered. 

"Not to mention that Kalio isn't actually trying to win," Zelgadis pointed out, taking a moment to examine the battle more closely. "Actually, Phythan isn't trying to win either. Even if he's inexperienced fighting with a horn, Kalio is purposely leaving himself wide open for an attack." 

"How tragic!" Amelia gasped. "Mr. Kalio feels guilty and believes the only way to atone is to fall in battle, but Mr. Phythan is an ally of justice who wishes to save Mr. Kalio and will not strike him down no matter what!" Just as Amelia's hyper excitement grew, the ground beneath her feet began to vibrate in a barely perceptible way at first. 

The movement soon evolved into all out shaking, which had Amelia clinging instinctively to Zelgadis with the chimera returning the gesture in a protective embrace. The crowd of onlookers that had formed a circle around the fight started running around wildly and stupidly seeking shelter under the near by trees. Phythan's horn was about to collide with Kalio's sword when the shaking incremented, causing the golden dragon to stumble, momentarily losing his balance. Then the sharp horn broke Kalio's weapon as he attempted to instinctively block and stabbed him on the chest. "No matter what?" Zelgadis ironically inquired. 

Amelia gasped tragically, as the earthquake finally subsided and the land was once again still. "Oh no!" Amelia tragically declared. 

"Mr. Kalio?" Phythan removed his horn from the victim as gently as he could. Kalio collapsed with both hands trying to hold back the abundant blood coming from the wound on his chest. "I didn't mean to hurt you! The earthquake made me lose my balance, it was an accident!" 

"Kalio!" Medusa hurried towards her fallen comrade, immediately casting a Recovery spell, joined in doing so by Amelia. "Hold on Kalio, just hold on!" 

Phythan looked like he was just about ready to cry, but before he started, Zelgadis pointed out something helpful. "You're a golden dragon; don't you know how to cast a Resurrection healing spell?" 

Phythan's mood suddenly changed from tragically sad to energetically hopeful. "You're right, I do!" He focused his energy, calling forth all his power, "Resurrection!" 

A warm and gentle golden light surrounded Kalio, whose wound was miraculously healed. "I'm... still alive... Why have you saved me, golden dragon? Do you not understand that my only destiny is to slay you? We must fight until one of us falls!" 

"That's enough fighting," Medusa spoke solemnly, with a few tears of relief escaping her big expressive eyes. "Your loyalty has truly touched my heart. I am forever grateful to you Kalio, the amazing man who's willing to give even his life for the sake of my wishes. Right now, my wish has changed, I no longer want revenge, I want you to stay by my side, my beloved!" Medusa dramatically announced at the top of her lungs, adding an after thought in a quick muttered whisper. "Besides, now that your shirt's been ripped to shreds and your wound has been miraculously healed, I can see that you're pretty hot yourself..." 

"Do you mean it, Miss Medusa; you're willing to return my affection?" Kalio's eyes were all starry with metaphorical hearts floating around him too. 

"I mean every word!" Medusa assured. The happy couple looked like they were about to kiss, which was something that Amelia was anticipating like the final chapter of one of those romance novels she liked to read. Zelgadis really didn't want to witness this and Phythan was too innocent to see it coming. As for Fang, he just wished that someone would throw the ball so he could fetch it. 

Fortunately for those who didn't need to see a human and a jellyfish kissing, the scene was interrupted by the arrival of Kally. "Kalio, dear brother!" 

"Kally!" Kalio was filled with both tension and relief at the arrival of his sister. 

"I felt your very life fading away, it was so painful!" Kally hugged her brother, sobbing lightly. "I feared you would die!" 

"I'm so sorry, Kally, I've been terribly selfish, I'm the worse brother in the world. I know you feel my pain because of our special connection, yet I..." 

Kally stopped him from going any further, "don't say anything else, you're safe and that's all that matters. After the pain subsided, I sensed that you were filled with joy. What has happened?" 

Kalio's face turned scarlet, "I... I have found true love!" He announced much louder than necessary, reinforcing the crowd's theory that this was all an act for their entertainment. "This is my beloved Miss Medusa. Miss Medusa, this is my dear twin sister Kally." 

"It's wonderful to meet you," Kally greeted, "or rather to meet you in a better situation." 

"I say the same," Medusa agreed, "let us leave the past behind and live peacefully and happily." 

"Life is wonderful!" Amelia cheered. 

Zelgadis felt himself almost twitch in disbelief. He wondered if some giant tidal wave would show up to return all the fish people to the sea again, but none came. "Life is a soap opera..." 

"Princess Amelia, I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused. I go berserk when I see those creatures," Kalio apologized. "I hope you can forgive me and not exile me from Seyruun." 

"I'm the one to blame for Kalio's state. It is because of the pain of a past experience I had, which I rather not think about, that he ended up like that," Kally explained. Due to the connection they shared, though Kalio was not poisoned by an octopus allergy directly and thus presented no physical symptoms, he felt Kally's pain and suffered along with her. Instead of developing an acute fear like Kally's, Kalio wasn't affected by verbal references to octopi, but if he ever saw an octopus he went into a crazy fit of rage. 

"It's okay," Amelia assured. "I will gladly welcome all of you at Seyruun whenever you're ready to return, you too Miss Medusa." 

"Thank you!" Kalio, Kally and Medusa chorused happily. 

"If it is alright with you, princess, I would like to continue my journey," Kalio requested. "I feel that I still have much to learn about life, love and justice. Miss Medusa, are you willing to come with me on this journey?" 

"I will, I'll go anywhere with you my love!" Medusa gladly agreed. 

"Then I will remain here and work as a doctor," Kally decided. "I'll make sure to report my findings to Seyruun." 

"I wish you all the best of luck in your chosen paths and don't forget, you'll always have a home in Seyruun." Amelia happily send them off with radiant joy. After one last farewell, Kalio and Medusa went off in one direction, hand in hand, or rather tentacle in hand. Kally walked off in another direction, while Phythan, Fang, Amelia and Zelgadis remained. "Everything worked out well in the end." 

"Yeah," Phythan agreed, transforming back into an elf and raising his fist into the air victoriously, "justice always triumphs!" 

Zelgadis slapped his own forehead and shook his head hopelessly, "you're never going to learn your lesson when it comes to modesty, are you?" 

Phythan looked clueless, as if he didn't even know if Zelgadis' vexed mutterings were directed at him or not. Then he adopted a thoughtful expression as he came up with a rather stupid theory. "Do you think that if I get injured and I'm an inch from death, and Miss Onyx sees it, she'll suddenly realize she likes me?" 

"I don't think being injured is a good thing," Amelia warned. "I'm sure Miss Onyx will be sad if you're hurt, we will all be sad, so please don't take such a risk." 

"It wouldn't work," Zelgadis added, his next words taking everyone by surprise. "You're not the problem, she's the problem. The way Onyx is now, she cannot love anyone." 

"Because of her amnesia?" Phythan sadly inquired. 

"No," Zelgadis insightfully replied, "it's because she doesn't believe she's good enough to be loved. I heard her talking to Xellos. When she asked to speak with him alone, I thought they might be discussing some kind of plot from Zelas, so I eavesdropped. I think Xellos noticed, but he didn't say anything about it. Onyx probably didn't know." Zelgadis confessed. "Onyx thinks she's a defective chimera, she's unhappy with herself. That's why she can't accept anyone's feelings, not unless she accepts herself." It was something that Zelgadis knew from his own personal experience. 

"I see... I won't give up, but I'll take things slowly. I'll try to let Miss Onyx know how much fun it is to be around her. Then she'll accept herself and maybe even like me. Then we'll be best friends!" Of course, one couldn't expect anything too deep or serious to be spoken by Phythan, who still had the innocence of a child. 

"We'll be cheering for you, Mr. Phythan, just take things slowly and be patient," Amelia smiled encouragingly. She understood that Zelgadis was referencing his own personal experiences with his interpretation of Onyx's situation. The princess leaned her head on the chimera's shoulder lovingly, which caused a blissful red tint to invade his face. 

"I won't give up!" Phythan was determined. The golden dragon's blissful expression slowly evolved into a doubtful one as a particular thought reemerged in his mind. "I have a feeling that I've forgotten something important," he gave it some more thought and finally reached a conclusion. "Oh yeah, now I remember, since my horn has grown out completely, a clan of dragon slayers might come to kill me soon. Mr. Kalio and Miss Kally said they would help me out with that, but I guess that with all this excitement they forgot. It's okay, I feel much better now so I can take care of myself, and I have Fang to help me out if I need backup." 

"I'm sure they didn't mean to forget," Amelia assured. "Kally has a lot on her mind worrying about her brother and getting ready to face her new career. Kalio is in love and that can be pretty distracting. Just make sure to be careful not to go off into any lonely dark alleys and if anyone attacks you, shoot a bright light to the sky and we'll follow it to you right away!" 

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Phythan smiled, while Fang tugged on his clothes with his paw impatiently. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Fang." Phythan picked up the little ball they were playing fetch with and threw it far away. By then the crowd of spectators had dissipated, since it looked like the dramatic show was over. 

"Where should we go next?" Amelia inquired, cuddling Zelgadis lovingly. 

Zelgadis happily embraced her, giving the question some thought. "I'm getting kind of hungry, do you want to find a nice restaurant and sit down for a good meal?" 

"That's a great idea, I'm getting hungry too," Amelia agreed and the happy couple walked off. 

Phythan blinked in confusion, debating if he should call out to them or not. He finally decided to let them go, they looked so happy walking away arm in arm that it felt wrong to disturb them. The golden dragon glanced at the white and red checkered blanket as Fang brought back the ball he fetched. "It looks like they forgot about their picnic. I guess love really is distracting. Oh well, there's no sense in letting a perfectly good picnic basket go to waste. What do you say we have a snack, Fang?" Naturally, the energetic monster fox was all too happy to agree. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A few days passed in relative peace. Nothing seemed to be disturbing the quietude of the world, save for the occasional earthquake. Actually, the earthquakes were becoming a little too occasional, which began to make Lina and her traveling companions grow suspicious, especially Xellos, who secretly wondered if the earthquakes were somehow connected to Zelas' winter plans, whatever they might entail. Currently, Xellos was sitting at the kitchen table enjoying a bowl of cereal after having slept in, never mind that lunch time was right around the corner. 

The proximity of the next meal time was made more obvious by the fact that Filia was slaving away at the kitchen, trying to prepare something especially delicious for her family. Xellos watched her from the corner of his eyes, yawning slightly. It wasn't that Val cried in the middle of the night to be fed, the real problem was that Filia woke up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason, wanting to check on Val to make sure he was alright. Every time, the baby dragon would be sleeping soundly and Filia would blissfully return to the warm comfort of Xellos' arms in her room. Then after an hour or so, she would wake up again and wake Xellos with her motions to get out of bed so she could once again check on Val. 

The same scene was repeated over and over, until Xellos finally had enough of it and the next time Filia got up, he accompanied her. Without a word, he picked up the comfy basket crib where Val slept and moved it to their room, where Filia could keep an eye on Val without having to get out of bed and wake Xellos in the process. As for Val, he had a great night's sleep and was full of energy, ready to pounce on his parents and jump on them continuously at the crack of dawn in hopes of getting some breakfast. Though he was still quite small, Val's wings had developed and he learned to fly on instinct. 

The tiny ancient dragon swooped into the kitchen and landed on Filia's head, curiously stretching his neck down to look at the pleasantly aromatic contents of the pot his mother was steering. "Val, honey, it's not nice to land on people's heads. Plus it's dangerous to lean into a boiling pot of food like that." Filia carefully removed Val from her head and placed him on a high baby chair next to where Xellos sat at the kitchen table. 

"Have you ever heard about dragon cuisine?" Xellos inquired with an infuriatingly sweet smile. "Lina and her friends once hunted down a dragon for its meat, but it turned out the cuisine took too long to make so they had to move on with their journey. That's too bad, because they were really looking forward to tasting dragon." 

Filia glared in annoyance. She was mostly used to Xellos' taunts, but sometimes he still managed to tick her off. This was one of those times when she didn't know if he was kidding or completely serious, as his tone could never really be used as an indication. "You're lying!" 

"Not at all," Xellos mocked with a wide grin and cheerful squinty eyes. "You can ask them yourself, unless you really don't want to know." 

Before Filia could come up with a proper retort to Xellos' taunts, Val flew from his baby chair to Xellos, landing on the top of his head and snuggling into his hair. "Xellos, we need to teach Val not to land on people's heads. I don't want him to grow up to be rude and inconsiderate like you." 

"That last bit was uncalled for," Xellos feigned hurt. He then proceeded to take another spoonful of cereal, not doing anything about Val who was still happily perched on his head. 

"Xellos!" Filia scolded, "you're not being helpful!" She growled impatiently. "Val, sweetie, please get off daddy's head." Val looked at Filia, making a little confused and pleading sound as if asking if he really had to and pointing out the fact that his father didn't seem to mind. "Come on, honey, I already told you it's rude to stand on people's heads." She worried that one of these days Val would fly out the window and land on some bad tempered person's head. "You need to respect people's personal space." 

Without any further protests, Val hopped off Xellos' head and landed on the table. "Want some cereal? I put extra sugar in it," Xellos offered, pushing the half eaten bowl towards the baby dragon. 

Val curiously looked at the substance, before sticking his head into the bowl and eating some. "Xellos!" As expected, Filia had something to say about that too. "Don't encourage Val to stick his head in dishes, that's terrible table manners! If you're going to feed him cereal, then set a good example and contribute to teaching him how to use a spoon!" As a second thought, she added, "actually, don't feed Val cereal now, I'm about to serve lunch in less than ten minutes and you're making him lose his appetite." 

I wouldn't be a very good father if I didn't make sure my child is fed," Xellos gave Filia his usual cheerful expression that seemed to be painted on his face. "You're such a cruel dragon, letting a baby go hungry." 

"You're lying!" Filia defended. "I gave Val a good breakfast while you were sleeping in late!" 

"Whose fault was it that I had to sleep in late?" Xellos teased. 

"It's not my fault that you're a light sleeper," Filia retorted. 

"It's not my fault that you're clumsy getting up," Xellos countered. "Every time you would get out of bed you would slap me or kick me." 

"Not on purpose!" Filia argued. "I was sleepy and stumbled around a little." She took away the super sugary cereal and offered Val a bread biscuit. "Here, Val, have an appetizer instead." She tossed away the remainder of the cereal, ignoring Xellos' exaggerated hurt expression and picked up a basket full of similar bread biscuits to place it on the main dining table. On her other arm, she balanced a stack of plates, exiting the kitchen. 

Val picked at the bread biscuit, but it wasn't as sweet as the extra sugary cereal, so it didn't really interest him s much. Xellos got up from his seat and rummaged through the pantry until he found what he was looking for, a bottle of hot sauce. "Let's help mommy with her cooking." Xellos walked over to the simmering stew with Val curiously joining him, perched on his shoulder. Then the earth shook again to the sound of a few vases falling and breaking in the shop area. The tremor wasn't too long, but it was stronger than the previous ones. 

The bottle of hot sauce slipped out of Xellos' grasp and fell into the large pot of stew. Val was taken by surprise and lost his balance, falling off Xellos shoulder, too startled to remember to flap his wings. Fortunately, Xellos caught the baby dragon, before he fell into the boiling pot. Filia rushed back to the kitchen in a panic. Xellos quickly stepped away from the stew and pretended to be innocent. "Is everyone okay?" 

"Of course we're okay; it was just an earthquake, no big deal, stupid cowardly dragon." Xellos grinned teasingly. 

Filia let out a breath of relief. She had heard some vases breaking, but no pained voices, so she concluded that the shattering objects didn't hurt anyone at the shop. Plus it only sounded like one or two vases, so the property damage was minimal. She noticed that Xellos was holding Val protectively, which further calmed her down. She gently caressed her son's head. "It's okay honey, mommy and daddy will keep you safe." Filia smiled at the baby ancient dragon, before turning a critical look towards Xellos. "Although, there have been far too many earthquakes lately." 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 083: Official! Smoothing Out The Technicalities

Xellos shrugged his shoulders and pretended he didn't find the frequent earthquakes at all suspicious. It's not like he had any real information to share anyway. So what if Zelas was plotting something? Zelas was always plotting something, it wasn't really news. If he shared his vague theory he would only cause Filia to worry and uselessly go around in mental circles trying to figure out what was going on. 

Then Filia's furious voice pierced through Xellos' thoughts, startling Val and even Gravos and Jillas who were all the way in the shop area, with its loud volume. "Xellos! Why is there a bottle of hot sauce floating in my stew?" Filia looked so angry that one might think she swallowed a whole bottle of hot sauce, or ten. 

"I don't know," Xellos tried to look innocent. "Maybe it fell in with the earthquake." 

"It was in the pantry," Filia pointed towards it across the kitchen. "It couldn't have fallen all the way from there, to here!" She pointed at the ruined stew. 

"At least you still have the roast, if you haven't burned it," Xellos teased. 

"Of course I didn't burn it!" Filia growled, not willing to let go of the issue of her ruined stew so easily. She roughly opened a drawer and pulled out a large butcher knife, holding it in a stabbing position. Anyone who entered the scene at that moment might assume that she was about to stab Xellos to death, since the look in her eyes was certainly murderous enough. Filia opened the oven and pulled out the tray with the roast, carefully cutting it with the knife, it's delicious scent invading the atmosphere. "See? It's perfectly fine." 

Filia set the roast down to cool on the kitchen table and, thankfully, put away the butcher knife. Instead she pulled out a tray of silverware from another kitchen drawer and handed it to Xellos. "Help me finish setting the table and if you get into mischief I'll..." Filia made a stabbing motion in the air, then pointed at the roast. "I'll make sure you don't have any of my roast!" She finished the threat that sounded far more murderous a few seconds ago. 

"Are you sugar coating your threats because Val is listening?" Xellos mockingly inquired. 

Filia looked like she was a time bomb about to blow. "Just go finish setting the table." She growled and started to mentally count to ten, until she finally realized there was no way she could hold in the urge and called after Xellos as he exited the kitchen, "raw garbage!" 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After having had a week of rest, the group was once again reunited at Celo's wooden clock tower. Jillas and Gravos had stayed at Filia's shop, while Filia and Xellos journeyed back to Amor Resort with little Val, whom Filia wasn't ready to put down for more than a little while just yet, he was simply far too cute to let go of. 

Lina called for a conference, which was attended by Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Xellos, Filia, Phythan, Fang, Onyx, Celo and Tiffany. Val was there too, but he was a baby and thus didn't understand what was going on any more than Gourry did. In the end, the results of their conference consisted of stating things they already knew and tossing around crazy theories of conspiracy. To summarize, their so called conclusions were quite inconclusive. Thus Lina suggested that taking a walk and getting some fresh air might help them clear their heads and get some ideas, maybe notice something that had escaped them before. 

Celo and Tiffany were as usual, busy with Amor Resort's business and Fang was content enough taking some time off to lay around napping on a plush carpet in front of a fireplace. The atmosphere was turning colder by the day, predicting the coming of a very early winter. Onyx drowned her uncertainties in comic books, with Phythan joining her, in a heavily contrasting cheerful mood as he worked on more drawings for the comic version of her novel. He was very thankful that he had not been auctioned again yet. 

Thus Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia, Xellos and Val found themselves making their way through the busy streets of Amor Resort in a similar way that they had in the past, although in truth they've all made a fair amount of progress since then. Among cheerful chatter and adoring remarks about how cute Val was, the group's attention was suddenly captured by two familiar voices calling out to them. Much to their collective surprise, Sylphiel and Pokota approached. 

Lina stopped cold, her face drained of all color as she waited for Sylphiel to refer to Gourry as 'dear Gourry'. Then that big mouth jellyfish brain would blurt out the news of his happy engagement. Then Lina would surely secretly swell with pride while her face recovered its color and beyond as it would become bright red. Yet none of that was the real problem. The problem was that a part of Lina would feel bad for Sylphiel, who had met Gourry before she did, and had a crush on him since long before Lina met him. Given that this was Lina Inverse, she was not used to feeling guilt and the unfamiliar sensation would surely bug her to insanity. "Sylphiel... I... um... hi..." 

"Hi," Sylphiel replied with a hint of sadness on her face, while Pokota was yet to say a word, as if he sensed the heavy tension in the atmosphere. After a long choking silence, Sylphiel finally added, "congratulations on your marriage, Mr. Gourry, Miss Lina..." 

"Marriage?" Lina echoed, taking note of the lack of dear attached to Gourry's name. Sylphiel probably thought that it would be improper to call him that if he was married to another woman, though he was actually engaged, albeit legally married. 

"We're not married," Gourry pointed out casually, "we're engaged," he corrected. "When we do get married, you'll go to the wedding, right?" 

Lina considered kicking Gourry, but she abstained from doing so, seeing that Sylphiel's expression actually improved. "I'm glad to hear you want me to attend your wedding." She smiled, accepting that Gourry was with Lina and addressed both of them as she added, "we are good friends after all, right?" 

"Of course we are," Gourry grinned cheerfully, still blissfully unaware of the tension that had began to dissipate from the atmosphere around them. 

From that point on, the encounter improved, though Lina's curiosity still got the best of her as she inquired. "Where did you hear that we got married?" 

"From Amor Resort's monthly catalogue," Sylphiel revealed. "It lists a lot of offers for reservations and mail order purchases. It also has a section announcing all the marriages that take place here. I guess the people in charge of compiling it must have mixed up the engagement with a marriage." 

Seeing that most of the tension was gone, Amelia finally found her voice. "It's a nice surprise running into you both. We're here... sort of on vacation, I guess, what about you two?" 

"I'm here because one of my distant cousins recently got married and I was attending the wedding," Pokota explained. 

"I was the one who conducted the wedding, I just recently moved over here to work on weddings," Sylphiel revealed. "I ran into Pokota and his family at the wedding reception and we talked about our adventures with everyone. There was a rumor that the Lina Inverse was somewhere in this resort, so we decided to meet the next day and look around." 

"Well, you found me alright," Lina laughed, not sure if her reputation preceding her was a good thing or not, it usually wasn't. 

"I see that you have a new traveling companion with you." Sylphiel referred to Filia, who neither she nor Pokota had met before. 

Though the talking stuffed animal was a little odd looking, he was still cute and the young woman appeared to be polite and good natured. Introductions were exchanged for Filia and Val, with Val immediately becoming quite fond of Pokota and flying over to play with him. "Children really like their uncle Pokota, I guess it's because I'm such a great and reliable example to follow," the fuzzy green creature happily declared. 

"Or maybe it's because you look like a toy." Xellos pointed out with a mocking smile, causing Pokota to grumble something inaudible in response. 

Sylphiel giggled in amusement, "ever since I came to Amor Resort, there hasn't been a dull moment. It's been fun spending my free time enjoying the amusement park attractions and working on weddings the rest of the time. No matter how many times I declare couples husband and wife, I always get butterflies in my stomach when I see them share their first kiss as a married couple, symbolizing their love and willingness to spend their life together!" 

There was a detail about Sylphiel's words that caused something to click in the back of Xellos' mind. He tuned out the rest of the group's conversation and focused on what she said, replaying the statement word per word in his mind. A kiss of love and willingness? That sounded exactly like what was described as the cure to his curse. The willing kiss of a golden dragon, maybe it was the traditional wedding kiss. Xellos stopped walking, the group moving a few steps ahead of him, absorbed in their conversation, until he spoke, "Filia..." 

Filia stopped walking and looked back at Xellos, who was standing there looking determined. She tilted her head in puzzlement, wondering what in the world he could possibly be plotting. "Yes?" 

"Marry me." The request was simple and to the point as Xellos thought there was no reason to go around in circles about it. 

Almost certain that she had heard wrong, Filia blinked, giving Xellos a confused look and called for a repetition. "Excuse me?" 

"You heard me, stupid dragon, let's get married," Xellos reinstated his request. 

By then the rest of the group had noticed the odd couple lagging behind and stopped to witness the exchange. Filia placed her hands on her hips suspiciously as her face gained a critical expression. "What are you plotting, raw garbage?" 

"A wedding, obviously," Xellos pointed out as a matter of fact with a wide grin and cheerful squinty eyes. 

"Don't toy with me," Filia warned, but Xellos' expression didn't change. "Are you serious?" Filia could imagine herself living with Xellos, with him occasionally disappearing to do Beast Master's bidding and coming back to cause mischief and drive her insane. Yet they would somehow call that their life together and difficulties aside, she would somehow find that she was happy. Yet no where in the series of events leading to the rest of her life did she ever imagine an actual wedding taking place. Perhaps the neighbors would think of them as husband and wife and maybe they would be similar enough, but the actual event taking place? Filia assumed that Xellos wouldn't bother. With a piercing glare, Filia demanded the truth. "Why do you want to marry me?" 

"Don't you want to?" Xellos innocently asked. 

"Quit playing innocent and confess!" Filia angrily demanded. "There has to be some reason why you would ask all of a sudden! Tell the truth, why do you want to marry me?" Her eyes shone with emotion as she waited expectantly to hear something sarcastic. Although if he said something cheesy like 'because I love you' she would probably leap into his arms and say yes... Even if five minutes later she would be threatening him with her mace and once again demanding to know what he was plotting. 

"My cure," Xellos finally confessed the truth, while Lina, Zelgadis and Amelia watched on in suspense. Sylphiel, Pokota, Gourry and Val watched on in confusion. It was understandable for Sylphiel and Pokota as they were not fully aware of the particular details of Xellos' situation. It was also comprehensible for Val, since he was a baby and was only beginning to learn about the world around him. As for Gourry, he was just stupid, but everyone had learned not to hold that against him. 

Filia closed her eyes, clenched her fists and shook in anger. "Amelia, please keep an eye on Val for me." 

"Sure..." Amelia whispered, as if she didn't even dare to raise her voice. 

Metaphorical flames appeared all around Filia as the whole group sensed the heat of her raging fury. "Idiot!" Filia roared into Xellos' face and took off in an all out run, which didn't stop until she disappeared in the distance. 

Idiot? As in not the almost endearing raw garbage? Yeah, Filia was mad alright. With his painted on cheerful grin still plastered on his face and his eyes still closed, Xellos sarcastically spoke with too much cheer to fit the situation. "That didn't turn out very well, did it?" The group as a whole shook their heads in an obvious response. "I'm off to find the stupid dragon before she does something... well, stupid, or more stupid than usual." This was Xellos' cue to fade into the astral side, except he was still a human so he couldn't. Thus instead, he ran off in Filia's general direction. At least he got the hang of better controlling his expression over time, but the delicate art of deciphering Filia still eluded him. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A couple of hours later after a short detour, the result of which Xellos thought Filia better appreciate, he spotted the golden dragon sitting on a bench, watching as the random couples walked by. He took a seat next to her. They were a short way away from the fountain with the cupid in the middle. The area was surrounded by rose bushes that produced flowers in a bright shade of hot pink complimented with minty green leaves that one could only conclude were fake. 

They had sat in that very spot before, a fact that Filia clearly remembered. "Remember when you were sitting here in those silly clothes and I came to find you so you wouldn't blackmail me? It was right after that embarrassing incident with the berries. You were still a monster at the time and I still had no idea about your curse. Back then, the thought of kissing you of my own free will seemed pretty unlikely, so as to not say impossible." Filia moved closer to Xellos and rested her head on his shoulder. 

Xellos placed his arm around Filia, drawing her closer and leaning his head towards hers. "You've come a long way, stupid dragon." 

"We've come a long way, raw garbage," Filia corrected. She let out a cold breath that was far too chilly for autumn and addressed the issue at hand. "We've had this conversation before, about how your cure doesn't work unless it's willing and not just you selfishly trying to get cured." 

"I know, but-" Filia held up her index finger to silence Xellos. 

"Even if we didn't have an actual wedding, we were basically living together, raising Val." Filia sounded much less upset than Xellos expected. In fact, she sounded calm and content. "I was happy and I think you enjoyed it too, didn't you? That's all that really matters," she concluded. "So I'm not angry that the idea of a wedding only occurred to you because of the cure, after all, cure aside, we're already a couple anyway regardless of the technicalities. Plus I appreciate that you told me the truth." 

"It's not like you ever expressed that you wanted to get married," Xellos pointed out. 

"I didn't think you wanted to and I didn't want to insist on it and drag you into it only so you could humor me," Filia retorted. "Getting married is something people should do because they want to, not because they have to. But like I said, I've been thinking it's not the party that matters, it's the aftermath of it and we already have that." 

"Then you don't want to get officially married?" Xellos inquired, a bit confused by Filia's apparent choice. 

Filia gave Xellos a look as if he was asking a very stupid question. "Of course I'll marry you." 

Looking quite puzzled, Xellos had to inquire. "If you're satisfied with the way things are and want to marry me, then what was that hissy fit all about, stupid dragon?" 

"I just told you, raw garbage!" Filia half growled. 

She took a short walk down memory lane, stated a few obvious facts and hinted that she was refusing his proposal. None of that amounted to an explanation in Xellos' opinion, but Filia was an eternal enigma and he had come to terms with that much. Maybe he even got to enjoy how she was such a roller coaster of wild emotions that he secretly missed being able to taste. "Okay..." 

Filia huffed, labeling the explanation as a lost cause and snuggled comfortably against Xellos, closing her eyes in much needed relaxation. She had almost dozed off when she felt something kind of cold around her left hand ring finger. She opened her eyes to find a golden ring with a big amethyst in the middle and two smaller diamonds on each side. Filia thought she was well past the blushing stage, but apparently she wasn't. Yet this wasn't an all out burning of the face, but a cute rosy tone on her cheeks that matched her loving eyes and sweet smile perfectly. "I'm tempted to make you ask me properly." 

Xellos grinned, with real cheer and amusement reflected on his face. "Not happening," he happily informed. "Here's something else instead." He kissed her and she concluded that proper proposals were over-rated anyway, this was much better. 

The kissing lasted for a while, but none of the passer-bys paid them any mind, since kissing couples were not rare around the resort. After some time passed, they decided it was time to rejoin the group. Contemplating the coming wedding, Filia mused, "I wonder if all the marriages performed in this resort are done in the name of the Official International Tourism Guild, like Lina and Gourry's marriage... or engagement." 

"Do you know who controls the guild?" Xellos had a certain cheer to his voice that he always enjoyed when he was about to annoy someone. 

Filia considered not asking, but she knew Xellos would tell her anyway and she was kind of curious. "Who?" 

Grinning in absolute amusement, Xellos informed, "the Metallium family." 

"In other words, Beast Master," Filia frowned. "I don't want to get married in the name of Beast Master, even if it is indirectly. I'm sure Sylphiel will be able to perform the ceremony in the name of Ceifeed if I ask her to." 

"I don't think Lord Beast Master will be very happy about that," Xellos presented a valid argument. "I'm already pushing my luck by getting married. Getting married in the name of the enemy would be too much. Besides, I don't want a wedding that's in any way related to Ceifeed." 

"But most monsters aren't exactly big on love, why would anyone get married in the name of Beast Master?" Filia stubbornly argued. 

"That's what makes it not so bad," Xellos reasoned. 

"Have you never heard that the wedding is to please the bride?" Filia growled. 

"Have you ever heard of a wedding without a groom?" Xellos merrily countered. 

"Fine," Filia sounded as if she was going to give up her argument, but Xellos knew better than to expect that and he was right. "How about Seyruun?" 

"Seyruun?" Xellos questioned. 

"Yes," Filia nodded, elaborating on her idea. "A civil marriage made official by the kingdom of Seyruun. Sylphiel can perform the ceremony and Amelia can validate it." 

Xellos considered the prospect, "maybe... But don't blame me if Zelas gets angry. Let's not forget that this entire resort is all one big training and research center in her service. She'll know when the wedding is and she might even decide to honor us with her presence." That gave Filia a whole new set of possible difficulties to think of. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 084: Poison! Prepare For Trouble

The preparations for Xellos and Filia's wedding were quickly started. Amor Resort had plenty of shops to purchase all the needed items, so finding things was not difficult. Sylphiel had agreed to officiate the marriage ceremony and Amelia would approve it in the name of Seyruun. As part of the preparations, Filia and the girls were getting dresses with Amelia, Lina and Tiffany playing the role of bridesmaids, soon to be joined by Elena when she, Jillas and Gravos arrived. 

"Filia," a particularly annoying tone adorned the sing-song voice of the mysterious woman who appeared, literally, out of nowhere, or rather, out of the astral side if you want to get technical. 

"Zelas..." Filia was taken by surprise, dropping her arms which she had previously held outstretched for Sylphiel to measure her. She wasn't expecting Zelas to cause trouble until the actual wedding. 

"What do you think of this dress?" Zelas spun around to show off her elegant dress. It was strapless with small diamonds all around and a low cut that was open on the back leaving most of it bare. The skirt had multiple layers of shiny fabric adorned with more diamonds that matched the rest of her expensive jewelry. Her hair was done up neatly with a few strands elegantly framing her face. Zelas grinned her most annoyingly mocking grin. "Pretty, isn't it?" 

The dress was indeed pretty, it was beautiful, it was gorgeous and it was white. Filia knew she should have seen this coming; of course Zelas wouldn't miss the opportunity to show up at her wedding wearing an extravagant white dress. "Very nice," the angry golden dragon finally spoke, careful to keep her voice even, or at least as even as her burning rage permitted. Then she turned to Sylphiel and casually declared, with more sharpness to her tone than any casual statement should merit. "Make my wedding dress pink." 

A deadly silence invaded the atmosphere. Sylphiel dared not to protest, it was obvious that this lady was a monster, given her peculiar entrance, and she seemed to be a powerful one. That aside, people didn't always follow the white dress tradition and Filia could get married in pink if she so wished it. Then Lina, who was feeling particularly brave, decided to speak up. "Weren't the bridesmaids supposed to wear pink?" 

Filia frowned and Lina quieted. "You can wear pink; I'll wear... lavender..." 

"Dark purple," Zelas dictated, causing Filia to twitch at being told what to wear in her own wedding. "Xellos would like that, but of course; I can't expect such an uncaring bride to even remotely consider what her unfortunate groom would prefer." Zelas made a dramatic motion with her hand over her forehead as if pretending to faint. 

Filia debated if she should reply or not. Zelas would no doubt be very difficult to argue with, being both cunning and annoying. Worse yet, if Filia did manage to get her point across, that might mean death. On the other hand, Filia wasn't sure what her point was anyway. "Dark purple it is!" Filia knew that there was no way she could beat Zelas in the art of being annoying. She was pretty sure no one could do that, not even Xellos. Perhaps her best survival strategy and hopefully the key to having a somewhat decent wedding was to play nice. "Lord Beast Master, would you pretty please, do me the great honor of designing my wedding dress?" Filia batted her eyelashes, her voice coated in a thick layer of sugar, while her aura screamed bloody murder. 

Amelia leaned over to Lina and quietly whispered, "she lost it." 

Then the next thing Amelia knew, Zelas had disappeared from in front of Filia only to reappear next to Amelia and whisper to her, "she never had it." Which caused Amelia and Lina to jump back and stumble like dominoes, knocking down Sylphiel in their path. 

Zelas' silver eyes focused on Filia, the golden dragon noting the change of color which was all done probably just to better match the many diamonds and the ivory white of the dress, which any honest person had to admit looked good paired with Zelas' radiant tan. "Good to see you're learning your place." 

Filia visibly shook with anger. Through clenched teeth she pushed out her reply. "I'm only all too happy to be a part of your lovely family." She wouldn't let Zelas drive her over the edge. That would mean that she lost and Filia simply couldn't give Beast Master this victory. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After the measurements were taken, Zelas disappeared with the notes, claiming that she was off to create a masterpiece. Filia didn't even want to imagine the dress she would have to wear. While Amelia tried to console Filia with one of her positive thinking justice speeches, Lina and Sylphiel moved to the balcony of the atelier which resided on the second floor of a boutique. "Um... Sylphiel... about Gourry..." Lina brought up the difficult subject that she simply had to get off her chest. Sylphiel was an important friend to Gourry and she was Lina's friend too, she even saved her life in the past. 

Sylphiel leaned on the balcony, closing her eyes in thought for a moment, before looking out in the distance at the busy crowds making their way through the resort. "It's okay; you don't need to sound so apologetic. I took a lot of time to speak up and maybe it's because I knew the two of you belonged together. My dear Gourry is happy," this time Sylphiel attached her usual way to refer to him in front of the name, because he was still someone dear to her as a friend. "That's all that really matters, one day, I'll find someone too. I'll be patient until then." 

Sylphiel smiled so sincerely that Lina's worries evaporated. "I'm sure you will," the redhead smiled back. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

While the last few preparations for the wedding were still taking place, Lina suggested that they should rehearse to make sure everything went just right. At first Filia was surprised at how eager to help and thoughtful Lina was being, though she soon realized she should have seen it coming when the actual rehearsal took place that evening. It was held in the same location of the ball where Lina and Gourry got married, which turned into getting engaged. The dome was as elegant as ever, with its white marble walls round about, impressive glass ceiling and gorgeous levitating chandeliers. 

Yet the locale seemed empty with its few occupants when it was built to house a large crowd. Lina certainly wasn't complaining, that meant more food for her. Which brought Filia back to her main argument, that she proceeded to state while cradling little Val in her arms. "Why do we need to have a banquet rehearsal, I thought this was supposed to be a wedding rehearsal!" 

"Why would we need a wedding rehearsal? Don't you know how weddings go, stupid dragon?" Xellos teased. "I'm a monster," or he was originally and would hopefully become one again, "and even I know how weddings go." 

"I know how weddings go, raw garbage!" Filia countered. "And I also know that no matter how we rehearse, it in the end it will only go any way Zelas wants it to go." She sighed, defeating her own point. Searching for something in the surrounding area that would distract her enough to calm down, Filia spotted Phythan following Onyx around like a lost puppy. The comparison was made more vivid by the fact that his tail was out for whatever reason, wagging slightly now and then. 

Noticing what Filia was looking at, Xellos teased, "I bet she hits him in three... two... one..." Onyx turned around, glared at Phythan who tried to smile to soothe her anger. She walked around him and stomped hard on his tail. He yelped in pain, while she walked away. Xellos grinned proudly, even without his ability to sense emotions he could still guess what people were about to do at times. It probably came from his expertise in temper tantrums, which he obtained thanks to Filia. "Did you see that? I'm a genius." 

"Anyone somewhat observant would have guessed that," Filia argued. "I knew she would hit him too. Onyx had that look in her eyes that's like..." 

"Like when you're about to try to hit me with your mace?" Xellos offered, his expression still amused. 

"Exactly," Filia agreed. "But she hasn't auctioned him again yet," Filia pointed out, glaring at Xellos suspiciously, while he tried to play innocent. "Don't give me that look as if you don't know what I'm talking about, I know you didn't let the payment go through. I guess it's okay as long as Onyx doesn't try to auction Phythan again. Maybe she likes him; she did kick him pretty hard." Filia mused aloud, not realizing that her theory was not exactly the most logical. 

Xellos raised an eyebrow, one eye open and one closed, "I knew it, you're a sadist." 

"No I'm not," Filia pouted, then went over her words again. "I meant it in a completely innocent way. It's like how a child would poke another child because of a secret crush. It's kind of like how you would always get on my nerves." 

"A monster isn't exactly an innocent child," Xellos pointed out. "And neither is a grown human, but dragons are... pathetically innocent." 

Filia huffed, "stop twisting things around! Anyway, I don't think Onyx is so bad. She's picky with who she graces with a few words, but her ego isn't as big as yours. I know because Zelgadis and I eavesdropped on your conversation with her. I thought you might be plotting something that I would somehow have to stop. Zelgadis muttered something about Onyx not accepting herself, but I didn't quite catch all of it. It didn't look like something he wanted to elaborate on at the moment, so I didn't ask." 

Xellos pretended to be hurt, "don't you trust me at all?" 

"When it comes to causing mischief, I only trust you to cause a lot of it," Filia retorted. She watched Onyx sneak away from the banquet uncomfortably, she had been in a bad mood since the whole event started. From a certain perspective it could be considered as an improvement from her usual monotone, but from the perspective of Phythan's aching tail as he followed her unsure of why she was angry at him, it was not an improvement. "Which is why I'm not leaving you here unsupervised to get into trouble while I go do something about those two." 

"Matchmaking?" Xellos laughed mockingly. "We both know how your past attempts turned out." 

"They were perfectly successful!" Filia emphasized. "All the couples that I tried to match-make for ended up together!" 

"Not as a direct result of your actions," Xellos reminded. 

Filia glared, maintaining her position, "I'm sure I contributed." She strolled over to Tiffany, who was making her way around the dome playing hostess. "Tiffany, can you keep an eye on Val for a little while? Xellos and I need to take care of something real quick." 

Tiffany grinned mischievously, "I completely understand. Come here little Val, let's give mommy and daddy some time to do mommy and daddy things." 

"Be good to aunty Tifa," Filia kissed Val's forehead and went on her way with Xellos. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia didn't quite catch the meaning of Tiffany's words until she and Xellos were already out of the dome heading towards the forest of plastic trees that surrounded the wooden clock tower. She stopped, suddenly realizing, "I think Tiffany got the wrong idea about why we left." 

Grinning in vast amusement, Xellos winked, "we could always make it right." 

Filia blushed, "focus, raw garbage, we're here to make sure Phythan doesn't get auction away and to make sure Onyx has a trustworthy companion nearby for whenever whatever was sealed in her by the Lord of Nightmares finally manifests itself. Most of all, were here to make Onyx and Phythan realize they like each other!" 

"You sounded like Amelia giving a justice speech, only worse, because your speech is about matchmaking," Xellos mocked. 

"Don't worry, it'll work, I'm feeling optimistic. Look, there they are!" Filia pointed to a clearing ahead, where Onyx had stopped walking and Phythan had caught up with her. Filia ducked behind a line of plastic bushes, signaling for Xellos to quietly join her. 

"I have an odd feeling..." Xellos whispered. He had never felt so in danger without his ability to sense the life forms around him. It was almost as if some kind of obscure survival instinct was setting him on edge. 

"I'm feeling pretty relaxed," Filia yawned. "In fact, I've been feeling extra relaxed and kind of sleepy since we entered this fake plastic forest. There's something calming in the air here that I didn't quite notice before." 

"Maybe it's that strange perfume lingering in the air?" Xellos suggested, "it's unusual, I don't like it." He glanced at where Onyx was yelling at Phythan not to follow her, while he grinned stupidly. "Phythan seems to agree about this place being relaxing, he's got such a stupid smile on his face." Xellos paused, taking note of Filia's expression, "It's just like the stupid smile on your face. I really don't like this, something is wrong, someone is here!" 

Filia giggled, "oh, relax, Xellos, there's no one here but us." She didn't seem to care if Onyx and Phythan discovered them. Then a strange fog like a Dark Mist spell began to invade the atmosphere, but instead of getting alarmed, Filia giggled some more and cuddled Xellos. "Isn't that mist pretty? It's kind of romantic." 

"Either that strange smell is toxic to dragons, or you've gone insane," Xellos had a strong feeling that it was the first possibility. Then he remembered the impending danger that everyone knew was to come but had been procrastinating to do anything about, since no real clues were available anyway. "The Dragon Slayers," Xellos blew away the strange mist with a Diem Wind spell. He hurried out of the false bushes to join Onyx and Phythan. 

Xellos led Filia away by the hand, while she only giggled in response. "Aw, Xellos, are we going for a nice stroll? That's so sweet." 

"C'mon stupid dragon! Don't let that lonely single brain cell of yours die!" Xellos tried to make Filia snap out of it to no avail. 

"I love you too, raw garbage," Filia chirped happily. 

The whole while, Phythan kept poking Onyx annoyingly asking, "Miss Onyx, Miss Onyx, will you be my best friend forever?" No amount of insults or getting his hand slapped away seemed to be able to stop him. 

"I know you're there! Come out before I Dragon Slave you out!" Xellos threatened. 

About eight people in black ninja-like clothing came out of hiding from several locations behind the plastic vegetation. They surrounded Xellos, Onyx and the two golden dragons. A tall one who appeared to be the leader, spoke from behind the black clothe covering his face. "Powerless monster, you should die along with the dragons you allied yourself with, I've always known the dragons are just as bad as the monsters and the fact they stand together proves it! We, the Dragon Slayers will rid the world of such creatures in the name of our great leader the Green Alchemist, the Mother of all Things!" 

"I stand for justice!" Phythan nonsensically yelled. 

"Me too," Filia joined in with a giggle. 

'They're insane if they think some alchemist is the Mother of all Things... Or maybe just stupid enough to be tricked,' Xellos mused. "What did you do to them?" He growled angrily. "It better not be permanent." 

"It's not, but what does it matter? You're all about to die anyway." The leader confidently declared. "Dragon Slayers, attack!" 

The eight slayers threw chain kunai simultaneously at their primary target: Phythan. 'As I thought, they want to force Phythan to transform to defend himself and slay him for his horn,' Xellos concluded. After all, even in their unguarded stupefied state, they would still fight back if they felt enough pain, though it would most likely be with brainless raw power, which could be handled with the proper strategy. "Diem Claw!" 

The chain kunai were pushed upward by a vertical gust of wind, rather than back towards their owners, who would have probably just caught them and thrown them again. In the few seconds of time it took the Dragon Slayers to pull back their weapons by the chains, Xellos took the opportunity to fire a rapid succession of Flare Arrows that caused the Dragon Slayers to jump away to dodge, taking their weapons off the intended target course with them. 

"Onyx, don't just stand there slapping Phythan silly. You have Beast Master's amulet that's infused with her power, use it!" Xellos ordered. 

"Yes, brother," Onyx released Phythan. Both sides of his face where bright red from the angry slaps he received because he wouldn't stop poking Onyx. 

Xellos looked towards Filia, but realized that she was not where she had been a mere split second ago. Instead she was recklessly charging against the enemy, stumbling around in a drunken stupor. "Filia!" 

Filia was exceptionally easy to capture and be held hostage, which was certainly not the way Xellos envisioned this battle to progress. "Get yer hands off me!" Filia slurred. "Only me fiance can like hold me like close. He's a jealous one, he's gonna rip yer head off... hee hee hee." 

"I would rip his head off," in a much more literate fashion, "if you haven't gotten yourself captured, stupid dragon!" Xellos growled in frustration. 

"Order the male dragon to transform," the Dragon slayer leader commanded, holding a sharp dagger dangerously close to Filia's neck. It was always 'the dragon' for the Slayers, they never used proper names when it came to the creatures they hunted. The dagger was coated in some green syrupy stuff. It was probably some kind of poison particularly effective against dragons. 

"Onyx, tell that idiot to transform," Xellos relayed the order. 

"Yes, brother," Onyx roughly pulled Phythan's ear so he would lean closer to her and whispered something to him. 

Phythan nodded eagerly, stumbled in place trying to regain his balance and did a silly little salute. The whole time he was laughing stupidly as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. Then he transformed, the horn on his forehead appearing to its full length. It was so large that it made his head feel out of balance, as if he didn't have enough of that as a result of the gases he was exposed to which affected dragons. "Now we play!" He picked up Onyx and literally threw her away into the distance, hopping around and clapping afterwards. 

"Just when I thought he couldn't get more stupid!" Xellos grumbled angrily. 

"Sir?" One of the Dragon Slayers inquired to the leader. "Should we pursue her?" 

"Forget the girl, she is of no use to us," the Dragon Slayer leader still kept a firm hold on the squirming drunken Filia. "Monster, keep that beast under control while we cut off its horn and your little pet might live." 

Xellos glared murderously, they would pay for this, he would make certain of it. But he couldn't take action while they were holding Filia hostage like that. For the time being, he would have to cooperate. 

To be Continued


	29. Chapter 29

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 085: Antidote! A Classic Fairytale Legend

To say Xellos was very enraged would be an understatement. No one bossed him around... except maybe Beast Master, but that was a whole different story. 

"That's it, dragon, eat it all up," one of the Dragon Slayers was giving Phythan some strange gummy things that Xellos knew were not regular candy. 

Phythan wasn't in any conditions to tell the difference though. "Hee hee, yummy candy!" Before he knew it, he was sound asleep. 

"Knock that horn clean off with Flare Arrows!" The Dragon Slayer leader commanded, still holding Filia hostage. 

"Hey Xellos," Filia was starting to get impatient with the situation. "How come yer not rescuing me like like like a damsel from those romance novels?" 

"Maybe because the villains in those novels are polite enough to tie the damsel over a boiling pit of lava instead of inconveniently holding her hostage with a poisonous dagger to her neck?" Dire situation or not, Xellos was still Xellos and he had plenty of sarcasm to show for it. "It's rather uncomfortable for the protagonist to do battle in these conditions; it won't do for the co-star to get beheaded." 

Just as the Dragon Slayers were about to shoot their concentrated Flare Arrows at the sleeping Phythan, the earth shook violently, causing the near by wooden clock tower to become lopsided and many of the resort's buildings to get cracks crawling up their walls. The crowds ran around like little ants after someone poured water on their ant-hill all over the resort. Most importantly, the Dragon Slayer leader was taken by surprise enough for Filia to slip away. Unfortunately, the Dragon Slayer leader swung his dagger at her as she ran, the blade making a small but dangerously poisonous slash on her exposed tail. Further action from the enemy leader was prevented by Xellos' Freeze Arrow being shot directly at him, which encased him in a block of ice. 

"He hurt me!" Filia complained loudly, with a waterfall of exaggerated tears that dried up just as quickly as they came. "I'll get my revenge!" She took in a big breath and shot out a powerful laser from her mouth right at the frozen leader. Another of the Dragon Slayers jumped in front of him, holding an enchanted glass bottle as a shield. The laser entered the bottle and spun around inside it like a miniature thunderstorm without an end. 

"No worries, I'll get revenge for you," Xellos offered, his expression becoming even more dangerously enraged. 

Before Xellos could cast any spells, a familiar voice was heard near by, "Zelas Brid!" A line of light invaded the battle zone, striking the surprised Dragon Slayers, who had been focused on defending against Xellos. Onyx revealed herself beyond the plastic vegetation, keeping up the spell until her amulet shattered. 

"That was an ambitious spell," Xellos commented. "But an incomplete one at best, you can't expect to cast a spell like that with just an amulet. You'd need to have some power of your own too." 

"My apologies for taking so long, brother," Onyx excused herself. "I was thrown further away than intended. Fortunately, the amulet allowed me to levitate to safety, but it's broken now. I no longer have any power..." 

Xellos smiled mockingly, "don't be too disappointed, you never had any power to begin with." He glanced at the Dragon Slayers that were injured on the ground but still alive. "Like I said, that spell wasn't as powerful as it should have been. If not because the amulet was made by Beast Master herself, it wouldn't have worked at all. It looks like I'll have to finish them off." 

Again Xellos was interrupted by the arrival of a new person. "Filia, Phythan! Take a deep breath now!" Kally arrived on the scene and threw what appeared to be some kind of smoke bomb that released a golden mist. 

When the mist cleared out, both Filia and Phythan were awake and sober. "What just happened? Was I acting like a stupid damsel in distress or was it a dream?" Filia looked at the cut on her tail. "Oh no, it was real, wasn't it?" 

"Every bit of it," Xellos mocked. "You're a very troublesome stupid dragon." 

"I have a headache!" Phythan complained. He transformed back into an elf so that his large horn would disappear. As usual, he didn't really bother finding a private place for the transformation, never mind that there were plenty of nearby plastic bushes to hide behind. 

"Kally, you traitor!" The injured leader of the Dragon Slayers accused. 

"Father..." Kally recognized him, surprising all those present. "The ways of our people are wrong, we must not hunt the dragons, they're not our enemies!" 

"I will not hear another word from a traitor!" The stubborn leader growled. 

Kally turned her back on him. "Filia, Phythan, please allow me to conduct a medical examination on you both to make sure everything is alright. If you were poisoned, I'll make an antidote. I'll be waiting at the clock tower, or what's left of it. As for him," she looked at the man she would never again call father with angry bitterness. "Do as you please with these evildoers." Kally stormed off, disappearing between the fake vegetation in the direction of the lopsided wooden clock tower. 

"Now without further ado, you'll finally get what you deserve!" Xellos cheerfully announced. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows..." 

"Stop!" Filia intervened. 

"How many times is someone going to stopped me from disintegrating these idiots?" Xellos glared in annoyance. "What is it? Do you think the Dragon Slave is too messy? How about some Fireballs instead?" 

Filia shook her head, "that's not it." She glared at the Dragon Slayers with absolute anger. "I don't want any of you to go after another dragon ever again." 

"I was about to make certain of that," Xellos pointed out with a cheerful grin. Their destruction had been delayed for far too long and he was impatient to get it over with. 

"Don't," Filia insisted. 

"Are you going to lecture them first?" Xellos rolled his eyes. 

"No, I'm going to let them go," Filia surprisingly revealed, receiving a puzzled and disapproving look from Xellos. "Dragons are not evil, cruel or merciless; I want to show that with facts. Please Xellos, spare them, do it for me." He seemed unconvinced so she added, "I'll put up a fight if I have to, either you do what I say or you go through me." 

"Stupid stubborn dragon!" Xellos growled in absolute frustration. "Next time they attack-" 

"I'm not going to protect them anymore," Filia interrupted. She glanced at the Dragon Slayers, "one chance is all you get, just so you know dragons are not evil. Now go, leave this island!" 

Without another word, the Dragon Slayers healed themselves as best they could, picked up their frozen leader and went on the retreat. They didn't obtain the horn, but those golden scales stuck to the dagger used to attack Filia and her laser which was still in the enchanted bottle might be useful for something... 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After the battle had ended, Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia, Xellos, Phythan, Onyx, Celo, Tiffany and Kally gathered at the wooden clock tower. Fang, Martina, Zangulus and Sylphiel were left to clean up after the banquet rehearsal while Pokota entertained Val. 

"It sounded like you were affected by a special alchemical mix that clouds a dragon's senses. With this vaccine you'll be immune to it from now on, so you won't have to worry about being sent into an almost instant drunken state anymore." Kally explained, presenting the results of her alchemic medicine. "It's magic and medicine mixed together. The proper herbs are needed along with an incantation." That was one problem out of the way, but there were more. 

"As for the poison..." Kally continued. "Phythan was made to consume it in the shape of candy and it entered Filia's blood stream through the wound on her tail." The injury was healed, but it was too late to stop the poison, now only the antidote could help, which brought Kally to her most bitter revelation. "This poison is extremely dangerous; it can kill a dragon in a day. However, after you've been cured of it once, your body will become immune. Most of the substances the Dragon Slayers use are like that, super effective, but only once. Dragons have a very strong immunity system after all." 

"Kally," Amelia spoke up, looking for an answer that she knew she wouldn't like, but needed to hear anyway. "If everything will be okay, why do you look so sad?" 

Kally let out a frustrated breath, "I'm sorry, I was only able to make enough antidote for one. I don't have the proper ingredients for more and they're not in season. It would be virtually impossible to find the needed rare herbs to make more antidote on time before the poison's fatal effects come to pass." 

A tense silence passed, until it was broken by Phythan. "It's okay, Miss Kally, at least you tried to help. I have nothing to look forward to in this world but the pain of constant migraines, frequent obsessed stalkers and occasional rejections. It's a pity I didn't get to accomplish my dream of finishing and publishing my own comic, but alas, my time has come to an end." 

"Well, you heard him," Xellos picked up the little vial with the antidote. "Drink up, stupid dragon." 

"No," Filia adamantly refused. "I can't drink the only available antidote knowing that someone else will die if I do!" 

"It's okay, Miss Filia, you don't have to feel guilty," Phythan insisted. "You have a loving fiance with whom to share a happy life with, so you should be the one to survive. Besides, Mr. Xellos might get all depressed if you're gone and throw away all the progress he has made in leaving behind his evil ways to walk down the path of justice." 

"I don't walk down the path of justice!" Xellos defended, sounding offended. 

"All the more reason why Miss Filia needs to stay and help you reform!" Phythan argued. 

"I have no intentions of reforming, but you're welcome to uselessly try, Filia... especially with bribery," he winked and Filia blushed. Everyone except Phythan caught the hint. "Now quit being a stubborn stupid dragon and drink your medicine," Xellos insisted. 

"I refuse!" Filia maintained her position, even if Xellos looked like he was dangerously close to forcing the antidote down her throat. 

"What about the enchanted kiss of healing?" Tiffany suggested. 

"The what?" Gourry asked in confusion, he wasn't actually following any of the important details so far, but this sounded like something out of a children's fairytale, so it might be easy enough to understand. 

"I've heard about it," Amelia elaborated. "The enchanted kiss of healing can cleanse the body of most illnesses and curses." 

"How come you never mention that before?" Xellos inquired in annoyance. By now everyone was aware of the specifics of his curse dilemma and Amelia had not said anything about that enchanted kiss of healing when she first found out about it. 

"Because it's only a legend, possibly even a myth," Amelia explained. "Besides, a curse that's strong enough to take away your monster powers and already has a specifically assigned cure, even if it's some kind of puzzle, probably wouldn't be broken by alternative means." 

"Indeed," Celo agreed. "In fact, I am ninety-nine percent certain that the enchanted kiss of healing will not be able to break your curse. It is quite unfortunate, General Xellos. However, I am also ninety-nine percent certain that it can cure Filia's poison." 

"Then it's real?" Amelia gasped. "Wow, I thought it really was a myth." 

"Not at all," Celo elaborated. "The book containing the proper spell is kept right here on this island. It is the very spell that inspired many fairytales such as Sleeping Beauty and many others." 

"Could it...?" Zelgadis began to ask. 

"Chimeraism isn't a curse or an illness," Celo guessed what his question would be and replied before Zelgadis was even done asking. "It's supposed to be a beneficial combination of different aspects so no, this method wouldn't work on you." 

"Well, it's settled, Phythan can have the antidote and I'll be healed with that spell," Filia concluded. Before Xellos could protest that a ninety-nine percent of a survival probability wasn't good enough, Filia snatched away the vial and forced Phythan to drink the antidote. 

Phythan made choking noises until he finally fell into a suspenseful silence that culminated in very a whiny, "it's so bitter!" 

"Filia!" Xellos scolded, "your stupidity never ceases to amaze me." 

"Quit complaining!" Filia retorted, "it'll be okay. Let's just get the spell book." 

"Alright, let us journey to the entrance of the caverns." Celo led the way down some stairs that conducted to a hidden basement under the lopsided wooden clock tower... 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia, Xellos, Phythan, Onyx, Celo, Tiffany and Kally found themselves face to face with four caves in a rustic basement under the clock tower. "The vault containing the spell book is through the tunnel in the far right. However," he revealed three keys. "These keys must be inserted into the slots at the end of each of the three first tunnels in order for the vault to be opened. Forcing it open will result in its defense mechanism destroying its contents. That terrible miracle cure is not a good thing from a monster's perspective, so making sure the book was locked up was important. It was fortunate that it wasn't destroyed instead. You never know when you might be glad to have something that you might have wanted to destroy in the past. It's like the mirror of truth, but that's not even dangerous enough to be kept in the vault." 

"Filia and I will go through the tunnel in the far right, of course, the rest of you grab a key and get going," Xellos ordered. 

"Wait a minute!" Lina protested. "I'm the leader around here!" 

"Then by all means, lead us," Xellos had his usual cheerful mocking grin. 

Lina felt like she was losing somehow, maybe because she was technically doing free work, but she was too stubborn to back down now. "Gourry and I will go through the first tunnel. Which key needs to be used there?" 

"The golden one," Celo explained as he gave Lina all three keys. "The silver key is for the second tunnel from the left and the bronze key is for the third one. The last tunnel in the far right only has the magic vault." 

"Alright, listen up everyone; we'll be dividing ourselves into teams of two. That should be more than enough to accomplish the simple task of using some keys," Lina commanded in her 'I'm the leader' tone of voice. "Naturally, Xellos and Filia will go through the forth tunnel since they're the ones who will be using the spell book. Gourry and I will take the golden key through the first tunnel. Amelia and Zelgadis will journey through the second tunnel with the silver key." 

Lina gave Amelia the key and the princess saluted in response. "I will accomplish this mission of love and justice!" She bravely declared. 

"As for the bronze key that must be taken through the third tunnel..." Lina paused, considering her options. 

"Onyx and Phythan can go," Filia suggested with a grin that revealed her matchmaking intentions. 

"Alright, then it's settled," Lina gave Onyx the bronze key. "Onyx and Phythan will journey through the third tunnel. Everyone move out!" All the assigned pairs marched through their respective tunnels aiding themselves with light spells to see where they were going. 

"I guess I'll return to my duties as a doctor now," Kally announced, making her way up the stairs and out of the basement area. 

A quiet moment passed with Tiffany and Celo alone in the basement. Tiffany gave Celo a peculiar look, "didn't you forget something, dear?" 

"Did I, my beloved?" Celo innocently inquired with a clear hint of mischief in his eyes. 

"Yes you did, lover," Tiffany returned the expression. "You didn't tell them anything about the guards." 

"You're right, sweetheart, it must have slipped my mind," Celo grinned in a way that made him look similar to Xellos. "I suppose they'll figure that out soon enough." 

Tiffany nodded, "I'm sure they will, honey." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Lina and Gourry quietly made their way through the first tunnel. It had been a while since their trek started, showing that the tunnel was far longer than they had anticipated. The passageway became narrower as they went along, until Lina had to squeeze in first with the taller Gourry making his uncomfortable progress with more difficulty than the petite redhead. 

At long last the pair arrived at a larger chamber where Gourry was all too happy to stretch. "It was sure cramped back there! I feel stiff after all that. Lina, would you mind giving me a shoulder massage? I kept bumping on the cave's sides and ceiling, an ice pack for my head would be nice too." 

Lina's face instantly turned red at the request. "You can get your ice pack when we get back to the tower," she replied in a hurry. 

"And the massage?" Gourry innocently inquired. He thought it was a reasonable enough request to ask of his fiance. He wouldn't complain if Lina didn't want to do it, but he was certainly hoping she would agree. 

"Yeah... that too," Lina agreed. "Let's just get our mission done and over with for now. I'll give you a massage after I'm done giving Celo an earful for not warning us about how long this tunnel was. He could have given us a snack basket for the way." Never mind that Lina had a feast not too long ago during the banquet rehearsal, she never turned down food. 

The large chamber was as rustic as the rest of the pathway with plain brown cavern walls and a rocky dirt ground. There were torches round about, which suddenly became lit. Lina dispelled the orb of light that she was holding, seeing as it was no longer needed, though the torches lighting up by themselves were certainly suspicious. The redhead sorceress spotted a keyhole on the opposite wall of the chamber upon a golden tile. In front of it there was a large black jar with red drawings of octopus silhouettes. "There's the keyhole." 

Lina approached a few steps, but stopped when the jar in front of her intended path began to shake as smoke came from it. In a matter of seconds the smoke became the shape of an octopus that towered in front of Lina and Gourry, occupying most of the spacious chamber with its colossal size. Just as the two humans prepared for battle, the strange octopus began to sing and dance, waving its tentacles around. "Octo, octo, octopus! Octo octo octopus! Octo, octo, octopus!" It bellowed in a terribly off-key voice surrounded by a strange glow. 

Tired of the terrible singing, Lina shouted, "dance like a lobster!" She immediately covered her mouth in horror. She had been trying to say 'shut up already' and she certainly didn't want to encourage more dancing like an octopus, lobster or otherwise. That strange song and dance was a spell that made her speak in octopice. Perhaps getting rid of the octopus would get rid of the language problem, but how could Lina even begin to test that theory if she couldn't cast her spells? "My cookies are happy!" Lina cried out in frustration. 

"I saw a pie flying through the sky?" Gourry attempted to ask something, albeit it was impossible to figure out what it was in his current condition. 

"The sunflowers are coming!" Lina shouted in reply. 

Seeing that he couldn't understand Lina and Lina couldn't understand him, Gourry sighed, "flat-chested." The remark earned him a slap from Lina, who was, understandably, in a very bad mood with the entire situation. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 086: Annoying! Tricky Treasure Guards

After the Dragon Slayers poisoned Filia and Phythan, Filia made Phythan take the only antidote and thus a new mission began to find a spell book that could heal Filia of her fatal poisoning. The needed book was in a vault underground beneath the wooden clock tower that required three keys to open it, which needed to be inserted into locations far from the vault itself. Looking to speed things up, the team took four separate paths with Xellos and Filia heading towards the vault. Lina and Gourry had the first key, Amelia and Zelgadis the second, Onyx and Phythan the third. Unfortunately, Celo and Tiffany failed to warn them that the paths were guarded. 

Lina and Gourry found an unpleasant surprise in the shape of a giant octopus that used an incantation to curse them into speaking octopice, rendering Lina unable to cast any spells. "Octo, octo, octopus!" The giant octopus attacked Lina and Gourry, who jumped left and right of it to dodge the coming hits. "Octo, octo, octopus!" The beast swung its tentacles around, impacting the walls as Gourry and Lina jumped out of the way, and causing rubble to fall everywhere. 

"Let's sit here and play cards for all eternity!" Lina warned, although it made no sense what so ever in her current condition. What she meant to say was 'that thing's going to bring this place down!' 

The two continued dodging the tentacles, meeting in the middle of the chamber, where Gourry looked at Lina and stated with a stupid look of confusion. "Bare my children." Lina turned bright red, although Gourry's intended comment was a simple and innocent 'I don't understand,' in reaction to her random gibberish. 

Lina flailed around, trying to communicate something that wasn't random. She pointed at the octopus and made a motion as if wielding a sword. Gourry finally got the message, nodded and went on the attack, chopping off the tentacle that was heading towards him. Two more tentacles followed from the left and right. The skilled swordsman jumped, leaving the two appendages to grab each other instead of him. He chopped another as he fell, then hurried to cut the next with an upward slash. 

'Three down, five more to go!' Lina cheered, though in octopice it came out as "I will never be a memory!" She quickly dodged another tentacle that was heading towards her and attacked it with her dagger, stabbing at it repeatedly until she managed to cut it off. Half the tentacles had been cut off, leaving only four more to threaten them. 

"Ogres are like onions!" Gourry exclaimed with confidence as he went on the attack again. He was trying to express 'we're going to win this!' He ran around the octopus causing the creatures remaining four tentacles to become tangled under it as it spun around trying to follow Gourry's fast motions. With the four appendages in a knot, Gourry leapt into the air and brought down his sword, chopping them all off in one final attack. "May the force be with you!" Gourry smiled at Lina, declaring 'looks like it's finally beaten' in octopiece. 

The tentacle-less torso and the severed appendages glowed suspiciously, cutting the victorious feeling short. All the pieces turned to smoke and gathered together in a cloud. The cloud of smoke separated into four pieces that turned into smaller octopus in four different colors, blue, yellow, red and green. "Octo!" The yellow one screeched. "Octo!" The blue one squealed. "Octo, octo!" The green one shrieked. The four creatures surrounded Lina and Gourry, spinning around them in a circle and chanting "Octo, octo, octopus! Octo, octo, octopus!" 

The ground beneath their feet began to glow within the circle created by the four colorful octopi. "They've got more fur than any turtle ever had." Lina urgently pointed out, which should have been 'I don't like what they're doing, let's attack!' She was really fed up with the octopice curse, octopus didn't have fur and neither did turtles, all that gibberish was getting on her nerves. Without further ado, Lina went on the attack, stabbing the yellow octopus with her dagger. The creature dissolved into smoke on contact as the other three began to spin around faster with the glow from the floor becoming brighter. 

Following Lina's lead, Gourry attacked the green octopus with his sword, but instead of having the same reaction as the yellow one had with Lina, it split into two with the extra one becoming yellow so that there were four once more. "Octopus!" All four creatures shouted, raising their tentacles as the floor glowed brighter and threw Lina and Gourry into the air like with a Dill Brand spell. Unable to levitate, the pair fell painfully on the ground and the octopi's strange behavior continued. The previous scene was repeated again. "Octo!" The yellow one screeched, "Octo!" The blue one squealed. "Octo, octo!" The green one shrieked. The four creatures spun around Lina and Gourry, chanting "Octo, octo, octopus! Octo, octo, octopus!" 

Gourry was about to go on the attack again, but Lina stopped him and shook her head. Knowing that her words would serve no purpose in effective communication, she pointed at the yellow octopus, which Gourry attacked. The creature disappeared into smoke just as it had before, causing the three remaining beings to spin around faster. Lina pointed at the blue octopus and Gourry attacked it. Just as with the yellow one, the blue one also dissolved into smoke and disappeared. Lina's theory was correct; they needed to be attacked following a specific pattern. 

Unfortunately, the two remaining octopi sped up their spinning so much that Lina and Gourry could only see a mixed blur of red and green. Gourry looked at Lina awaiting her instructions. She tried to point at the green octopus and signaled a number two by holding up two fingers in her hand. Gourry looked at the blur around them and shrugged in confusion. Lina tried to point again, but at that speed it was impossible to see what she was pointing at. To top it all up, the ground glowed brighter and Lina had a feeling that they were soon to run out of time before the entire process reset itself and they had to start all over again. That, plus the inconvenience of being thrown harshly and painfully. 

Trying desperately to convey a message Gourry could understand, Lina pointed at her hair and shook her head, trying to say 'not the red one.' Then she held up two fingers again indicating that he needed to attack the green octopus twice. Gourry looked at her clueless and Lina considered going on the attack herself, but as a magic user though she had some practice with a sword, she knew she wasn't as fast as Gourry in that area and thought she would probably miss. Lina tried to communicate again, pointing at her hair, shaking her head and holding up two fingers. 

Gourry finally nodded with a smile and went on the attack, slashing at the green octopus twice. The creature disappeared into a dissolving cloud of smoke and the red octopus stopped spinning. The being declared, "octo, octo, octopus!" Before retreating into the jar from where it came. 

"Oops, I missed... twice..." Gourry frowned, though his facial expression became more positive when he realized he was saying what he actually meant to say. "I can talk normally again!" 

"Me too, I think," Lina tested, "yeah, I'm cured, finally!" She let out a breath of relief, though she had to ask. "What do you mean you missed? You hit that thing dead on even if it was spinning so fast, that was pretty amazing." 

"Thanks, but I still missed, it doesn't look like it mattered too much though. Things worked out anyway," Gourry smiled. 

"I still say you didn't miss," Lina insisted in confusion. "I was telling you not to hit the red one and to hit the green one twice," she explained. 

"Really?" Gourry blinked in realization. "I thought you were telling me not to miss the red one and making a victory sign because if I managed to hit the red one we would win." 

Lina considered getting annoyed at the misunderstanding, but decided not to. "Never mind, things did work out in the end," at least Gourry made an effort to interpret something from her signals. She walked past the jar with the golden key on hand and inserted it into the keyhole in the tile on the wall. She turned the key with a clicking sound and headed back towards the narrow passage that led to the large cave chamber. "That's it for our mission," if Celo wanted to lock the vault again, he could make his way over and retrieve the key himself. "Let's go back to the clock tower and have a snack, plus I did promise you a massage." Quite happy with the arrangements, Gourry followed Lina back through the tunnel from where they came. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, Amelia and Zelgadis had also gone through an annoyingly long journey in a very lengthy and narrow tunnel. The tunnel led them to an underground river with a small boat on its side. On one end, the river flowed from below a wall of rocks and on the other end, towards which the soft current was moving, it flowed into a narrow tunnel. "I guess we're supposed to go that way," Amelia concluded, since there was no where else to go. 

Zelgadis pushed the boat into the river, the moist soil of the riverside making it easy to move the small vessel in. "This trip turned out a lot longer than I thought." 

"That's true, but it's not so bad," Amelia joined Zelgadis on the boat. They both sat there as the vessel was carried by the gentle current. There were no paddles anywhere to be found, but at least they were moving. 

Giving it some further thought, Zelgadis concluded, "I guess not." Being alone in a dark tunnel with Amelia? That certainly didn't sound like a bad thing, plus he got to hold her hand the whole way. 

The following river tunnel had many glowing crystals on the walls, though they were small enough so that the light was still dim. Amelia dispelled the orb of light she had been holding through their trek on foot in the previous area of the tunnel. "This place is beautiful," she leaned close to Zelgadis. 

The chimera wrapped his arms around his beloved princess, "you're much more beautiful." They looked into each other's eyes in the dim romantic light until their lips met in a tender loving kiss. They were so focused on each other that they didn't even notice the river current speeding up considerably as they moved along downstream. 

It wasn't until their new speed became so obvious that it was impossible to miss that the loving couple finally took note of it, but it was already too late. The small boat rocked wildly as it was carried through the narrow passage with the speed of a roller coaster. Amelia and Zelgadis held on to each other to avoid falling overboard. The crystals in the walls became less until the gray cave walls became bare and the tunnel was left in total darkness. 

Suddenly, the small boat crashed into a rock that protuberated from the bottom of the thinning river. The old wood of the boat gave in and the vessel fell apart on impact, tossing its occupants into the merciless rapids. The tunnel became narrower with the water pressure increasing. Zelgadis and Amelia fought to stay afloat against all odds. 

"Zelgadis!" Amelia called out, feeling that the harsh currents were pulling her away from him. 

"Amelia, don't let go!" Zelgadis tried to hold on to her, but her small hand eventually slipped out of his and they were thrown around in opposite directions in the dark merciless river. 

The currents pushed them underwater, taking each of them to separate subterrain tunnels that spat them out harshly into individual underground ponds of immeasurable depth. It was especially difficult for Zelgadis to try to get to the surface due to his added weight, being part rock golem. He casted an emergency Aqua Breathe spell and pushed himself up with a Diem claw spell. Zelgadis reached out his hand to grab hold of the edge of the deep pond. Just as he was about to reach it, he felt a hand holding on to his and pulling him out of the water, then he came face to face with Amelia. 

"Are you alright?" She asked with a smile. 

"Taking a deep breath, Zelgadis replied, "Yeah, I'm fine, are you okay too?" He looked her over for any signs of injury, but fortunately found none. 

"Never been better!" She smiled brightly. 

Zelgadis examined the area they were in, hoping that they were somehow still going the right way. He also hoped that there was another exit to the cave because it would be extremely difficult to go back the way they came. "It looks like we have no choice but to keep going." 

Amelia nodded and they continued walking, their way once again illuminated by the glowing crystals on the walls, until they arrived at a point where the tunnel split into two. The left side seemed to lead to a new cave chamber, while the right hand tunnel twisted in a U turn back in the opposite direction behind the cave wall of that area. Assuming that it was more logical to keep going in one direction, Zelgadis picked the tunnel to the left, with Amelia quietly following him. 

Zelgadis walked towards the chamber ahead and saw a silver tile on the opposite wall with a keyhole on it. Several feet away leaning against the gray cave wall next to the silver keyhole tile, there was a large mirror about eight feet tall and five feet wide, though its reflection was hard to see from afar in the very dim light of the cavern. "We finally found the keyhole," at least that was one problem out of the way. The chimera looked at the princess again, waiting for her to produce the key and when she didn't he inquired. "Do you still have the key?" 

Amelia shook her head. "I'm sorry, I must have dropped it." 

"In the water?" If the key had fallen on the ground, which was unlikely, then it wouldn't be so hard to find, but if it fell out of Amelia's pocket when they were being tossed in every direction, it would be practically impossible to find, especially if it fell into that seemingly bottomless pond. 

"Probably," Amelia frowned apologetically. 

"Maybe Celo has a spare," Zelgadis mused. Monsters were calculating, right? Celo was one of Beast Master's monsters; they were supposed to be cunning tricksters if Xellos was any indication. 

"Maybe," Amelia agreed. 

Perhaps that other U turn tunnel would lead them outside. Then they could have a word with Celo about this whole situation, throwing in a few complaints and possibly a few Fireballs while they were at it. As Zelgadis stood there looking expectantly at Amelia, she approached him and wrapped her arms around him. He returned the embrace somewhat unsure, "it's okay, we'll find another key," he reassured. 

"It's not that," Amelia spoke softly; "I love you." 

Zelgadis blushed at the sudden show of affection. "I love you too." 

Amelia leaned closer whispering sweetly, "kiss me," she closed her eyes and tried to close the distance between them, but Zelgadis abruptly stepped back. 

"Who are you?" He demanded to know. 

"I'm your beloved," Amelia smiled. 

"What's the name of my beloved?" Zelgadis asked suspiciously. 

"Don't you remember my name?" Amelia looked sad. 

"You're not her!" Zelgadis accused. He wasn't sure about it before, but suddenly everything made sense. "Why are your clothes dry?" 

"I dried them with a wind spell," Amelia or rather, someone who looked like her tried to reason. 

"When I surfaced in the water you helped me out of the pond as if I didn't weight more than a feather." Zelgadis knew Amelia was very strong and she had a mighty Pacifist Crush to show for it, but it would take a lot of bulging muscle to lift him so easily. "The real Amelia would be upset about losing the key; she would be worrying about Filia right now." 

The false Amelia smirked darkly. "You could have made this so much easier on yourself, dying while kissing your beloved!" Her arms stretched out, becoming like water as her entire countenance melted into a watery monster. Zelgadis jumped back trying to dodge the incoming attack, his back a few feet away from the mirror. But the watery tentacles rapidly stretched and wrapped themselves around Zelgadis, instantly paralyzing him. 

"Zelgadis!" Amelia's voice called out as the real princess arrived in the cave chamber. "Elmekia Lance!" The bright light of the spell collided with the attacking monster disintegrating it on impact. "What was that?" 

"I think it was an illusionist water sprite," another voice very much like that of Zelgadis explained. It seemed that Amelia also had a companion with her that looked identical to Zelgadis. "I've heard about them. Touching them causes the victim to become paralyzed until they are released. They can cast an incantation to take on the shape of the one a person loves, even if they have never seen them before. Then every person would see the water sprite with the face of their beloved, until the sprite reveals its true form to attack. Be careful, this is clearly a trap." The false Zelgadis accused the real one. "They're setting us up to doubt each other!" 

The illusionist water sprites were another of those creatures that were exceptionally tricky, but did not possess much of a defensive power against astral attacks. Thus they were hard to discover, but easy to destroy. Unfortunately, most people were unable to unveil their true nature until it was too late. "Don't worry, I won't be tricked!" Amelia pointed accusingly at the real Zelgadis. "Terrible creature, how dare you try to use my love for Zelgadis to trick me? You shall feel the rightful punishment of justice!" 

"No, Amelia, I'm the real one!" Zelgadis tried to reason with her. "Just ask me something only I would know!" 

Amelia wasn't about to stop her attack, holding out her hands towards the real Zelgadis she called out, "Elmekia Lance!" She turned at the last second and fired the attack at the false Zelgadis who became like water and disintegrated much like the other illusionist water sprite had. "Are you alright?" 

Zelgadis nodded in relief. "Yes, I'm fine now. How did you know I was the real one without even asking me anything?" 

"It's that mirror behind you, Celo said he had the mirror of truth and that it wasn't in the vault. I think that's the one," Amelia explained. 

"I get it; the creature appeared in its true form in the mirror," Zelgadis concluded, not yet turning around to see the mirror. 

"Actually, he was too far and it was too dark to see him clearly, but I saw your reflection." Amelia created a light spell so that Zelgadis could see himself on the mirror clearly. "Take a look." 

Zelgadis curiously turned around not really expecting to see anything but his usual reflection, but he soon found himself staring into the mirror in shock. Amelia approached, standing next to him; her reflection was identical to the original one. Yet Zelgadis reflection didn't match his physical form. "This is," he looked at his chimera hand then reached out to touch the smooth surface of the mirror, a human hand mimicking the motion. "It's me... the human me..." 

"It's like I've told you before," Amelia smiled as she lovingly hugged Zelgadis. "You're human on the inside and that's all that matters." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 087: Forward! Moving Step By Step

After taking a few more seconds to look into the mirror of truth, Amelia broke the long silence that hung between her and Zelgadis. "Time to use the key," she retrieved it from her pocket, thankful that it had not been lost in the water. She approached the silver tile on the wall. "I'm going to use the key now, Zelgadis." 

"Yes..." Zelgadis continued staring into his reflection with bitter longing. This was who he could be, his human self. 

"Let's be on our guard just in case," Amelia looked at Zelgadis for a long moment. He nodded in response to her warning, indicating that he had heard her, but didn't move an inch from his position staring into the mirror. Taking a deep somewhat concerned breath, Amelia inserted the silver key into the matching keyhole on the silver tile on the wall and turned it. The response was a soft click and nothing more. A few seconds passed and Amelia was about to conclude that there were no further obstacles in their mission, except making their way out of the cavern. Then a sudden earthquake shook the land, loosening a boulder above Amelia. 

"Amelia!" Zelgadis rushed to her aid, though the princess had already gotten herself out of harm's way. The shaking stopped as did the falling rocks, to the sound of shattering glass as the culmination to the tremor. 

Amelia glanced at the silver tile on the wall. "I hope the vault doesn't get stuck or something, that would be bad for Miss Filia." 

Zelgadis nodded, wondering if the other keyholes were also this hard to reach. "Maybe this was the furthest key and the vault is opening right now. Anyway, since the key is already in, there's nothing more for us to do here. Let's just leave the key there and find a way out." He glanced back in the direction of the mirror, when the ground shook he focused on Amelia and the shattering sound was only a distant echo to him. Zelgadis approached the shattered mirror and picked up one of its pieces, hoping to keep it as a reminder of his human form, yet only a blue skinned chimera stared back at him reflected in the broken shard. "The incantation was lost; this is nothing but a normal mirror now." He bitterly tossed the piece away into the broken pile with frustration, looking at the pieces with disappointment. 

Amelia wrapped her arms around Zelgadis lovingly; she knew he didn't want to give up on his cure even if he had accepted his current form. The urge to be fully human still emerged now and then. "It was just a mirror, there are plenty of mirrors in the world and you look handsome on all of them. Our mission is done; let's go back, there should be good news waiting for us." 

Zelgadis returned the embrace as gently as he usually did, though Amelia held him tighter, so tight that a normal man would have been suffocated. He hugged her closer allowing himself to stop holding back; he understood that she was telling him to stop fearing hurting her, to hold her tightly. She smiled, her eyes shining like stars and once again, he was alright, he held all he wanted in his arms. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Simultaneously, Lina and Gourry felt the tremor as they made their way back through the narrow tunnel. The rocks on their chosen path were rather loose and rained down upon them, though they were fortunately small enough not to cause any serious damage. The pair sped up their retreat, making a mad dash as fast as the enclose space allowed. "Celo's really going to get it!" Lina growled. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The earthquake was of course also felt on the surface, with the lopsided wooden clock tower shaking and threatening to fall. The wood creaked in protest, but the tower somehow held together. The cups of an expensive teas set shook against the cup holders alongside the rhythm of a tiny silver spoon touching the edges of the cup as Tiffany stirred her tea. The shaking stopped as she placed the little spoon on the side of the cup plate and lifted the cup to her lips. After taking a sip, she placed the cup back down, savoring her warm tea. "Do you think Phythan and Onyx will be alright? He has only recently recovered and her amulet was broken, leaving her with no means of defense. Phythan will have to protect her and himself. Is that not too much?" 

Celo considered the question while he took a sip of his tea, placing the cup down seconds after. "If all goes as planned, we will know what was sealed inside her. Survival instinct is a powerful force after all. If it does not work for Onyx, there is no need to worry, for the same reason Phythan should be able to muster the strength to keep them both safe. The guards are not too strong, not for a group like them." 

"I do not believe that Onyx is powerless, with or without the mysterious something that was sealed in her," Tiffany pointed out calmly. "Perhaps there is another reason for her body's adversity to magic, such as it not being an adversity at all, but rather an overload." 

"I agree," Celo stated with a smile. "I believe that her condition is different from the initial theory. If we are to use the pool and bucket analogy, where the pool is one's total magical power and the bucket is the portion that can be used at once, then maybe it is not that she is allergic to magic or that her pool capacity is microscopic. Perhaps her problem is that her pool capacity is too great, but her bucket capacity is nearly nothing. She has power, yet she is completely unable to use it. Hence when she is exposed to magic, her own pool of energy reacts wanting to manifest itself and being unable to do so is suffocating, that's why it hurts her." 

"Interesting..." Tiffany voiced. "Yet forcing her bucket capacity to act beyond its limits would mean certain death..." 

"Unless the something sealed inside her prevents it," Celo agreed. "I must say, it is quite an honor to be able to assist General Xellos in his mission concerning Onyx, even if he is unaware of my assistance. Seeing the opportunity, I simply had to take it, or rather, I was all too happy that it was taken for me. The chance to assist the amazing General Xellos was handed to me on a silver platter!" 

Tiffany giggled, "you're such a fan boy. At least you didn't have to come up with a cheap excuse to send them on a hunt for the book, since they actually need it." 

"Yes," Celo grinned victoriously, "they also couldn't have chosen better routes to take." 

"Of course, dear Filia is in no real danger; the book should be one hundred percent effective against her poison, should it not?" Tiffany inquired, though she didn't really need an answer. 

"You know how it works, beloved; the enchanted kiss of healing is only as powerful as the love itself. If the taste from their emotions is any indication and it is indeed, I would have to agree that it should for certain be one hundred percent effective," Celo confirmed. "I just hope the others never find out that the keys were not really needed to open the vault and that they don't actually do anything. None the less, this is an amusement park and it is my duty to entertain my guests." 

"I'm sure they're enjoying themselves in their own way," Tiffany agreed with a smile. "Even if they might not admit it." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The tunnel that Onyx and Phythan were going through felt annoyingly endless. The ground suddenly began to shake and the fact was ignored by Onyx, who continued walking as if she didn't notice. "Miss Onyx, we need to... um..." Phythan remembered what he was told to do during an earthquake for the sake of security, but he knew they wouldn't make it back to the surface before the shaking stopped. Besides, they needed to get the key to the proper place as soon as possible, Filia was counting on them. Plus there were no solid columns to stand next to or desks to crawl under. "Never mind, it's over. We should hurry." It was a pity that the space was too small for him to transform and fly. 

"Quiet," Onyx growled; she had been rather moody lately. Then again, it was understandable since such a long walk through a tunnel without an end in sight could put just about anyone in a bad mood. The scenery was plain, lacking the pretty glowing crystals that could be found in certain areas of the tunnel that Amelia and Zelgadis traversed. The cavern was lit only by the orb of light that Phythan held. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos and Filia had their own annoyingly long tunnel to journey through on their way to the vault. The trek was made more difficult by the fact that Filia was starting to feel feverish. The sudden earthquake made her stumble to be caught by Xellos. He, as expected, had a thing or two to say about how she was such a "stupid clumsy dragon." 

Sadly, Filia didn't have the energy to reply in a clearly audible voice. She could only mutter something about "raw garbage." 

The tunnel that Xellos and Filia were traveling through was a particularly annoying one in the sense that it was covered in sand, the ground, the walls, the ceiling, it was a wonder it even held together, especially through the recent earthquake. It had started out as soft porous beige rock that turned softer as they went along until they were surrounded by sand. The sand drifted from the walls and ceiling with many particles falling on Xellos and Filia. The tunnel held a spiral gentle current that guided the sand as if being pushed into place by an invisible drill, making the tunnel, with the travelers walking straight through it. 

The tremor had loosened more sand that fell of Xellos and Filia in a very unpleasant and annoying shower. Xellos brushed the sand off his hair and shoulders with a disgusted look upon his face. The particles fell to the sandy ground and continued their spiraling motions clock-wise, up the left wall and down the right one. Xellos lifted his feet, noting that the motions, although much less dangerous than quicksand would sink them if they didn't keep moving. He dragged the feverish Filia along with him, who seemed too out of it to know the difference between up and down. 

Xellos brushed some of the sand off her hair as he went along; knowing that in a few more seconds it would coat her again. "We probably have enough sand on our hair and shoes to make our own private beach, we just need the water." Xellos sarcastically declared, adding with a little less exaggeration. "Or maybe just enough sand to make a sand box for Val to play in." 

Filia looked at Xellos for a long moment as if giving some serious consideration to his words. Taking note of that, Xellos gave his own idea some further thought as well. Then they both agreed, "no way." After this annoyingly sandy experience, Filia wasn't in the mood to clean sand off her floor in the future whenever Val ran inside the house after playing in the sand box. As for Xellos, he hated getting sand on his hair, so he rather generally stay away from it in the future if it was at all possible. Besides, even if the beach had a lot more sand than a sand box, somehow a sand box always managed to be messier. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Following their perilous journey, Amelia and Zelgadis took the U turn tunnel and walked along the cavern until they reached another pond. It was the place where Amelia had fallen, behind a stone wall on the other side of which was the pond where Zelgadis fell. There was another small tunnel connected to that cavity, which they explored. The tiny tunnel began with a few crystals on its walls, but they soon became less until there were none. A simple light spell was enough to solve the issue of not seeing where they were going as they continued their arduous journey. 

Zelgadis had insisted on leading the way, just in case something aggressive and potentially dangerous tried to leap at them, but it didn't look like anything was coming. Finally, the narrow tunnel came to an end that Zelgadis hoped wasn't a dead end, though he feared it was. There was indeed a wall in front of him, though a ray of hope, thin and fragile but very much present, still existed in the form of an oddly protuberant square on the stone wall in front of him. Fearing the worse and hoping for the best, Zelgadis pushed the block in and the wall lifted itself up. 

The chimera and the princess stepped through, finding themselves behind a row of plastic mint green leaf bushes with hot pink roses on them. The stone wall behind them went down again and it didn't look like there was any mechanism to reopen the passage from that side. The pair made their way past the row of bushes to find a calm little stream with couples riding on tiny white boats adorned with red and pink hearts. There were hearts and flowers all over the cave walls, decorating the surrounding surfaces with cupid statues here and there. 

"The tunnel of love," Amelia concluded, which was indeed good news. "If this is one of the resort's rides, then that means making our way out from here will be easy!" 

"Great, I've had more than enough of caves for a life time." Zelgadis would be all too happy to see the surface again. Sure, walking through a tunnel hand in hand with Amelia was nice, but walking through the surface hand in hand with Amelia felt even nicer right now. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Onyx and Phythan finally reached a large cave chamber that seemed to be the end of their tunnel. A large stone statue of a golem stood in front of them, ominous yet motionless. The tired golden dragon, who was feeling the effects of not resting after recovering from his poisoning, and the moody human girl, who was generally upset with life, walked around the golem and caught sight of a bronze tile on the opposite cave wall with a matching keyhole on it. Without a word, Phythan inserted the bronze key into the keyhole and turned the key with a soft click. 

Phythan had been quiet since Onyx ordered him to. He gave a thumbs up sign and smiled, signaling that their mission was done, albeit Onyx was already walking away past the golem and towards the tunnel from where they came. It looked as if they could make it back without incident; as Onyx was already within the narrow tunnel that led back to the clock tower basement. Phythan hurried to join her, until a peculiar sight made him freeze in his tracks. 

The insect was tiny, it was black and it had many legs. The tiny thing scurried across the cave chamber a few feet in front of Phythan, paying him no mind what so ever. His face paled, his body trembled and he screamed at the top of his lungs, "spider!" His loud voice echoed all over the cave chamber and through the narrow tunnel. The small bug was startled and hurried away to hide between the cracks on the rocks. 

The damage was already done. The stone golem's eyes glowed in an orange light as it came to life, its black stone body stepping forward. To top it all up, it looked like many spiders had made the motionless golem their home, thinking that it was only part of the cave's structure. The panicked bugs abandoned the giant in a multitude that scared Phythan out of his mind, leaving him to scream like an insane idiot. 

Onyx looked back with a deadly glare in her dark eyes. "I'm not going back to get you, stupid," she growled in a bad mood. "You're a dragon, you have power, you're not a weakling, so quit acting like you have no strength of your own and get over here!" 

"Miss Onyx, the spiders, they're all over! Levitation!" Phythan levitated above the spiders that coated the cave floor allowing his orb of light to float above him and adding more to it. "Light! Light! Light!" He couldn't risk one of those terrible tiny creatures sneaking up on him because he didn't see it in the darkness. "Miss Onyx, I'm scared!" The stone golem batted Phythan away with its large solid hand, sending him to crash against the opposing wall. 

"Idiot!" Onyx growled, not moving from her position in the safety of the narrow tunnel where the golem was too large to fit. "It was your cowardly loud mouth that woke that golem. We could have left without incident if not for you!" 

"I'm sorry, Miss Onyx!" Phythan cried. "Be careful, the spiders are heading towards the tunnel, they're going your way!" Onyx nonchalantly lifted her boot, squishing the first of many spiders under it. She continued with an odd little dance, crushing as many spiders as she could as they came. "You're so brave, Miss Onyx!" Phythan's admiration was cut short by the rock golem delivering a solid punch that once again threw him against another wall. The guardian beast was tired of being ignored in favor of a few measly insects. 

"Hey idiot, can you at least beat that golem?" Onyx called out at the end of her already limited patience. 

"Oh... yeah..." Phythan took in a deep breath and shot out a massive laser breath that collided with the center of the golem, shattering it into tiny pebbles with ease. Unfortunately, the golem was full of spiders that rained upon Phythan, who scream in a panicked terror, "fireball!" The frightened golden dragon stupidly set himself on fire in an effort to get rid of the spiders that were crawling on him. 

To make matters worse, the pebbles that formed the golem dissolved into black sand that began to reform itself into the shape of a big black spider. Two of the spider's legs wrapped themselves around Phythan as soon as he put out the fire, before he could push out the last bit of his energy to finish healing his burnt skin. Terrified beyond words and unable to do as much as scream like a pathetic idiot, Phythan awaited his demise, suffocated painfully by a spider of black sand after suffering terrible burns. 

Onyx clenched her fists and glared. She was a failed experiment, she was powerless, helpless. Such feelings were supposed to be relatively new to her as the world itself should be for a monster who was supposedly so recently created. Yet the feelings felt old, as if she had been withstanding them for so long that she was ready to snap... and she did. If she was so worthless then she had nothing to lose by attacking. When she failed to survive the battle, Beast Master would probably be happy that the failure was disposed of. 

Onyx recklessly charged forward towards the black sand monster, not caring if she didn't make it out alive. She didn't understand why she wanted to help Phythan. She didn't understand why his mere existence began to infuriate her more and more with each passing day. All that Onyx knew was that she never felt so determined before and there was a certain bittersweet quality to it. 

To be Continued


	30. Chapter 30

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 088: Clues! Discovering Enigmas

Onyx ran into battle, charging a spell in her hands, pushing it out with her very life. "Wind, crimson flame..." Her heart pounded, her blood vessels were just about ready to pop with the pressure, her head vibrating painfully as her every cell was torn apart. "Grant the power of thunder to my hand..." Her skin became fractured with tiny cuts that slowly grew larger as her energy fought to manifest itself out of her fragile mortal vessel. "Dig Volt!" She finally reached the black sand spider, delivering a fatal hit that disintegrated the creature and released the injured Phythan. Yet the blow was also fatal for Onyx, her motionless blood covered body collapsing to the ground. 

"Miss Onyx!" Phythan called out in agony. "Miss Onyx, please be alive!" What could he do now? He wasn't supposed to heal her with magic, she had an adverse reaction to it that could kill her, but if she wasn't healed she would die anyway. "I'm going to try to heal you, there's no choice, please endure it!" He attempted a Resurrection spell, causing no effect at first, the energy was absorbed, but her injuries remained the same as if they couldn't get worse. 

Then Onyx's eyes suddenly opened. "I remember," she whispered. "I hated my life. I did not wish for my power to be manipulated, I did not want to work for a cause that meant nothing to me. I didn't want to be controlled. I got my wish; my power could not be controlled, not even by me. I was in pain, I wanted to forget it and I did. I wanted to change and I hated the change. I wanted all that held me back to disappear and when my wish came true it was sorrowful. I journeyed and was close to death, I wanted to forget again. My memories were sealed and my body nursed back to health. I begged Ceifeed to help me. I wished for mercy when I should have fought for freedom. It's over now..." 

"No, Miss Onyx, you can't die!" Phythan panicked. 

"Quiet, idiot," Onyx growled with less energy than the remark would have received had she not been on the verge of death. "Maybe it was simply because I kept asking for it so constantly..." She closed her eyes and remained silent. 

"Miss Onyx? Onyx... Onyx!" Phythan tried his healing magic again, but it held no effect. "This is all my fault... Onyx is gone because of me! I'm so sorry, I'll exchange my life for yours. I should have been the one to die today, not you..." 

Unexpectedly, Onyx's body began to glow, her wounds healing themselves and her ears becoming long and pointy. She woke up once again, exhausted, but very much alive and healed. "Quit crying, idiot, I'm finally free of that curse." 

"Onyx!" Phythan was certainly happy that Onyx was alive, though he didn't understand how. "Curse? What curse? What's going on?" 

"They'll all want answers," Onyx concluded. "I'll tell you when we get back." She slowly got to her feet, tired but at least able to walk. "Heal yourself, stupid." 

"Huh? Oh yeah, I almost forgot about my own injuries," Phythan finished his healing and stood next to Onyx, finally noting his problem. "Um... they're going to get mad at me if I show up like this, aren't they?" Onyx took off her cloak and tossed it at Phythan, who had stupidly burned his own clothes when he set himself on fire because of his spider phobia. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos and Filia had finally reached the end of the sandy tunnel and not a moment too soon. Though there was sand on the chamber containing the vault, at least there was a solid floor of beige colored blocks beneath it, with a matching ceiling and walls. The so called vault was not one in the traditional sense. It was instead a force field, shaped like a glass box that contained a stone block, on top of which there was an old red book, it's covered tattered and worn. 

"Great, looks like it still has a force field around it. The keys must not be in place yet." Xellos reached out to touch the glass box with caution and it disappeared the second he made contact with it, reappearing when he pulled back his hand. "Or maybe the keys are in place after all," he concluded. 

The shield around the book was a relatively simple spell since Celo didn't think a thief would be able to get that far undetected anyway. The force field opened to anyone whom Celo authorized to use the book, being an incantation that was constantly linked to the caster. Aside from getting Celo's permission to use the book, the only other way to bring down the force field would be to kill him. 

Xellos examined the book, flipping through the pages, searching for the right spell. The symbols represented an ancient language. He wasn't exactly fluent, but he knew enough to make a decent interpretation. "Potentia, pura amor, vera basium, basiamini, salutes, vitae, nostra corda, iungitis, nego finis, aeterna!" The spell could be roughly translated to 'power, pure love, true kiss, to kiss, health, life, our hearts, union, no end, eternal.' There was no brilliant flash of light or any indication at all that anything had happened. Maybe knowing the basics wasn't enough to cast this spell. "It didn't work?" 

"Let's find out," Filia concluded that there was only one way to know for sure if the spell had worked or not. They kissed, focusing on that and allowing themselves to get carried away. Again there were no flashes of light or any outside indication at all that it had worked, yet they knew it had. "I'm okay now," Filia smiled feeling full of energy, her fever and exhaustion completely gone. "I'm healed." 

"It's about time, stupid dragon!" Now all that was left to do was to break Xellos' curse. 

Yet there was still a lot that was unknown to Filia about his curse. "Xellos, how did you get cursed in the first place and why?" 

It was then that Xellos realized he had never gotten around to tell anyone the full story, though the whole group was aware of his curse and its nature as far as he interpreted it. "That is a secret," he replied, just to annoy Filia with his classic line. 

"Oh come on, you can tell me! Or is that really another technicality of the curse? Not being able to tell anyone about it?" There were certain curses that were made harder to deal with by forced secrecy. "Kind of like how that girl was cursed into becoming an old lady far earlier than her time and though she was traveling with a wizard for a while, she couldn't actually tell him what was wrong. But things worked out in the end, she recovered and they fell in love." 

"Have you met them before?" Xellos curiously inquired, he recognized the story as belonging to some of his many acquaintances. 

"Not really, but a boy once came to town and I heard rumors that he was the wizard's apprentice, he bought a vase and had it gift wrapped," Filia recalled. She got all sorts of interesting customers in her shop. "I heard they had some kind of moving castle, but a monster ally of theirs keeps it hidden in the astral side, so no one can actually see it. Although, a few people claimed they had caught small glimpses of it. You know how gossip goes around in that town." 

"Ah yes, you're all a bunch of gossipers," Xellos agreed with a mocking smirk that made Filia pout and glare. "Last time I saw Howl, the wizard from the moving castle, he kept asking what shampoo I use." 

"Did he know who you are?" Filia curiously inquired. 

"Of course, he acts more clueless, helpless and childish than he really is, but he's a fairly talented wizard, albeit rather conceited." Xellos grinned to himself remembering the delicious chaos he caused when he snuck some pink dye into Howl's shampoo. Howl tried to call the Lord of Nightmares in hopes of destroying the world so that he wouldn't suffer with his oh so terrible appearance anymore, never mind that it would have been easier to just dye his hair again. Sophie calmed him down before he actually caused any serious trouble. 

"It would be interesting to meet them someday." Getting back to the topic at hand, Filia brought back her past argument. "You already told me about your curse, so I doubt keeping the origin a secret is a big deal." 

"It was a dare," Xellos replied simply, which made Filia stare at him. 

The golden dragon desperately searched for any signs that indicated that Xellos was lying, but found none. "A dare?" She repeated in shock. "A dare of all things? You don't mean it as in a game of truth or dare, do you? Honestly, I can't believe that you'd be stupid enough to get yourself cursed on a dare!" 

"The curse was the dare," Xellos elaborated. "This is a game high ranking monsters play now and then. Since the dares are often deadly and purposely made to be nearly impossible to accomplish, everyone usually picks truth and seeks to gain strategic information. The game keeps things interesting in the constant quest for power of the monster race. This time however, Lord Beast Master ordered me to pick dare," Xellos informed, his features showing frustration because of the next revelation. "Logically, I assumed that I had or would immediately acquire after the order some vital piece of information that had to remain a secret. I'm good at keeping secrets, but if I lied it would mean death, so I couldn't. The ironic thing is that I still can't figure out what is it that I supposedly know that's so important. As a spy, I collect a lot of information, but nothing stands out enough to be worth the risk this represents, not by a long shot." 

While Filia listened with interest and puzzlement, Xellos continued. "My dare was to obtain the willing kiss of a golden dragon and the curse that would eventually turn me into a human was placed as a sort of time limit. If I don't accomplish my dare in a human life time, I will die. Then we found out that the willing kiss of a golden dragon is some kind of puzzle full of inconvenient technicalities that apparently cannot be taken literally and simply." 

Filia allowed herself a moment for all this new information to sink in. "Who was it that dared you?" 

"Some worthless idiot that I killed soon after, who wasn't important anyway," Xellos grinned cheerfully with his usual sugary mask. "Of course, I still need to accomplish my dare. I kind of wish I haven't killed that idiot, then I would have someone to torture for information. Although I might have something else." Xellos flipped through the book. "This spell book contains information about the truth and dare ritual. It has a lot of variety in its topics." 

"I thought we already had it figured out," Filia pointed out. "Isn't it supposed to be a wedding kiss?" 

"Possibly," Xellos agreed, "but not certainly and if that cure doesn't work, I'll have to find another clue to follow and keep searching until I find it." He paused, mused over his words and came to a shocking realization. "When did I turn into Zelgadis?" 

Filia couldn't help it but to laugh in good humor at the fact that Xellos would actually voice the comparison. Sure, he was teasing Zelgadis, but also making fun of himself. "I'm sure we'll figure this out," she reassured between giggles. 

Xellos read through the information on the book, finding nothing new. He flipped to the next page, which was about a whole different topic, and considered closing the book, given that the part that interested him was done. Besides, he was getting tired of sitting on the sandy floor in sandy clothes. Yet he didn't want to take the book to the surface with him. It was in a sense Beast Master's property, since Celo was one of her monsters, and she wouldn't want such a book laying around for prying human eyes to see it and possibly make copies of it. He thought it was best to put it back in its place before leaving. Thus he flipped through the book once more, scanning all the pages even if the topics that they held were of no direct useful interest to him. 

Filia sat next to Xellos, her body slightly leaning on his, waiting quietly for him to finish studying the book. Then there was a pause and Xellos' grip tightened on the book. The dare wasn't just a dare, it was a spell that was explained in this book, the only difference was that it was translated when it was used on him, but the similarities were unquestionably present. Filia felt Xellos tense up, his eyes becoming more focused as he read incredulously over the contents of the book. "Did you find something useful?" Filia expectantly inquired. 

"Yes," or maybe not. Xellos wasn't sure if it was useful or not, but it was interesting, to say the least. "This spell is my dare translated. According to this information, the words golden dragon are metaphors that can be used to refer to a person of any species. Golden means virtuous and dragon means brave. That entire thing about being an official member of the golden dragon race was completely useless!" 

Filia once again absorbed the new information, her face forming into a frown. "Are you trying to say I'm not virtuous or brave? If I'm not virtuous it's all your fault!" 

"Because of your endless lust for me?" Xellos asked with his familiar smug look. 

"No!" Filia loudly exclaimed, her voice high pitched and frustrated. "Because you've given me bad habits like... For example..." 

"Quiet down for a minute, I need to check something," Xellos closed his eyes and focused while Filia glared at him and called him a few nasty names. Realizing he wasn't listening, she huffed and remained silent, waiting for Xellos to finish concentrating on whatever he was concentrating on and show some form of reaction. He remained quiet for a while longer, searching in himself for something that was no longer there. When he was a monster he could feel the curse eating away at his power, sealing it deep inside him. When he became human, his monster power was completely sealed and for as long as he didn't clearly sense it he interpreted that as being cursed. Yet his power should still be in existence, locked away deep inside his very soul. 

It was a monster general priest sealed inside a human in a similar way to how a portion of Shabranigdu was sealed inside Rezo, except the monster energy and the human were the same person in Xellos' case. He focused hard on trying to find the power that should have been there. When he first became human, he was able to sense it sealed deep inside, he was even able to sense it during his short time as a golden dragon, though his main focus was elsewhere at the time. Then after his trip to the past, he became caught up on everything that was going on and no longer felt the constant need to focus on sensing his own imprisoned power anymore. Every time he searched for it, it had been there and he let go of his secret worries that it would dissolve, but maybe those worries were not without a reason. 

This made no sense what so ever. No matter how much Xellos focused, he couldn't sense his monster powers locked inside him. All that energy couldn't have vanished, especially not without his knowledge. It had to be somewhere, but where? He tried something else; he tried to feel the curse in a different way. There was no monster power for it to lock away, but even if the prisoner was gone, the jailer should still be there. Seals were not easy to feel out; the truth of Rezo's own seal had eluded the great sage for years. Yet Xellos had over a thousand years of experience and was aware of his condition, so he should be able to sense the seal. There was nothing, how could this have gone unnoticed? "It's gone," Xellos whispered with more horror than he wanted to show. "The curse, my power, everything... it's all gone." 

Filia stared at him in surprise. Celo said that the kiss that could cure her poison would not cure Xellos, had he been wrong? "Was it the enchanted kiss of healing? Maybe your monster power will take a little while to come back." 

"I can't sense it at all, it's no longer sealed inside me," Xellos insisted, trying to make sense of the situation. 

"Did it..." Filia was almost afraid to ask. "Did it go away? Disappear? Was it... exorcised in a sense?" 

"It doesn't work that way," Xellos frowned, the expression looking quite alien on his usually cheerful face. "It couldn't have disappeared, but it did go away, I just don't know where." He looked at the book again, back to the page about the spell. If his cure was a puzzle what was the answer to the puzzle? Then a thought occurred to him. His cure wasn't simply to break the curse, there was more to it than that, there was something else that he was expected to do. What information was he protecting? What could be worth the risk? 

Every time it was the same thing, just when he thought he had the answer, he only got more questions. Was the ultimate answer connected to all the questions, to all the misleading deception... Deception... yes... Maybe things were much simpler than he thought. "The curse isn't the complication, it was relatively simple after all, I've been looking for an answer to the wrong question. That time after we fought Arcius," the time when Xellos was finally able to truly and fully accept that he loved Filia. "The curse was broken then, but I was exhausted both physically and mentally. I was too tired for my monster powers to awaken and change me back to normal right away. I was placed in that crystal by Beast Master before I had time to recover enough for my monster powers to manifest. That's where my power is, in the jewel of Zelas' necklace. I didn't notice because my energy is just like hers, it came from her, so it all blended in. That has to be the answer to this puzzle, I can think of nothing more." 

Filia allowed the theory to sink in. Given the nature of the cure, it made sense. "The reason why you were kept in the crystal for so long was because Zelas was separating your power from your soul." 

"Most likely," Xellos agreed. "I was born from that power as an astral being, but with this human shell I can still survive without it." 

It all moved towards another question. "Zelas is plotting something, isn't she?" Though it came out with the tone of a question, Filia's words were more so a statement. "Why would she want to keep you like this?" 

"I can't see any benefit in it," Xellos hated to admit it, but the whole situation worried him. Working towards a cure was different. He just had to chase after it and keep trying. Now he had harshly crashed into a wall of questions face first and wasn't sure where to go from there. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 089: Puzzle! Answers Lead To Questions

With the discovery of a spell book containing an incantation that helped heal Filia of her poison, Xellos also found a new clue to his curse. With it he came to the realization that he had actually been cured of his curse for a while, but was stuck as a human due to his monster power being removed by Zelas. "All this time I've been looking for the answer to the wrong question, searching for a cure that I no longer needed. Maybe it's the same thing now. I keep thinking about what I could know that needs to be kept a secret and what Zelas' hidden plan is. Perhaps the answer to the puzzle is something simple and direct, that Zelas did exactly what she set out to do, no more and no less." 

"What do you mean?" Filia inquired in confusion. 

"She got rid of me," Xellos resentfully concluded. He really missed his empathy now. It was a very troublesome ability, but he bitterly realized that it also gave him an odd sense of security in his human state. It wasn't simply because he was more aware of his surroundings, even if he often tried to block out the constant rush of emotion invading his senses from every living thing. The tricky beneficial part was that if he felt anything particularly inconvenient, he could attribute it to someone else. Any sense of doubt or insecurity that came he would blame on others, rejecting it as his own. He couldn't do that anymore and a dreadful feeling of broken pride and abandonment settled into him. 

Filia looked at Xellos for a long moment before wrapping her arms around him tightly. They were both uncomfortably covered in sand, but that didn't matter at the time. "Maybe this is something like what's going on with Celo. He's part human, so he doesn't have the monster's vulnerability to positive emotions. Maybe Zelas wants you to experience human emotions so that when you become a monster again, you won't be affected negatively by it. So that you'll even benefit from them like Celo does, without having to become a chimera to accomplish it." 

Xellos returned Filia's embrace, parting slightly so that he could have a clear look at her face after she was done speaking. He exaggerated his surprise to absolute shock. "You do have a brain, I'm impressed." 

"Shut up, raw garbage!" Filia playfully retorted, though she felt especially proud of herself for cheering him up. 

Xellos tried to remain realistic though, "that's not the only possibility, my theory could be right too." 

"Maybe," Filia admitted. "But if Beast Master wanted you gone, wouldn't she had just killed you by reabsorbing your power? Or maybe she just wants her power back, but has enough of a regard for you to provide you with a means of survival." 

"Not likely," Xellos mused, "perhaps the training theory is true after all. It would be too troublesome to leave me alive if there is no further use for me, it wouldn't make any sense." 

"Still... Don't you have a strong admiration for Beast Master?" Filia pointed out more so than inquired. 

"She created me, I'm supposed to, I never tried to overanalyze it," Xellos admitted. "She is an exceptionally cunning monster lord. She has kept me busy; but she hasn't made me work to exhaustion either. I've had challenging missions and also missions I dislike, but it's mostly been fun. I guess Zelas is as good of a monster lord master as a monster might expect to have... or maybe I'm just her favorite." 

Filia giggled as if a thought that was funny enough to cause laughter before she even had time to voice it had ran across her mind. Xellos raised a questioning eyebrow and Filia knew that he wouldn't let the matter drop. Between a fit of giggles she voiced, "you're such a mama's boy!" 

"Excuse me?" Xellos looked very much offended, albeit Filia knew the reaction was exaggerated. Nonetheless, he was truthfully annoyed. "I am not!" 

"Yes you are!" Filia allowed her clear sweet laughter to echo freely. "It's okay, I'm sure Zelas appreciates your usefulness." It was, in Filia's opinion and possibly anyone else's opinion, a much more realistic thing to say instead of 'mommy loves you.' 

So Zelas was training him. Giving this conclusion some thought made Xellos realized that the vicious cycle of enigmas had not yet ended. Even if the whole curse thing had been a set up, and cunning as Zelas was, Xellos was sure she was more than capable of staging it, the issue of the purpose of the ensuing series of events was still obscure to him. If he was training, what was he training for? What kind of battle awaited him that was different from the fights he had faced in the past. Remembering his past clue that originated from a comment about winter holidays, he realized that it was all coming in the winter, no doubt. Xellos had a feeling that he better have things fully figured out before then. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

While all those events were taking place at Amor Resort, or rather under it, the defeated Dragon Slayers had made their way to a secret location far from the resort island, deep underground at the hideout of the Green Alchemist. In a well lit cave with yellow-orange orbs of light floating around, there was a glowing oval shaped crystal similar to a giant seed, with ghostly energy around it, a strange mist seeping from it. "Oh great Mother of All Things, please forgive our failure!" All the Dragon Slayers knelt in front of the entity with only the leader speaking. 

"The beast refuses to be tricked and the dragons are getting too close," a phantom-like voice echoed in such an ambiguous way, that it was impossible to tell if it was male or female, though they called it the Mother. The distant distorted echo came from the glowing crystal, to which many roots were connected, pulsating with energy like veins connected to a beating heart. "If we are to cleanse the world we must do it soon. We must take more of an offensive position in this battle and be prepared for the approaching war. I will not tolerate failure again, Ryoushi." 

"We will not fail again!" The Dragon Slayer leader, Ryoushi, assured. "We have brought the entrapped energy of the golden dragon who is loyal to the powerless monster and a sample of her scales. Perhaps something can be done with these elements, we could-" 

"Those will be saved for later. I know of a good purpose for which they can be used." The creature whom the Dragon Slayers were made to believe was the Mother of All Things also known as Gaia interrupted, claiming ownership of the samples. "We must watch for an opportunity. The traitorous beast is baiting us. The time will soon come to slay her." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis, Amelia, Filia, Xellos, Onyx and Phythan eventually made it back to the lopsided wooden clock tower. The first order of business was for them to gang up on Celo and take turns hitting him on the head, which they all did, with Lina taking a few extra turns. Once that was out of the way, the group rejoiced in the fact that Filia was cured, then proceeded to inquire about the change in Onyx. They didn't even bother asking why Phythan was clothed only in Onyx's cloak to cover what vitally needed to be covered. They didn't really feel like asking about the sand all over Xellos and Filia either, theorizing that they might not want to know. 

"I was born as an elf, with more magical energy than I knew how to use," Onyx revealed, with her full memories restored. Some details were still blurry, but that was natural with the passing of time. "I lived that way for years. I hated being asked to train my power or to use it in certain ways. I cared not for the so called gratitude of those who only wanted to benefit from me. I wished that they would not control my power and lowered my guard, even if I was always warned not to. I was captured by monsters and taken away." 

After making a small pause, Onyx continued revealing the story of her secret past. "I lost control while the elves that went to take me back fought the monsters that took me away. Only two lived through that and I was one of them, though we were both left weakened. A golden dragon had gone to aid the elves, he was the other survivor, his name was Narez. He was being pursued by Dragon Slayers that he must have thought he left behind. They caught up to him and slew him." 

"My father?" Phythan was surprised to hear about him again. "But then how did you end up as a human?" 

"Despite being powerful, the battle I had been caught in was fierce and I was close to death," Onyx explained. "The Dragon Slayers put me to sleep and when I woke up, I don't know how long after, I didn't remember anything and I was a human unable to use magic. The rest of the story you already know. Perhaps the Dragon Slayers intended to save my power for later, but whatever purpose they might have had never came close to being realized. When I was there with the Dragon Slayers, I feared venturing into the unknown and wished for all my attachments to the village to be gone. I got my wish tragically and my adoptive father passed away. He was my guard perhaps more so than my father, but despite all he did wrong, I don't think he was truly a bad person. He really saw me as his daughter." 

"What about the Lord of Nightmares? What did she seal in you?" Lina impatiently inquired. A lot of information had been revealed, but that issue had not yet been addressed directly. 

"I hated what my life had become and wanted to forget," Onyx admitted, her face showed a slight amount of bitterness throughout the entirety of the confession, but it was mostly hidden by the monotonous mask of indifference that she had become somehow accustomed to. "The gold that shines upon the sea of chaos made me forget. Again my wish was granted, that was all. She sealed only my memories, nothing more as far as I know. She had probably been mocking me all along by granting my wishes, leading to dissatisfying results. Or maybe she was telling me to be careful what I wished for." 

While Lina took a long and loud moment to complain about the anti-climatic finale to the mystery of Onyx, Zelgadis felt that the concept of having to be careful with wishes fit him all too well. He wanted power and was turned into a chimera. Then he spent many years looking for a cure. A recent event came to mind from when he and Amelia were exiting the tunnel of love after having made their way out of the cave of the silver key. A rather large wooden plank with heart carvings on it, painted white red and pink was at the end of the tunnel decorating it. It had become loose with the recent earthquake, just barely holding in place. It fell on his head just as he was walking out with Amelia. 

Being the tallest of the two, the fact that Zelgadis' head was several inches higher than Amelia's meant that the hit didn't reach her, as the large heavy board slid off Zelgadis' head to the ground behind him. He wasn't injured, though he would have been if he wasn't a chimera. That was just the most recent example, but Zelgadis could think of many more, most of them much more extreme. His strong body had granted him survival in many occasions along with the opportunity to further support his comrades in battle and protect Amelia. 

It was technically because of his quest for a cure that he was exposed to most of those dangers anyway, but without that quest he wasn't sure where he would stand. He had grown closer to Amelia after being reunited with her at Zoana and through the following journey to find his cure. Then they were reunited again to explore the world outside of the barrier. Albeit he left to continue his quest, it had been that quest that somehow placed him in Amelia's path in the first place. Maybe everything happened for a reason. Maybe it was time to stop wishing and look at the bright side. Perhaps the time to look at the wishes that had already been granted had arrived long ago. The chimera was planning to ask Celo if he happened to have another mirror of truth or a spell to turn a regular mirror into one, but decided he didn't really need it. 

"Wait a minute," Lina finished her tantrum. "Does this mean that you're super powerful?" 

"Unfortunately, returning to my true form drained away my power," Onyx' monotonous mask fell into real annoyance. "I am nothing but an average sorceress now. I'm certain your spells are much more powerful than mine." 

"I see..." Lina made a dramatic pause before her serious face turned into a smile. "Don't be so hard on yourself Onyx, no one can surpass the beautiful sorceress Lina Inverse!" 

"Just out of curiosity, did your elf name happen to be Yuuyami?" Xellos inquired. 

"It was," Onyx confirmed. "How do you know that, brother?" She no longer believed she was Beast Master's creation, but if it was her choice she would continue living as if she was. 

"I heard about that story before, except the so called official version was that the elf girl died. No one knew she had been hidden by the Dragon Slayers." Xellos explained. "Now that all of this is known, it must be reported to Lord Beast Master," he reminded. There have been some rather worrisome thoughts in the back of Xellos' mind ever since he realized that Zelas was purposely keeping his power from him. He couldn't go to her yet, he needed to figure out a vital detail first. It was a detail that could mean life or death for Filia. "Onyx, find Fang and have him take you to Beast Master. You should go along too, Phythan, after you put on some clothes that is." 

Thus Xellos feigned ignorance and pretended that he didn't investigate the spell book beyond only what he needed to cure Filia. Celo surely knew something and he dared to lie about it, using Xellos' own line against him and luring the group back to the resort. But if Celo was following Zelas' orders, then that changed everything and Xellos was almost certain that was the case. There was no way Celo would dare to taunt Xellos' patience unless he had a greater power to answer to. 

"Oh, right!" Phythan agreed. "You're probably wondering why I'm wearing this cloak like this." It would be impractical for its current purpose to wear it as it should normally be worn, plus it was kind of small on Phythan. Instead the fabric was tied around his waist. 

"No, I'm not," Xellos assured with a look of absolute seriousness that soon morphed into a cheerful expression of mockery. "I honestly don't want to know." 

Phythan told them anyway. "It was really scary!" 

"It was really stupid," Onyx corrected. 

"I set myself on fire because there were spiders crawling all over me," Phythan confessed in frightful horror. "I healed my skin, but my clothes were gone." The group as a whole stared at Phythan, blinking once and twice, before finally agreeing unanimously that Phythan was an idiot. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Phythan and Onyx had gone off to find Fang so that they could report back to Zelas. Meanwhile, Lina, Amelia, Zelgadis, Xellos, Filia, Celo and Tiffany discussed the factor of the Dragon Slayers being with the Green Alchemist and that they were somehow tricked into believing the alchemist was the Mother of All Things. Gourry was present too, of course, but he just sat around not really following the conversation. By then, Xellos and Filia had gotten cleaned up and were, much to their relief, no longer covered in sand. 

"I think it's about time you tell us everything you know about the Green Alchemist," Xellos demanded. 

"Very well, as you wish, I will reveal the fruits of my research on the subject," Celo began. "The original Green Alchemist was a human who believed that the Mother of All Things not only created the world, but she was the world. That is to say the planet. He was well versed in alchemy, especially the kind related to plants. He gained a fair number of followers in his day, but this all occurred over a thousand years ago, shortly before Zelas created her general priest, Xellos." 

'So that's why I haven't heard about it,' Xellos concluded. Things got busy soon after his creation, or rather he came to be because the situation was already busy. He was sent on many missions right away and had no time to focus on things that were not directly related to the tasks at hand. 

"The Green Alchemist became a chimera, fusing himself with an ancient tree with the purpose of becoming close to the Mother of All Things," Celo continued. "Then his followers continued his work and attempted to fuse the human tree chimera with the planet itself. They were recklessly ambitious and they paid with their lives. As the fusion ritual came to a close, the energy accumulated for it was rejected by the planet and thrown back at those performing the ritual. The large majority of those who followed the Green Alchemist perished on that day. As for the tree, it withered up completely, save for one of its seeds. That was the end of the Green Alchemist and his followers, as the dwellers of the land soon became focused on the war and the barrier." 

A moment of silence passed with Lina impatiently interrupting the dramatic pause. "So what happened to the seed? How does all of that relate to the present?" 

"Ah yes, I was getting there," Celo smiled and continued. "The seed was recovered by the remnants of the Green alchemist's followers and protected. Through much research, I have learned that it was actually planted underground in a cavern that was prepared with rich soil and alchemically enriched nutrients. Spells were used to simulate sunlight and the seed grew into a tree. As time passed, the followers of the Green Alchemist died out almost completely. What was left of them later evolved into a small cult known as the Alchemists of Gaia or simply the Followers of Gaia. Gaia was the name they attributed to the Mother of All Things, as I'm sure you're all aware that she has received many names over time. These people are rather well known for their disdain towards monsters, albeit they had not previously stood against dragons in the past." 

Another dramatic pause ensued, further drying the patience of a certain redhead and making the legendary bandit killer, dragon spooker, impatient was not a good idea. "Enough with the dramatic silence! Get on with it! What's the deal with the tree? What's the status of the Alchemists of Gaia in the present day? Out with it!" 

"Impatient, aren't we?" Xellos grinned with an over exaggerated cheer. "Perhaps all this information is too much for you to absorb all at once. Maybe we should take a break and talk later. Wouldn't you agree, Lina?" 

With a stern look in her eyes and a well marked frown upon her face, Lina dangerously warned, "shut up." She emphasized every syllable while glaring daggers at Xellos. She then proceeded to glare swords at Celo, poison covered swords, metaphorically speaking of course. "Continue," she ordered. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 090: Breakup! Hurt The One You Love

Celo cleared his throat and went on with the revelations to his audience, consisting of Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Xellos and Filia. Tiffany was there as well, but she had already heard all that Celo was about to tell them, though she didn't know everything. There were things that a monster, or monster human chimera in Celo's case, couldn't share, not even with his wife, not until later at least. "That was the end of my researched factual information. The rest is only theory. I do not know what the present status of the Green Alchemist tree is, or if it is even of any importance. The tree in this tale could simply be a mutant tree of no real power, surrounded by a bunch of stupid people who created the illusion of it being special. In other words, the whole story about the Green Alchemist is a cover up for the truth. There is another enemy using the name of the Green Alchemist." 

Before Lina's impatience exploded like a time bomb, Celo continued. "The reason for the trickery was probably as a way to gain followers by pretending to be the revived leader. This enemy's plans are somehow linked to the planet, thus it is only natural to find similarities between them. None the less, there are important factors that indicate that the Green Alchemist is very likely long dead. Most importantly, this enemy is something much more powerful than a chimera, much more powerful than a mere mortal, but it is not like a portion of Shabranigdu, or Ceifeed in nature... only in power." 

Another dramatic pause followed, but this time it seemed only fitting. If that unknown entity that was their enemy was that strong, it was certainly something to think about. It was also the answer to Xellos' question about what he was supposed to be training for. Though no one directly said it, they all knew deep down that a confrontation was inevitable. "Tell us more," Lina prompted. 

"This is all I can say for the time being. There is an important choice that my master must make. Until then, the situation will not progress." Celo's ambiguous reply carried volumes of information between the lines and at the same time said nothing. 

"So Beast Master is the one who's moving us all like pawns in a chess board," Lina bitterly concluded. "Well, she's got another thing coming. I had enough with that Fibrizo set up." 

"If Zelas chooses one path, you'll have no choice but to accept it. Yet if she chooses the other path, you shall join her cause willingly, no threats necessary," Celo assured. 

"Why?" Lina demanded to know. "Stop dancing around the issues and tell us what you know!" She paused when she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head to see Xellos. "What is it?" 

"That's quite enough, Lina, let it go," Xellos surprisingly suggested. 

Lina turned her fierce glare towards Xellos. "I take it you know something too and don't want to share? What's going on, what's Zelas planning?" 

Xellos grinned like he always did. "That is a secret... A secret that am I as of yet to truly comprehend. However, if Beast Master so wishes for it to remain a secret, then it shall." 

Lina threw her arms in the air, exasperated. "Count me out! C'mon Gourry, all this annoying secrecy has made me hungry!" She stormed out of the room and all the way out of the lopsided wooden clock tower, followed by Gourry, who dared not remind her of her promised massage when she was so mad. Celo made no effort to stop Lina. He could easily get her to return with bribery. Besides, she was probably off to check out the restaurants, she wouldn't leave the resort island. 

A tense silence settled in and before the conversation turned argument could jump start again, a courier bird arrived and perched himself on Amelia's shoulder. "Jarde, you brought a letter for me?" The princess received the letter and the bird went away to the astral side after his delivery was done. Amelia realized that the letter was from her father and thought she should read it right away. "It looks like that is as far as our discussion will get today, if you'll excuse me..." 

"Ah yes, it was a pleasure talking to all of you. Let us all move along with our business for now. Of course, you are all welcome to continue as my guests." Celo excused himself and left. 

"I'll be going now too, I want to take some time to reply to my father's letter," Amelia went off. 

Zelgadis paused for a moment, his face serious. "I won't let Amelia be harmed by Beast Master," he assured. 

Tiffany smiled sweetly, perhaps with too much reassurance. "I believe the right choice will be made. That's the impression I have, so don't worry too much about it." 

Without a reply, Zelgadis followed Amelia out. From his perspective, Tiffany's last remark made little sense. How could the choice that benefited a monster lord be the right choice for them in any way? 

"I'll be right back," Xellos walked away to catch up with Celo just outside of the clock tower so they could have a word alone. 

"The right choice?" Filia questioned when she was left alone with Tiffany. She harbored the same doubts as Zelgadis and the others. "The right choice for Beast Master might be a very wrong choice for us." 

"What is the definition of right and wrong? Is the grand price truly more valuable than the silver lining of a loss?" Tiffany mused aloud ambiguously. "Are we truly qualified to decide what is good and what is bad? What if there was no such a thing as black and white, would the shades of gray be too overwhelming when the similarities between them become obvious? Can anyone ever accept wanting what they once despised?" 

Wanting what was despised... Filia could relate to that, but there had to be limits about what she was willing to do, what she was willing to overlook and what she wasn't willing to allow. Those limits had become blurry and she had to stop and question herself for a moment. Had she become far too corrupted to hold any sense of true and good reason? "I'm confused," she admitted sadly. 

"Do you love Xellos?" Tiffany decided to simplify the question in a way, while at the same time complicating the situation in unknown measures. 

"Yes," Filia didn't hesitate for a second before replying. 

"Then that's all you need to know. That is the sort of answer I've come up with for myself," Tiffany confessed. "Regardless of what happens, whether you spend millennia together or if the world doesn't last long enough to see another spring, never forget the intensity of what you feel." Leaving Filia with those words to think about, Tiffany left. "If you'll excuse me, I need to help Celo manage business around here. Make yourself at home." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, Xellos had been trying to get just a little more information out of Celo. They stood a little way outside of the lopsided wooden clock tower, surrounded by plastic trees and vegetation. "There is one more thing I wanted to ask you about." Xellos grinned like he always did, smile wide, eyes squinting. 

"Ah yes, ask anything you wish, General Xellos. I will give you the information you seek if I have it and am permitted to share it." Celo's reply in itself hinted that he was indeed following orders directly from Beast Master. 

"It's not something so serious," Xellos assured with his face unchanged. "It's more of a personal matter really." 

"General Xellos wishes to discuss a personal matter with me? I am honored, please proceed," Celo smiled respectfully. His respectful smile was his equivalent mask to Xellos' squinty grin. 

"When you married Tiffany, how did Beast Master react? When did she find out about you two?" Xellos inquired, masking his question thickly, though perhaps not thickly enough. If there had been a big angry temper tantrum he would have surely heard about it even if he was away on a mission at the time. 

"It seems too good to be true, doesn't it?" Celo sighed, remembering his own past worries. "I feared that Lord Beast Master would not allow me to be with Tiffany. I feared that she would kill us both, or worse yet, only her. I know not what the pain would have done to me. Perhaps I might have become stronger, though that would have defeated the purpose of making me a monster human chimera. Experiencing human emotions has helped fuel my research after all. Heartbreak, I can only conclude, leaves a vast pain in its wake that numbs the senses to anything else. In a way, I am thankful for what I learned from that worry," Celo admitted. "I realized how precious life is and how much I owe to our master. I never said that to Zelas, she would probably be disgusted at my outburst, but I'm still grateful I was allowed to live like this, even if it is only because it benefits Zelas. As such, I will do everything in my power so that I may continue representing a benefit to her." 

A moment of silence passed as Xellos took in all the information, trying to read between the lines. He had been so caught up that the wedding was thrown to the back of his mind. The wedding that was supposed to provide a cure to a curse he no longer had. Yet Xellos couldn't exactly go to Filia and tell her to call the whole thing off. She would make a fuss about him only wanting to be with her for his cure, even if had that been true, he would still be cursed. It just seemed like a somewhat troublesome formality if it wasn't absolutely necessary and they would still be together anyway. He supposed he could give her that, even if Zelas somehow ruined the event for Filia, Xellos knew that she would still be happy to be officially married, instead of just living together. It was a golden dragon thing, Xellos supposed, there was no real distinction from his point of view. 

Then Celo continued, speaking through his human side once more. "I admit I am surprised our master is allowing her general priest to marry a golden dragon, or to get married at all. You'll probably think I'm ridiculous and that my human side has made me stupid, but I am happy for you." 

The worries that inhabited Xellos' mind became more intense. What benefit could Zelas get out of this wedding? Why had she not returned his power? If she was giving Celo direct orders, then maybe she was telling him to throw out hints. What was Xellos expected to do? What if he was supposed to return to Beast Master to reclaim his power? What if the answer to the puzzling ambiguous path he was expected to take led him away from Filia? Another troubling thought surfaced. If facing adversity from the point of view of a human made him stronger, then wouldn't losing Filia be the biggest adversity he could currently face? He had been ordered to kill her once, was that a warning of what was to come? Would he be ordered to take her life again, this time with Zelas having no intentions of taking back her command? 

"You've become quiet all of a sudden and your face is pale." Celo noted, his voice waking Xellos' from his troubling thoughts. "Are you feeling ill?" 

"No, just tired." Xellos forced his facial mask to remain firmly in place with a squinty eyed grin, despite the color still being mostly absent from his features. "I should go back inside and rest." 

"Ah yes, do take care of your health," Celo smiled politely as he always did. 

Xellos returned to the lopsided wooden clock tower, passing by Tiffany, who was heading out, most likely to catch up with Celo. Good, Amelia was off tending to her mail and Zelgadis was with her. Lina and Gourry were gone and the others probably wouldn't be back right away. That meant that Filia was basically alone and Xellos needed to have a word with her before Pokota and Sylphiel came to drop off Val. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The floor boards creaked as they always did when someone stepped on the rickety structure of the wooden clock tower that looked just about ready to fall. If it did fall, no doubt it would be rebuilt again just as rickety as before. "Filia?" She wasn't in the tea room where the group had previously been. 

"I'm in the guest room!" There came Filia's voice almost echoing in the quiet tower. Zelgadis and Amelia were probably still in the structure too, though they were in a different area of it. 

Xellos made his way up the tilted stairs and towards the guest room where Filia's voice originated. The door was left partially open. Xellos let himself in and closed the door behind him. Filia was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Filia..." Xellos sat down next to her. This would hurt her, but it was for her own good, it was the only way to preserve her life. 

Filia sat up on the bed, instantly cuddling close to Xellos. "I'm worried about all this secrecy." 

Xellos automatically placed his arm around her, before realizing what he was doing and getting up. He wasn't there to make out with Filia; he was there to break up with her. He paced around the room once, feeling Filia's perplexed gaze constantly on him. "I'm breaking up with you." It was fast, simple and to the point, yet not very effective. 

Filia tilted her head to the side in puzzlement as she slowly got up. "What are you playing at raw garbage? Don't change the subject! Did you find out something more? What is it?" 

"This has nothing to do with the Green Alchemist or who ever that enemy is," Xellos argued, injecting as much angry exasperation into his voice as he could. "It's about us, it's over." 

"No," Filia refused to believe it. "Why would you break up all of a sudden? It makes no sense!" 

"I don't want to be with you," Xellos replied as coldly as possible. 

Filia glared, his words hurt but she wasn't about to believe them so easily, not after all they've been through. "Is this about the wedding? We can postpone it if you don't feel ready. I admit that I would like for us to be married, but in the beginning I never expected it to be possible. If I must let it go, I can do that. If it bothers you that much, let's not get married then." 

She took the lack of wedding much more calmly than Xellos expected, but that wasn't the issue at hand anyway. "It's not simply about the wedding. I don't want to be with you at all." 

"Liar!" Filia angrily accused. "What's gotten into you? I thought we had worked things out, gotten over our denials. I love you, Xellos, and I truly believe you love me too." 

"Stupid dragon, that's the problem!" Xellos yelled. "I don't want you near me. I don't want to love you! I want to be like before, a monster who knows nothing about such useless emotions. I can do it; I can go back to the way I was if I get rid of you. I hate what I've become and I hate you for it!" 

That did it, cue the water works. "No..." Filia subbed, unable to choke out any further coherent arguments. "Xellos... I thought..." her voice cracked and almost gave out, her words obscured and blurred by her desperate crying. "I thought you were happy..." 

"Goodbye," Xellos stormed out of the room, leaving Filia crying and calling his name. She wasn't going to drag him back and force him to reconsider, but she wasn't going to let him go so easily either. 

When Xellos exited the clock tower and walked through the plastic vegetation surrounding it in a dark false forest, he could still hear Filia's distraught sobbing voice calling him so loudly that her throat no doubt burned. He Ray Winged away, he had to put some distance between them, he didn't want to hear her fall to pieces like this while being unable to do anything about it. This was all to save her, even if it hurt her, it was all for her own good, he just kept telling himself that until he could no longer truly hear her pained voice. Yet somehow, the sound still echoed in his mind. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Amelia and Zelgadis had been on top of the clock tower. The princess expected to be cheered up by the letter from her father, but its contents were dreadful. She clutched the letter in her hands as she related to Zelgadis the difficulties that were once again before them. There was someone else after the throne. This time there were no murder attempts or trickery, but rather some old documents were brought to light. The laws were ancient and had not actually been enforced in many generations, yet they were never officially overruled and Amelia's distant cousin was set on not allowing that to happen any time soon. 

"This is so unfair! Why does the heir to the throne need to be engaged to royalty?" Since Naga had officially passed up on it, Amelia was the only candidate left in her generation, the only direct descendent who would ascend to the throne. She dreamed of doing good things for Seyruun, just as her father wanted her to do. One day, when their need to travel and see the world was fully satisfied, she and Zelgadis would return to Seyruun and watch over its people as their king and queen. "This is ridiculous! This law has not been enforced in years, why now?" 

Philionel had no intentions of pressuring Amelia, as he explained in his letter. He would sooner hand over the throne than separate his daughter from her true love. Yet even if he did not write it, Amelia knew he was devastated by the thought of having to leave the fate of his people in the hands of someone he barely knew, despite being a distant relative. 

Before Zelgadis and Amelia could further discuss a plan of action, Filia's tortured voice was heard. "Miss Filia sounds like she's in pain!" Amelia hurried over, following the sound, with Zelgadis running right next to her. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Amelia and Zelgadis had heard the echo of some yelling, but they were too focused on the Seyruun problem to realize what it was right away. It wasn't until Xellos left and Filia's cries got really loud that they perceived the agony and ran to her aid. They wondered if one of the Dragon Slayers had somehow snuck into the tower. The golden dragon sounded as if she was in a truly terrible pain. They assumed that Filia calling for Xellos meant that she was calling for his help, but neither Zelgadis nor Amelia knew if he was still there in the tower, or if he had gone off somewhere for some reason. 

Amelia and Zelgadis quickly arrived at Filia's room. The door was left open and Filia was on her knees sobbing on the floor. She called after Xellos one last time before her voice painfully cracked and her throat refused to respond. He didn't come back, she could drag him back, he was a human and she was a dragon after all. But she dared not keep him in her presence by force, if she had to do that, it would only hurt more. 

To be Continued


	31. Chapter 31

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 091: Haste! Fools Rush In

Amelia and Zelgadis had been on top of the wooden clock tower discussing a problematic letter that just arrived from Seyruun, when they heard Filia's tortured voice and rushed to her aid. "Miss Filia!" Amelia fell to her knees next to Filia, looking her over for injuries and hugging her, trying to calm her. 

Zelgadis searched the room for anything suspicious, but couldn't find anything. "What happened? Were you attacked? Where did they go?" 

"Xellos... Xellos..." Filia's quiet strained voice sobbed into Amelia's shoulder. 

"Did they take Mr. Xellos away?" Amelia theorized with worry. 

"No, we weren't attacked," Filia choked out. "Xellos... he hates me." The golden dragon tried to calm herself, realizing that she was seriously worrying Amelia and Zelgadis. Filia tried to dry her tears though they would stubbornly keep coming out. "He's gone; he broke up with me and left. He wants to be like before, a real monster, he doesn't want to have feelings for me anymore. He thinks I've done something bad to him, he hates me!" 

Amelia tensed, her face becoming enraged. "How could he?" If Xellos was still in the room, he would have gotten a very painful extra strong Pacifist Crush to the face that would have probably broken his nose. "Don't cry Miss Filia, Zelgadis and I will find Mr. Xellos and knock some sense into him," literally, or they would break his bones trying. 

"Please don't," Filia begged, her strained throat was still scratchy. "I could have done that myself. His fighting style as a monster involved a lot of speed, teleportation and being able to release his power in an instant. It takes time for him to power up the big spells as a human and though it doesn't show too much, his movements don't flow as easily. He's come far, but he's still not adapted to the same level of skill he had before. I can take him, but I won't. I want him to be with me by choice. If he's truly disgusted with how he has changed, then I need to show him it's not so bad. I need to show him he's still powerful, still capable, still cunning, that he's still himself." Which meant accepting that she was still herself. That she wasn't just caught in a series of exciting events and wishful thinking through fairytale eyes. "Let him take a breather, I'll find him and talk to him after we've both had time to calm down." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After a while of crying on Amelia's shoulder, Filia finally calmed down. It was just in time for the arrival of several people. "Miss Filia, are you here?" Sylphiel's voice called out from the first floor of the clock tower. 

"Filia, we're back with Val!" Pokota added. 

"Coming!" Filia replied, her voice still strained from all the yelling, while Amelia continued to give her a concerned look. "It's okay, I can face this... That stubborn piece of raw garbage just needs to cool his stupid monster pride for a while." Filia got on her feet and began to make her way down the stairs, followed closely by Amelia and Zelgadis. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At the first floor of the clock tower, Filia, Amelia and Zelgadis found that not only Sylphiel, Pokota and Val had arrived, but also Jillas, Gravos, Elena and Palou. "How are you boss? We came to help with the wedding preparations!" Jillas cheerfully greeted, though his good mood evaporated as soon as he got a better look at Filia's face. Her features were slightly swollen and her eyes were very red. 

"Are you sick?" Gravos tentatively asked. Filia looked more depressed than ill though. 

Little Val flew from his previous position perched on Jillas' head, into Filia's arms. He looked up at his mother with a worried look, cooing softly. "I'm okay; I just have a bit of allergy today." Filia forced herself to smile and gave quick glances to Amelia and Zelgadis, begging them silently with her eyes to play along. She didn't want anyone else to worry about her... and declare this Xellos hunting season. "The wedding is still a way off; the preparations are taking longer than expected, so it'll be a while. You're all welcome to enjoy the amusement park attractions of the resort in the mean time." 

"Are there roller coasters?" Palou excitedly asked. 

"Of course!" Filia assured, albeit there was a huge line to ride them. "Why don't you all go enjoy the rides together?" The suggestion was met with unanimous agreements, though the group was clearly not quite convinced about Filia's allergy excuse. 

"I should be getting back to my job now," Sylphiel realized. "It was nice meeting everyone," she smiled at Filia's family that she just met. Val had recognized them as they were making their way through the resort towards the tower and they walked there together from that point on. Before leaving, Sylphiel looked at Filia and smiled, "from what I've heard, you're a good and brave person, Miss Filia. I'm sure your dreams will come true." 

Filia smiled back, with the first hint of sincerity. She had been through a lot and something as seemingly simple as stupid stubbornness wasn't going to make her throw away everything she had. "Thank you..." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After Sylphiel was gone, Gravos, Jillas, Elena, Palou, Pokota and Val went off to enjoy the amusement park attractions. Filia stayed behind with the excuse of having some things to take care of, insisting that the others should go ahead and have fun. Then she set out to go for a walk and clear her head, assuring Amelia and Zelgadis that she would be fine on her own, that she needed a moment to herself. That left Amelia and Zelgadis alone in the clock tower. 

"I hope they work things out," Amelia sighed, remembering that Filia wasn't the only one with a problem. She took Philionel's letter out of her pocket, where she had stuffed it in a hurry when she heard Filia's voice. "Everyone is busy; let's take care of this ourselves. There has to be some way to get by this." 

"Are you sure your father can't annul the law?" Zelgadis inquired. 

"Technically no," Amelia admitted. "Although he is the acting ruler of Seyruun, this is one of the laws that only the official ruler could change. In other words, my grandfather. But even if he does, due to his fragile state of health, my cousin will surely question the veracity of the change. Grandpa has offered to transfer his title to daddy before, but daddy felt that grandpa should hold the title of king for the rest of his life. To accept the title now for this purpose will also look suspicious. The family name has been stained with the traitorous quests for the throne in the past and it will only cause unrest if false rumors are spread claiming grandpa was pressured. If the timing had been different, it would have been okay, but it's too late for that now." 

"So basically, an official act while this issue is fresh in the public eye would have negative repercussions on the royal family reputation," Zelgadis interpreted. "What if there was a loophole in that law? An exception of circumstance or maybe even another law that trumps that one? An argument could be made pointing out that it's obsolete." 

"I assume they're already working on that in Seyruun," Amelia mused. "But if daddy has sent me this letter, that means the research and appeals are not going too well. They're most likely keeping this at a private level. As a last resort, we could ask for the support of the people, but that would technically be a revolt." 

"A revolt?" Zelgadis was taken by surprise. "How?" 

"A person who is not set to inherit the throne attempting to reclaim it, even if it is in the future while the current ruler rightfully continues to watch over the kingdom, is technically a revolt," Amelia explained. "I know the Seyruun army will remain loyal to us, but what about the neighboring countries? Some are allies of Seyruun, but others have had their unjust actions found out and punished by Seyruun. There are rulers that only pretend to have polite diplomatic relations with Seyruun, but would gladly welcome new rulers if presented with the promise of an unfair trade advantage. It might all spiral out of control into a real revolt with outsiders invading to defend the so called rightful heir according to the old law. The casualties would be many and we can't take that risk." 

Zelgadis felt like he was running into a brick wall with this problem and it all originated because his engagement to Amelia was known. Wait a minute, that gave him an idea. "We could pretend to break up and come up with an excuse so that it doesn't look suspicious. Things would cool off and then Phil could harmlessly change the law because it wouldn't really be relevant anymore anyway. Then we can keep our relationship a secret for a while until we... you know... eventually get married," Zelgadis blushed. "By then, the whole problem would have blown over and everything could be done legally." 

Amelia shook her head. "That won't work. They'll just call it an elaborate long term trick and it'll make things look worse. Besides, I don't want to lie to my people and I don't want to break up for real." 

Zelgadis let out a disappointed breath; he should have known a solution wouldn't come so easily. "Yeah, you're right, it was a bad idea." 

"But it's good that you thought about it," Amelia tried to cheer him up. "I mean, you're trying to think of something and even if one loophole doesn't work, it might give us ideas about others. Eventually we'll come up with something that does work!" 

Zelgadis' face shone with absolute devotion. "Amelia, I don't want you to make any sacrifices for me-" 

"Don't you even dare suggest I break up with you!" Amelia interrupted. 

"I wasn't going to," Zelgadis continued. "Although I'll always feel that you're too good for me, I love you and I can't leave you. We'll figure out a loophole in all of this. That, or I'll miraculously find out I'm long lost royalty," he joked. 

Amelia's face matched the pink tint on Zelgadis as her eyes shone with the light of new hope. "Zel, you're a genius!" 

Zelgadis blinked, completely missing the point, "I am?" 

"Yes! All you have to do is become royalty!" Amelia exclaimed. "Than we can stay engaged and the law can be changed sometime in the next few years to ensure nothing like this happens in the future. It'll be okay because it wouldn't even be relevant to us anymore, so they can't say we're stealing the throne." 

"How does one go about becoming royalty?" Technically, if Zelgadis married Amelia, he would be royalty. The problem was that he needed to be royalty before that could happen. Besides, if becoming royalty was really that simple, there wouldn't be so many people trying to steal Seyruun's throne, they would just get their own. 

"There are several possibilities, being adopted by a royal family is one or being given a kingdom for some reason. Starting your own kingdom would take too long and we would need a large portion of land and people to live in it. I'm sure there are a few possible strategies available; maybe Celo will have some information," Amelia suggested. "He doesn't want to talk about the enemy, but this is a whole different topic, so he has no reason to use Xellos' secret line on us." 

"Is getting information from a monster really such a great idea?" Zelgadis was not liking where the conversation was going. 

"It'll be fine; we just need to take everything he says with a grain of sugar," Amelia smiled with determination. 

"Don't you mean with a grain of salt?" Zelgadis suggested. 

"That too," Amelia agreed and began to make her way to the tower's study for a pen and paper. "Since I don't know where Celo went, it will be faster to send him a message with a courier monster bird." She found a blank sheet of paper on the desk and a pen, writing a quick message. "Dear Mr. Celo: I would greatly appreciate it if you could suggest a quick way for a person to become royalty. Thanks in advance, Amelia." The note was simple and to the point, there was no need to reveal too much, though no doubt about it, Celo would read between the lines and figure it out. "Swiftly deliver the letters, by the trail of astral feathers!" Jarde arrived and was given the letter to deliver to Celo, disappearing back to the astral side with it. "Now all we have to do is wait for a reply." 

The seconds turned into minutes as Zelgadis and Amelia continued discussing the situation, with Zelgadis slowly gaining a better understanding about how things worked for royalty. Eventually, Jarde returned with a written reply from Celo, which was as follows. "Your Highness Princess Amelia: I can only conclude that you wish for your fiance to become a prince due to the technicalities of your kingdom. I would be honored to assist in ensuring your future together with the one you love. I happen to know of a relatively simple way for Mr. Zelgadis to become royalty." 

The rather lengthy letter continued. "A long time ago, an anonymous business entity purchased a small private island. However, that island was haunted by a terrible monster and no development could be made on it. The unknown business figure thus decided that getting vengeance on the monster that made the purchase go to waste was more important than the island itself, as no one wished to buy it back anyway. This person offered to transfer the ownership of the island to whoever managed to defeat the beast that guarded it." 

"The island is small and uninhabited by anyone other than the monster, but precious peridot gems can be found in its caves." The letter explained. "Due to the monster, mining was made impossible in the past. Many thought it made no difference if there were gems there or not, as they could not be retrieved. Of course, there were attempts to take the gems and attempts to slay the monster, but all of them failed terribly. However, I have a strong feeling that Mr. Zelgadis will triumph. If he does, he will become the new owner of that island and thus its ruler. I could assist in finding workers for the mines who could be called the kingdom's subjects if it is necessary. I have enclosed a map with the location of the island. Good luck, Celo Metallium." 

"That was a lot more information than I thought we would get." Amelia commented as she and Zelgadis were finished reading the letter. 

"Plus we didn't even need to read between the lines to figure out what the catch is." Zelgadis added, though he wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Obviously the big obstacle was the monster. 

"I'm sure we can beat that monster, after all, we've been in tough battles before." Obviously that meant that Amelia was going too, though she would give all the credit to Zelgadis to reclaim the island. After this show of courage and power, there was no way anyone could deny that Zelgadis was a true prince where it counted, on the inside. Besides, he would also be a legal prince too, or rather a king. 

They looked at the map that came along in the same envelope as the letter. "The island isn't too far away," Zelgadis noted. "I'm sure we could take a ship there." 

"Then what are we waiting for?" Amelia was all fired up for the expedition. "Let's go right away!" She raised her fist in determination, her energy coursing through her. "We will defeat that monster in the name of justice and you will become the king of the island!" 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Amelia and Zelgadis departed towards the port. It was getting late, but Amelia was too excited to wait for the next day. As they approached the port, they saw Gourry and Lina exiting a beachside restaurant. "Miss Lina, Mr. Gourry!" Amelia greeted them, waving at them and calling loudly with the unique energy that characterized her. 

"Hey guys!" Gourry smiled, "are you here to eat? I hope not, because Lina and I kind of cleaned out all their food supplies. But I'm sure there are other restaurants at the resort that have food left." 

"We're not here to eat, we're here to take a boat to a near by island so that we can slay the monster terrorizing its precious peridots and Zelgadis can become king!" While Amelia let her mouth run away with her, Zelgadis shook his head frantically, making desperate signals that she should keep this matter a secret from Lina. 

"I don't know what that king business is about, but what was that about terrorizing peridots?" The redhead wondered if she misunderstood. Lina knew what peridot gems looked like, but jewels were not sentient beings, they were not alive, they felt no fear and thus they could not be terrorized. Maybe this type of peridot referred to some exotic animal that lived on the island or even the name of a village. 

"There's no one living on the island, so the monster has no one to terrorize," Amelia mused. "But a fierce unjust monster will always try to terrorize something, even if it is a lifeless gem!" 

Lina smiled from ear to ear while Zelgadis grimaced. "Oh yes, you're absolutely right, Amelia. We can't let some terrible monster abuse those innocent valuable jewels." 

Realizing her mistake, Amelia wished she had not gotten so over excited and carried away. "Um... Well... We should get going now." 

"Wait a minute!" Making Lina Inverse forget about a treasure was a nearly impossible task to accomplish, especially when she had just filled her stomach and could not be distracted by food. "You might need some help defeating that monster. Oh you don't have to beg, I'll be more than happy to assist!" 

"But Miss Lina, Zelgadis needs to defeat the monster and claim ownership of the island as its king or my distant relative will steal the throne!" Amelia tried to reason. 

"There's another conspiracy to steal the throne going on? They never give up, do they?" Lina shook her head hopelessly. "What's the deal this time?" 

Hoping to get through to Lina, Amelia explained. "I have to marry royalty, so by remaining engaged to someone who isn't a royal, I'm technically forfeiting the throne. We plan to fix that by making Zelgadis the king of the island where the monster is. In order to gain ownership of the island, he must defeat the monster," the princess revealed. 

"I see," Lina nodded in understanding. "Well, since it's for a good cause, Zel can have the island. In exchange for my help in defeating the monster, and you know you want it, I'll take a few peridot gems as payment." When it came to Lina taking gems, 'a few' meant as many as she could get her greedy little hands on. 

"How kind of you," Zelgadis grumbled, while Amelia gave him an apologetic look. The chimera patted the princess' shoulder to assure her that he wasn't angry at her for her slip up and left his arm there as they walked to the docks. 

Dark storm clouds loomed in the horizon, painting with gloomy shades of gray the usually beautiful orange shades of the sun set. It could be seen as a bad omen, but nothing could stop Lina Inverse in her quest for treasure. Zelgadis knew that he couldn't postpone his trip to the island because of a looming storm or else Lina would Dragon Slave the mysterious monster and claim the island and its peridots for herself. The chimera didn't care too much about the peridots really, but he needed to claim that island for himself for Amelia's sake. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 092: Intense! Into The Raging Storm

Amelia, Zelgadis, Lina and Gourry obtained a small ship at the Amor Resort docks and went on their way. They followed the directions on Celo's map, making steady progress towards the small island where a monster resided in caves rich with peridot gems. The sky was filled with dark clouds and it wasn't long before it began to pour, but the group pressed on. Fighting the wind of the storm with wind magic of their own, the brave adventurers pushed the little ship forward towards the small island in the distance. 

"We're almost there!" Lina called out from the front of the ship, one foot on the edge of it and the other on the deck. Her cape blew in the wind dramatically behind her as she pointed forward to their intended destination. "Onward to the peridots!" Suddenly the ship rocked violently and Lina stumbled on to the deck. 

"Oh, oh," Gourry was looking to the waters below from the side of the ship with a worried expression. 

"Is the ship damaged?" Zelgadis urgently inquired. 

"Not exactly," Gourry frowned, while Zelgadis gave him a questioning look that requested more information, while wondering what was keeping Gourry from simply revealing what he saw. The blond swordsman glanced at Lina, then back at Zelgadis and Amelia. The princess and the chimera stepped forward, approaching the end of the ship next to Gourry, and the reason for his secrecy became clear to them. 

"What are you three looking at?" Lina didn't like this; she had a strong feeling that something was being hidden from her. Well, no one was going to stop her from looking and seeing for herself what the truth of the situation was. 

"Miss Lina, maybe you shouldn't look!" Amelia urgently advised, her cape blowing wildly in the wind as she shouted over the noise of crashing lightning in the distance. 

"Why not?" Walking past Amelia, Lina approached the edge of the ship, but Gourry blocked her view. "Let me see!" The impatient redhead demanded. 

Amelia gasped as she saw something on the other side of the ship opposite to where they stood, "flare arrow!" 

By the time Lina turned her head, whatever had been there was gone, thanks to Amelia's attack. Lina only heard the sound of something falling in the water as if it had been knocked off the edge of the ship. "Are we under attack? Why is it such a secret?" The powerful red haired sorceress attempted to make her way to the opposite side of the ship against the wind and rain; she needed to see what this was about. 

"Lina!" Gourry wrapped his arms tightly around her, stopping her progress across the ship. "It's okay Lina, I'll keep you safe." 

"From what?" Lina demanded to know in exasperation. 

"They made it aboard..." Zelgadis pointed out in worry. It wasn't that the foes looked particularly dangerous, but with Lina around, it could be exceptionally troublesome. "Freeze Arrow!" 

Lina fought against Gourry's attempts to stop her from looking, until she kicked him painfully, losing her patience. She managed to catch a glimpse of Zelgadis kicking away a block of ice. Encased in the crystalline prison there was the unmistakable figure of a slug. "Slug!" Lina screamed at the top of her lungs. She made a mental note that next time her friends told her not to look, she wouldn't look. She embraced Gourry in a tight hug, burying her face on his chest. "Why are those slugs here? How could they be in the sea? Don't let them get on the ship!" 

The wind and the waves continued rocking the ship as the slimy slugs tried to climb aboard. "These are monster slugs!" Amelia realized. She theorized that Celo had something to do with this, probably with the excuse that it was all for the sake of entertaining his guests. "Elmekia Lance!" 

The ship continued to rock atop the waves and Lina was starting to get really worried. "Oh no, what if we capsize? We'll fall into slug infested waters! Save me!" 

"It's okay Lina, I'll protect you, don't worry," Gourry tried to calm his panicking fiance to no avail. The amounts of slugs trying to make their way aboard the ship continued to increase. Amelia and Zelgadis had dispatched many, but there were even more swimming towards them. 

Gourry noticed beyond the sound of the harsh thunder and constant rain that Lina was muttering something against his chest. He tried to make out the words only catching bits and pieces at first. "Twilight... flows... time... power... foes... destroyed... possess..." 

The swordsman's eyes widened in realization. He knew those words, he had heard them so many times that he could remember them with relative ease. "No, Lina, don't use the Dragon Slave here!" 

Gourry's futile request served as a warning for Amelia and Zelgadis to brace themselves as Lina loudly exclaimed in a panic, "Dragon Slave!" A big explosion followed, annihilating all the monster slugs at the same time that it reduced the ship to scraps. 

Just before the flash of light invaded his vision completely, Gourry thought he saw a little calico kitten and wondered how it managed to stow away on the ship unnoticed until that moment. He hoped the kitten somehow survived this, though he wasn't too worried. He had heard that cats have nine lives. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, at the Amor Resort island... "Stop following me!" Xellos growled for what felt like the millionth time, but his angry plea fell upon metaphorically deaf stubborn pointy ears. He thought he should have left the resort sooner instead of hanging around idly in hopes of becoming better prepared to face Beast Master in the cool, calm, collected and cheerful manner that he was expected to. Because of his delay in escaping from the premises, Filia caught up to him and kept following him around like a particularly stubborn lost puppy, or more so like a very obsessed stalker. 

Thunder echoed following the crash of lightning, as if the skies were being cued to release the vast supply of water that was accumulated in the thick gray clouds above. It was already night as Xellos made his way past the dark plastic forest and back to the lopsided wooden clock tower. The creaking old structure gained an especially creepy atmosphere during the stormy night. It didn't look like anyone was there at the moment. The others were probably off staying in the nicer hotels of the resort while Celo and Tiffany took care of the resort's business. 

Xellos made his way up the stairs of the deserted tower, the wood creaking under his feet with every step and then under Filia's. She was still adamantly following him like a second shadow and didn't look like she was going to stop any time soon, if ever. "There are plenty of rooms in this tower." Xellos indicated that he wanted to be left alone, though he had stopped expecting Filia to comply with his wishes long ago. 

The stubborn golden dragon merely crossed her arms and glared in a sign of determination as she followed Xellos into his room. Exasperated, he tossed his cloak aside, kicked off his shoes and allowed himself to fall face first on the bed, burying his face in the pillow. He heard Filia take a seat on the chair next to the bed, secretly relief that she wasn't trying to cuddle him like she used to do, that would just make things more complicated and he would never manage to complete a clean break. 

Loud thunder echoed again, with Filia jumping a little. "Are you afraid of thunder, stupid dragon?" 

"No," Filia denied it, though she certainly wasn't happy with the creepy atmosphere. The room was completely dark if not for the flashes of lightning that illuminated it every now and then without warning, the light invading the enclosed space from the closed glass window against wish the raindrops crashed like bullets. Val was with his uncles and aunts, Jillas, Gravos and the others would take good care of him. Filia just hoped that the storm wasn't scaring him. 

A long and tense silence invaded the room as the storm raged on outside. Xellos tried to sleep, but found himself unable to do so, feeling Filia's eyes somehow piercing the darkness to stare at him. Then she spoke, "I've been thinking I've changed a lot, but the truth is that I haven't. I've become more open minded, but I'm only seeing what has been there all along. I'm not a different person; I simply know things now that I didn't know before. I still like flowers and the smell of spring. I still like arts and crafts, especially making and decorating vases from scratch. I still like pink, though I guess I've also taken a liking to purple. I have made new friends and my family has grown, but my wish is still to create many good memories with them. I still hope for everyone in the world to be happy." 

"You're a stupid, stubborn and cliche dragon, I already knew that," Xellos retorted, unable to ignore Filia completely. 

"You haven't changed much either," Filia continued her main argument. "You're still stubborn, sarcastic, mocking, tricky, mischievous and all around annoying. You're also powerful, cunning, adaptive and perceptive." 

"I'll have to agree with most of that," Xellos admitted, wondering where Filia was going on with all of this. Her argument seemed to carry a deeper meaning than just a description. 

"My point is that you haven't changed. You're still the same infuriating monster that you've always been on the inside," Filia emphasized. 

"So what?" Xellos turned over on his side to look at Filia, his voice no longer muffled by having his face on the pillow. "Where you expecting me to change and turn into a romantic prince charming? Too bad, because that's not happening. Not that it matters anyway, because we're not together anymore." 

"I don't want you to change," Filia confessed. "I know I yell at you and let my temper go wild at times. I'm sorry if that gets on your nerves." 

"It does, but it's actually kind of fun," Xellos admitted. "It's chaotic and I enjoy chaos. You're a time bomb waiting to explode, I like that." He mentally kicked himself seconds later for admitting it. He wasn't supposed to be thinking about how fun Filia was, he was supposed to be thinking about how to convince her that he didn't want her around. 

"Your chaos is fun too. I guess teasing each other is part of who we are." Filia smiled, feeling as if she was finally making progress. She thought she could address the issue more directly now. "When you said you hated who you've become, it made me wonder if I should hate who I've become too. It may seem that I'm being too accepting in certain aspects, but those are not things that I'm doing now, they're things I never had a say in from the beginning. Things that I would have had to allow to pass anyway. You haven't changed either; you're still the same trickster. I'm not expecting you to change nor do I want you to. I just don't understand what the big liability is. If you could just point it out specifically I'll give it some real thought, because right now I don't get it." 

Filia was ruining what little progress Xellos had made in getting her out of danger and he didn't like it. He sat up, glaring at her impatiently, "just drop it." 

"No!" Filia stubbornly continued. "What was it that you could do before that you can't do now? Run around causing trouble? When you get your powers back you could just teleport away and cause all the trouble you want, I won't be able to stop you. I'll probably yell at you for it, but I won't leave you. If Beast Master gives you an order that I really don't like, I'll accept the fact that you have to do it. I'll probably yell about it anyway, but I won't hold it personally against you." Filia had stood up from her chair, pacing around the room as she threw out her heartfelt arguments. 

Xellos got up and walked a few steps towards the door. "Accept it Filia, you have no choice." 

"Don't run away, you cowardly piece of garbage!" Filia shouted, her face was red with angry frustration. "Why don't you face me and tell me the truth? Whatever it is your feeling, you should have enough experience with emotions by now to at least have a clue, so tell me. Why do you hate me? What exactly is the cause? What's the big and terrible liability in all this? I'm not asking you to give up anything for my sake! What do you think you're losing?" 

Xellos turned around to face Filia, his violet eyes serious and piercing. "Your life." 

"What?" The golden dragon was taken aback by his reply, though she could tell he was finally being open with her. "What do you mean?" 

"You're no longer useful to me, Filia. Being with you is no longer a matter of life or death to me," Xellos reminded. "Why should I, the general priest of Lord Beast Master want to be anywhere near a golden dragon if I have a different choice?" Filia frowned, Xellos sounded like he was going around in circles with cheap ambiguous excuses again. Then he elaborated and everything became clear. "I shouldn't want to be with you, it's a mistake, a defect, it must be and will be corrected with your death. Don't you see? I've been ordered to kill you before, but back then I still needed the cure for my curse. You were still useful to me, so you were spared. Why would you be spared now?" 

Filia's eyes grew wide in shock, her expression horrified. "Beast Master ordered you to kill me?" 

"Not yet," Xellos ascertained, "but it might happen soon and I will not be able to defy her orders. If I do, she'll just kill you herself much more painfully. She'll make your end much more excruciating than a quick death at my hands." He looked into her terrified blue eyes. "I don't know exactly what's going on, but I think I really am being trained. It's probably related to this mysterious enemy going by the alias of the Green Alchemist, pretending he's connected to the Mother of All Things. I have to let you go, Filia. I have to endure it, get over it and return to my master's side ready and strong enough to fight for her cause. If I can't do that on my own, I'll be pushed to it." 

A flood of tears was already escaping Filia's eyes when she threw herself into Xellos' arms. "It's not fair..." Was Tiffany warning her before? 

Filia remembered Tiffany's words clearly. 'Regardless of what happens, whether you spend millennia together or if the world doesn't last long enough to see another spring, never forget the intensity of what you feel.' If the world ends... was that a metaphor? Did she mean the end of their time together? 

'She was telling me to treasure the memories,' Filia interpreted. 'Maybe a monster and a dragon being together isn't impossible, but if that monster is both the general and the priest of a monster lord, its different. Xellos was created to serve Zelas, to be her right hand, her main minion. That was his original purpose, the cause of his very existence. Denying that would be denying his existence.' 

"Don't cry, stupid dragon. Being your weak and pathetic self won't change anything." Filia slowly became silent while Xellos continued holding her and caressing her hair. She appeared to be lost in thought. "Just let go, forget about me. I'll forget about you right away. In fact, I can't wait to forget. Who needs a stupid crybaby like you?" 

Filia had stopped crying, instead looking at Xellos with sorrowful eyes. "I won't forget..." 

"You have Val to keep you busy. My lessons were left incomplete, but he was a fast learner. He'll get into mischief and keep you entertained," Xellos reminded. 

"Val..." Filia knew she had to take care of him. She trusted her family to care for him, but it was best for him to have another dragon around while growing up. Even if she was a golden dragon and he was an ancient dragon, they were both still dragons and had certain things in common. She couldn't do something reckless, not with Val counting on her. Besides, she knew Xellos wouldn't be happy if she did something stupid and got herself killed either. She couldn't let her temper run wild when it came to Beast Master, the monster lord was far too dangerous. 

"Starting tomorrow, we'll go our separate ways," Xellos decided. He could give her just a little while longer to get her frustration off her chest as much as possible and say anything that she wanted to say. 

Filia nodded bitterly, "I understand..." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Lina's massive Dragon Slave had blown up the monster slugs and the ship along with its crew. The sorceress, the swordsman, the agent of justice and the chimera, were all thrown in different directions by the force of the impact. The ocean was disturbed in a massive tidal wave that formed a tall column of water and carried them away. When Amelia woke up, she had been washed ashore on the island they were heading towards. The massive storm had calmed as if the tempest itself coward before Lina Inverse's mighty Dragon Slave. 

The princess sat up in the sandy beach and examined her surroundings. She didn't see any signs of the ship or any of her friends near by. "Zelgadis! Miss Lina! Mr. Gourry!" Amelia called out loudly several times, but received no replies. She looked into the distance at the now peaceful ocean with only light waves moving the waters. There was no one floating there as far as she could see, which wasn't very far since it was night time. Maybe they had made it to the island, she certainly hoped so. 

She walked further along the beach side with an orb of light in her hand, until she spotted something in the sand. She brushed off some of the sand and realized it was a head. It was Zelgadis' head and with that realization she screamed at the top of her lungs. "No! Zelgadis was decapitated! Ah!" 

"Amelia!" Zelgadis woke up suddenly, to the very loud and panicked voice of Amelia. He found that it was very difficult to move, soon realizing that the reason for that was that he was berried neck deep in the sand. "I'm not dead, just buried!" 

Amelia let out a breath of relief. "I'm so glad," she began to help dig Zelgadis out, until he was finally free. "Now we just need to find Miss Lina and Mr. Gourry. Do you think they've gone deeper into the center of the island?" Amelia glanced past the palm trees into the unknown darkness. 

"Probably," Zelgadis theorized. "If Lina made it to this island, she would go straight to the gems. If we head towards the mines, we should run into her and probably Gourry too." Thus Amelia and Zelgadis set out to explore the island and locate their missing companions. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 093: Amusing! It's All Fun And Games

As they ventured further into the island, Amelia and Zelgadis found a volcano in the island's center with a cave at its base. Amelia took a peek inside and saw the glitter of gems affixed to the cavern walls. She wondered if this was the monster's lair. The cave was eerie yet beautiful, so it seemed fitting to be the hideout of a cunning villain. It was a tempting and inviting deadly trap. What if the beast had found her friends already? What if the creature was devouring them? "This is it! This is the beast's lair! Let us storm inside and rescue our comrades!" 

Zelgadis soon realized that Amelia was in justice speech mode, which meant there was no stopping her. He wasn't even taken by surprise when she dashed into the cave and was prepared to take off after her. Just as he rushed after Amelia, Zelgadis thought he saw a kitten a short way outside of the cave. He had no time to do a double take before he sped up his pace to keep up with Amelia's dash of justice. 

Amelia continued running deep into the mines with Zelgadis close after her. She arrived at a larger chamber with peridots all over the walls and thought she saw a kitten hidden in the shadows. She held the orb of light towards it, but it was gone. 'It was probably just my imagination,' the princess quietly concluded. She stepped forward to examine the apparent dead end. "How could this not be the monster's lair? Is there another cave or maybe a secret passage?" 

"There could be traps," Zelgadis warned as he hurried to stay close to Amelia. He saw a hint of movement in the darkness, but before he could perceive what it was, there was a flash of light and it was gone, dispelling the orb of light in the process, then there was darkness. 

A little dizzy, Amelia stumbled forward, steadying herself with the wall. Her hand accidentally touched a hidden switch and the wall parted left and right, revealing a tunnel with stairs and torches attached to the walls, lighting the way. With the area once again illuminated, Amelia noticed something very peculiar, she saw herself standing before the passage. "Is that me?" She tried to speak, but it came out as Zelgadis' voice. 

Hearing his own voice, Zelgadis looked at the source and saw himself. "Who are you? Where's Amelia?" His hands, which were much softer than he remembered, flew to his mouth as he realized that his voice was Amelia's voice. He looked at the human hands, the feminine but strong human hands, the wrists adorned with pink and purple bracelets with blue gems. He ran one of those hands through his hair, which wasn't his hair at all. 

"Um... Zelgadis?" The image of Zelgadis spoke unsure, with Amelia's soul within the body. 

"Yes," Zelgadis replied from Amelia's body, the situation finally sinking in beyond the confusion. "We're switched!" 

"It must have been that light!" Amelia concluded in Zelgadis' voice. "I knew it; there is an evil villain here who is trying to confuse us. You can't escape justice!" Once again taking off in a dash of justice, Amelia, still in Zelgadis' body, ran down the stairs to face the culprit, who seemed to be beckoning them to the battle field below. 

"Amelia, wait!" Zelgadis was quick to follow her, although it looked to him like he was following himself. "There are probably more traps there!" The downward tunnel of stairs led to a stone bridge, apparently formed from the cave itself, suspended over boiling lava. The fact that it was ever so conveniently placed made Zelgadis think that some magic was involved in its formation. 

A small boulder flew towards Amelia, who was quick to move Zelgadis' body out of the way, though the action seemed to happen slower than she was used to moving. Zelgadis body was heavier, limiting her agility, though the increased defense made it so that dodging wasn't really necessary sometimes. "Watch out!" 

In a split second Zelgadis saw the boulder coming right towards Amelia's body like a cannon ball, but he wasn't even sure how to react, to move or to try to withstand the hit. Caught off guard, he could only move back in an automatic reflex. The next thing he knew, Zelgadis saw the bolder through Amelia's eyes, harmlessly passing above her body. It was only seconds later as he tried to get her body to an upright position again that he realized he had made it bend backwards. Fortunately, Amelia's back wasn't in any pain as far as Zelgadis could perceive. "Your body is pretty flexible..." He couldn't help it but to comment. 

"Oh yes, daddy likes to limbo in family reunions, I'm pretty good at it." Zelgadis face smiled with a very Amelia style smile. Then the source of the thrown boulder made its appearance. It was a stone golem monster made of redish brown rocks. It was currently running heavily across the narrow stone bridge above the lava. "The monster!" 

"Elmekia Lance!" Zelgadis shot out a lance of light from Amelia's hands. Unfortunately, the stone golem jumped, higher and further than anyone would guess it could, and dodged the hit. The creature landed angrily right in front of Amelia. 

Given the sudden close proximity of the enemy, Amelia didn't have time to cast a spell and did the first thing that came to mind. "Pacifist Crush!" Guided by Amelia's technique, Zelgadis' stony fist collided harshly with the golem, shattering it on impact, its broken pieces falling to the lava below. "That's it? He wasn't very strong, maybe Celo was mistaken and there's more than one monster." 

"Probably," Zelgadis agreed. "I don't think that golem was the one who switched us. Although that cat looked suspicious." 

"A cat?" Amelia inquired, they were both still stuck in each other's bodies. 

"I saw a calico kitten just outside the mines," Zelgadis recalled. 

"Now that you mention it, I thought I saw a kitten before that flash of light that switched us." Amelia began to think of a theory and she remembered who that kitten reminded her of. "Do you think it was Zelas in disguise?" 

"Very likely," Zelgadis agreed, with a troublesome thought occurring to him. "If Zelas is the monster that guards this island, then we don't stand a chance. Celo tricked us." The angry, frustrated and bitter look Zelgadis had, didn't fit Amelia's face at all. 

"I guess there's no choice but to keep going now. We'll have to ask Zelas to switch us back..." Amelia mused aloud. 

"I think we're better off figuring this out on our own," Zelgadis warned. 

Just as they were discussing the possible ways to deal with the situation, the mysterious kitten made another appearance. She approached across the bridge and meowed, as if calling them to follow. Then she ran back across the bridge to the opposite side and disappeared into a dark narrow tunnel at the other end of the bridge. 

"If Zelas wants us to follow her..." Amelia began. 

"Then we have no choice," Zelgadis grumbled. 

The switch chimera and princess made their way across the bridge, fully expecting it to fall apart, but it didn't. They arrived at the next chamber expecting Zelas to be there, but she wasn't, or at least they couldn't see her. She was probably hidden somewhere in the astral side near by, watching them and mocking them. As they waited for something to happen, a black orb appeared before them. The sphere rolled towards them all of a sudden, causing Amelia and Zelgadis to jump left and right to dodge it. The black ball crashed into the narrow tunnel, but it was too small for it to roll inside it, so it stopped, stuck at the entrance to the tunnel. 

"Elmekia Lance!" Amelia and Zelgadis acted quickly, taking the opportunity to attack. They launched simultaneous spells at the black sphere monster while it was stuck in the tunnel, but it faded into the astral side before the spells could hit. 

The fierce black sphere reappeared, spinning in mid air and throwing a multitude of smaller black balls that bounced around all over the cave as if it was a crazy game of dodge ball. Amelia and Zelgadis struggled to avoid the hits but they were inevitably reached by the many bouncing black balls and knocked painfully to the ground. Yet strangely, they weren't injured beyond a few scratches, which were mostly on Amelia's body. Zelgadis looked at the scratches, it made him so angry, he was in her body, so he had to keep it safe, he couldn't expose her soft human body to the same dangers that his chimera body could withstand. That was it, this had to end. "Amelia, my sword!" 

Amelia took Zelgadis' sword out of its sheath. "Here it is!" She had not really been using it, since she wasn't experienced with blades. Besides, Zelgadis' solid fists made for a very powerful Pacifist Crush anyway. 

Zelgadis took his sword, glad to find that he could still wield it easily in Amelia's body. The strength probably came from the exercise from the Pacifist Crushes that the faces of the foolish bandits that got in her way received from Amelia. "Astral Vine! Time to fight back!" With his sword powered up, Zelgadis charged forward, slicing away at the bouncing black balls that got within the reach of the sharp blade, taking advantage of Amelia's agility. 

"Yes, we can do this! Justice will triumph!" Amelia joined the fight, making good use of Zelgadis defense to close in on the enemy. "That's the original one!" Amelia signaled towards the largest black ball. 

"Ready!" Zelgadis approached from the opposite side. 

Together they assaulted the monster with perfectly synchronized simultaneous spells. "Ra Tilt!" For good measure, before the monster had the chance to recover they attacked again, "Ra Tilt!" 

The black ball stopped bouncing, falling to the cave ground and spinning in place as if dizzy from the hit. Its form changed and it became a twin tailed monster fox with large fangs that Amelia and Zelgadis both recognized. Weakened from the attacks, Fang shook his head to clear it and changed into his somewhat human form. The only difference was that he had fox ears and a single fox tail, shorter than the two huge tails he had as a monster. Other than that he looked like a human with black hair and silvery eyes. "You guys are really good at dodge ball. It looks like I have no choice but to admit your victory." 

"Fang? You're the monster that terrorized this island? You're the one who devoured all the people who came here in a quest to win the island or mine the peridots?" Amelia requested an explanation. 

"That black sphere was my original form. I was fused with a fox to become a monster fox. I wasn't used to it and chewed on everything, so Lord Beast Master let me have this island. She offered to give it away to anyone who could defeat me, so that foolish greedy humans would come here seeking riches. That gave me plenty of chew toys to play with," Fang explained with a grin that fit his name very well. "Eventually I got used to my new form as a monster fox and stopped chewing on the furniture, so my master allowed me to go back home. Isn't she the greatest master ever?" Fang wagged his tail with an expression of loyal admiration upon his face. 

Amelia felt her, or rather Zelgadis' eye twitch in indignation. "People are not chew toys, using them as such is unjust!" 

"It's fun!" Fang cheerfully declared, as if that justified everything. "Anyway, I don't really need chew toys as often as I used to. I haven't been to this island for a while, but my master told me someone was coming to play with me, so I came right away. You guys won the game of dodge ball, so the island is yours now. Have fun with it, I think I'll go home now and take a nap." Fang faded away into the astral side, teleporting back to Zelas' home base. 

"That takes care of the island situation," Zelgadis noted, still in Amelia's body. "But we're still switched." 

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll eventually get back to normal," Amelia encouraged. "And if we don't, then it's not so bad, we can live like this as long as we're together with justice on our side. I'll take care of your body and you take care of mine." 

"Take care of it?" Zelgadis mused on the concept. That meant that he would have to regularly feed and exercise this body, which was easy enough. But it also meant that he would eventually have to change its clothes and bathe it, which made Zelgadis, or rather Amelia's face turn red. 

Amelia blinked in Zelgadis body. "Is something wrong?" 

Zelgadis quickly shook his borrowed head. "No, it's nothing." 

Another wall suddenly moved aside to reveal yet another secret passage. Fortunately, no rampaging monster came from it, only a greedy redhead and her loyal blond companion. "Amelia, Zel! It's good to see you're okay," Lina greeted with her cape over her shoulder, fashioned into a sort of makeshift sack that looked quite full, no doubt with gems. "Can I borrow your cloaks? I need to carry some things back and mine is full." 

Behind Lina, Gourry carried a large amount of jewels in a big bundle in his arms. He occasionally dropped some and picking them up turned out to be quite a challenge without dropping others. Given that Lina was being her bossy greedy self and Gourry was following her around with his usual adorably dumb smile, Amelia and Zelgadis concluded that those two were still in their normal bodies. 

Before the dilemma of the switch could be expressed, a sudden earthquake shook the island with more force than any of the previous recent earthquakes. Gourry dropped most of the peridots he was carrying and rushed to pick them up, dropping more in the process. Lina was taken by surprise, her improvised sack coming open. "My jewels!" 

A suspicious light came from the tunnel that led to the stone bridge over the lava. Horrified, Zelgadis, who Lina and Gourry perceived as being Amelia since it was her body, realized that the light was approaching magma. "The volcano is erupting!" 

"Oh no! Save the peridots!" Lina shouted in agony. 

"Forget the peridots, run Miss Lina!" The breath was knocked out of Lina as Zelgadis, who was actually Amelia on the inside, dragged her away in their hasty escape through the tunnel from which Lina and Gourry had arrived. 

"The lava is chasing us!" Gourry exclaimed, seeing the approaching magma being pushed through the tunnels by the active volcano's pressure. 

"Ray Wing!" Amelia called out, still in Zelgadis body, encasing everyone in a shield of wind that considerably sped up their emergency exit. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The group rushed out of the mines and towards the beach with Lina complaining about her lost treasure all the way. As sparks and ashes rained down on them, Zelgadis and Amelia took turns using Ray Wing until they could go on no further and fell exhausted into the sea. Gourry, who was relatively well rested by comparison, took it upon himself to keep his companions afloat, though it was especially difficult when it came to Zelgadis' body. 

"My peridots, my precious peridots, they're ruined!" Lina cried out in agony. 

"Cheer up Miss Lina, all that matters is that we made it out of there alive." Amelia smiled through Zelgadis' face. 

Lina blinked in confusion. "Why are you so cheerful Zel? It's almost like you're Amelia." 

"I am Amelia," she admitted, in Zelgadis' voice. 

"I'm confused," Gourry announced, while he struggled to stay afloat and help his exhausted companions do the same. 

"So am I, but we better have this discussion on the shore," Lina decided. "Zelas Gort!" A group of jellyfish amassed themselves together into a sort of moving island that carried the group back to the Amor Resort beach. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The stars and the moon shone brightly in the sky. What had begun as a stormy night had eventually turned clear and peaceful. At the beach, Lina gazed longingly into the distance and lamented the loss of her precious gems one last time. Gourry placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to cheer her up, as he extended his other hand in front of her, his fingers enclosing something. "This was all I could save, sorry." He gave her a rather large peridot. 

Lina greedily snatched the peridot and considered complaining about why he didn't save more, but the truth of the matter was that Lina had dropped all the gems she was carrying, so she was really in no position to complain. Besides, Gourry had that puppy look on his face, like a pet waiting for the praise and approval of his master. "Thanks Gourry," Lina finally whispered. She added with a light blush in a hushed voice that only he could hear. "I'll keep my promise when we get back to the inn." 

Gourry looked confused for a moment. He had forgotten all about any promises. He tried hard to remember until it finally came to mind after a vast mental effort. He smiled, after such a swim, a nice massage would feel great. 

Clearing her throat and willing her blush to disappear, Lina proceeded to address the confusion concerning Amelia and Zelgadis. "You can start explaining any time now." 

"The good news is that we managed to beat the monster that guarded the island in its own game of dodge ball." Amelia began to explain, speaking through Zelgadis' body. Seeing Lina's perplexed expression, she elaborated. "The monster turned out to be Fang, he's pretty strong, it took simultaneous Ra Tilts from Zelgadis and I to beat him and he was obviously holding back because he knew us. After that, he admitted our victory and let us have the island. Now all that's left is for Zelgadis to take care of the paper work. I hope Zelas doesn't cause any trouble with that, but somehow, I don't think she will, she's already done plenty with this switch." 

Further clarifying the situation, Zelgadis added from Amelia's body. "I'm Zelgadis, she's Amelia, we're kind of stuck like this." 

Lina blinked in surprise, once, twice and three times, while Gourry scratched his head in perplexity. Then the red haired sorceress burst out in an uncontrollable fit of laughter. "Ha ha ha, you say Zelas is responsible for this? He he he, I knew she had to be a trickster, ha ha ha. Xellos had to get it from somewhere after all, hee hee." 

Zelgadis crossed his arms over his chest in indignation, promptly uncrossing them again when he realized this was not his chest at all. "It's not funny!" 

"Yes it is!" Lina giggled. "It doesn't sound too serious though. I'm sure you'll be able to find a spell to fix it, or maybe it'll just wear off. Maybe Celo will have a clue, although I wouldn't suggest trusting him. You should probably ask Xellos instead." 

"How is Xellos more trustworthy than Celo?" Zelgadis inquired in exasperation. 

"He's not," Lina admitted. "But as long as he's stuck in human form, he can't escape into the astral side. All you have to do is lower his guard with some chocolate ice-cream pie, sneak up on him and force him to speak. While you're at it, you should also get some chocolate ice-cream pie for me as a reward for giving you such a great idea and to console me for the loss of my jewels, even after I worked so hard to earn them." 

"You blew up the ship and didn't help fight the monster," Zelgadis argued. 

"I still tried to help and it's the thought that counts!" Lina retorted. When it came to treasure and food, she had a counter argument for everything. 

To be Continued


	32. Chapter 32

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 094: Contrast! A Bad And Good Day For Justice

Seeing as it was late and they were tired, Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis retired to one of the many inns of the resort. Lina did keep her promise, much to Gourry's delight, both of them taking a moment to relax even if they knew the chaos that had surrounded their group as of late was nearing its climax. 

When the sun peeked out from the horizon, its light invading through the window, Filia's uneasy slumber was interrupted at the clock tower. She moved slightly, still very sleepy. In the morning Xellos would leave, she didn't want the morning to come and didn't fall asleep until it was very late. Unable to find anyone next to her, the tired golden dragon opened her eyes and confirmed that she was indeed alone. "You stupid piece of raw garbage! Why didn't you wake me up before leaving?" She reproached bitterly for no one but herself to hear. She wanted to go back to sleep and not get up for a very long time, but she couldn't fall asleep again. 

Not in the mood to lay in bed staring at the ceiling, Filia got up. She tried to assimilate the fact that the chaotic relationship she had built with Xellos over the past few months was over. She bit her lip and told herself not to cry. Xellos was originally and truly a monster, she knew and accepted that fact. She knew being with him came with risks, mortal risks, that much was made clear to her during her first encounter with Zelas. All of that felt so far away now and she didn't know how she was supposed to simply let go. How could she learn to put the past to rest and be strong for those who needed her? For her friends, for her family, for her son... Maybe it was best for Val to remain in the care of his uncles and aunts for a while longer, at least until Filia didn't feel like she would burst out crying at the drop of a hat. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A couple of hours later, Filia found herself stirring a bowl of cereal with a spoon, taking tiny bites now and then, not really caring how long it took her to finish her breakfast. She had remained by herself in the wooden clock tower. Those who didn't know of her recent breakup might have assumed she had ran off somewhere with Xellos and was having fun. 

Amelia wasn't one of those misinformed people and she felt the need to check on Filia and make sure she was alright. Thus the princess made her way to the lopsided wooden clock tower to see if Filia was still there. "Miss Filia?" 

What Filia heard was Zelgadis voice as it was his body and consequently his vocal cords. "In the kitchen!" The golden dragon called out as calmly as possible. 

Soon, a person who was Zelgadis on the outside and Amelia on the inside entered the kitchen. The chimera with he princess' soul sat down across the table from Filia with a look of support upon the usually serious face. "How are you feeling Miss Filia? Have you fixed things with Mr. Xellos?" 

"Sort of," Filia wasn't even sure how to explain it. Peculiarly, she didn't think Zelgadis would know what to say to her in this situation. She assumed that he would think that the best course of action was to give her some space and that it would be Amelia who would come by to try to talk to her. She wasn't sure she could tell Amelia about Beast Master though. What if the justice loving princess tried to do something about the unfair separation? That would bring certain doom. Yet impulsive as she could be, Filia knew that Amelia was smarter than that, she would stand down if Filia explained the reasons why a confrontation was a very bad idea. 

"Sort of?" Amelia gently questioned, from Zelgadis' body. "You can tell me about it if you want. I just thought talking about it woman to woman might help." 

Filia blinked, she had perceived from the start that there was something odd about Zelgadis' behavior and now she knew for certain that there was. "Woman to woman?" She questioned in confusion. 

"Oh, sorry, I should have pointed it out from the start," Amelia apologized. "I'm Amelia, Zelgadis and I switched bodies. We think Zelas is behind it; maybe it's her idea of a practical joke." 

Filia's anger shone through clearly on her face. "Who does Zelas think she is, toying with everyone's lives like this?" 

"A very powerful monster lord, I guess," Amelia replied with a resigned yet hopeful sigh. "We won't give up though, I'm sure we'll figure out a way to get back to normal." Getting back to the main topic of the conversation, Amelia pressed on. "Have you spoken to Mr. Xellos?" 

"Yes," Filia confessed. "We're breaking up, it's over." 

Amelia gasped in shock. "How can that be? So suddenly..." 

"Beast Master doesn't want us to be together." Filia angrily confessed, her level of frustration was immeasurable. 

"That's not fair!" Amelia slammed Zelgadis' fist on the table, forgetting that it was like using a hammer and punching through it as a result. "Oops..." She pulled the stony fist out. "Sorry about that, I keep breaking things." 

"Adapting must have been difficult for both of you." Filia observed, trying to change the subject. 

"A little, but not too much. I can't climb trees anymore, the branches would break, but my Pacifist Crush is more effective than ever. Zelgadis keeps climbing trees and bending at all angles, I think he's amused by it." Not willing to let the topic of Filia's predicament drop so easily, Amelia brought it up again. "Maybe there's a way to convince Zelas to let you and Mr. Xellos be together. She made an exception for Mr. Celo after all." 

"Celo isn't her general priest," Filia reminded. "Listen, Amelia," she felt odd calling the apparent Zelgadis that. "I think it's best to just leave things as they are. If we take too many risks, Zelas will kill us. She has already come close to it before." Zelgadis' surprised eyes showed that Amelia, who was behind the expression, wanted more information. "Remember when we went back to my shop and there was that battle in town? Afterwards, when Xellos and I were missing for a while, we ran into Beast Master and she almost forced Xellos to kill me, but changed her mind at the last moment. I think that was a warning. Xellos had to leave, he had to cut all ties with me. He didn't have a choice, that's why I don't blame him. If there is a way to safely convince Zelas to allow us to be together again, Xellos will find it. If not then... Then I'll just have to accept the way things are." 

A long and tense silence passed, during which Amelia didn't even know what to say. Filia had already formed a plan, the only plan she could make. This was not a matter of choice and picking a fight with Zelas was a big no. It was just so unfair it was tremendously infuriating. Then a familiar voice shattered the silence as heavy steps made the rickety structure of the wooden clock tower shake. "Amelia? Is this the right place? Are you here?" The steps got closer as the person searched for anyone inhabiting the tower. "The door was open..." 

"Daddy!" Amelia called out, though it sounded quite different than usual because she was in Zelgadis' body. 

The tall figure of prince Philionel appeared at the kitchen's entrance to find his future son and law and that nice golden dragon lady who was a friend of his daughter. Without thinking Amelia greeted her father with a hug as she usually would. Thankfully, Philionel was a mountain of muscle, thus he wasn't crushed when Amelia guided Zelgadis' body to him in a tackle hug. Albeit he certainly wasn't expecting such a warm greeting from the usually quiet Zelgadis, Philionel happily returned the embrace. "It's good to see you too, my boy! And congratulations to Miss Filia, I'm looking forward to the wedding!" 

Filia stared into her half eaten bowl of cereal. How could she tell everyone who had gathered at the resort to attend her wedding that it was cancelled? "It's still a way off," she forced herself to smile. "The preparations are taking longer than expected." Filia knew she should just come out with the truth and say that the wedding was cancelled, but she simply couldn't get herself to do so. 

"Are you feeling quite alright, Miss Filia?" Phil inquired with fatherly concern. 

"Yes, I'm fine, just a little nervous, that's all. I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night; maybe I still need a little more." Filia picked up her cereal bowl and excused herself. "I'm sure that you have a lot to talk about." She pushed her smile to appear to be as real as possible for Phil. "I'll see you later." 

"Ah yes, do get some rest Miss Filia. Being a little nervous is only natural, but don't worry, everything will turn out perfect in the wedding," Philionel encouraged. 

"Yeah, I'm sure things will work out," as she left, Filia gave Amelia a quick glance that spoke louder than words. Amelia nodded in response, she would keep things as they were for the time being, she understood. Filia was trying her hardest to stay calm and face the situation. It wouldn't do her any good if people overloaded her with questions and concerns even if they were well intended. 

After Filia returned to her room in the clock tower, Zelgadis arrived in Amelia's body. "Phil, I thought I saw you around here." 

Philionel tilted his head in confusion, "Phil? Not daddy? Is something wrong? Even your fiance is calling me daddy now. Here I thought I would have to ask him a million times before he got used to calling me dad, let alone daddy. And where's my hug?" 

"I take it you haven't told him?" Zelgadis theorized, interrupted by Phil suddenly picking him up and spinning him around in a display of fatherly affection. 

"Actually daddy, I'm Amelia," the princess in the chimera's body pointed out, watching as her father put down a dizzy looking Amelia, who was actually Zelgadis. 

"Oh, I get it!" Phil's thunderous laughter echoed. "You're playing a game, pretending to be each other. That's so cute!" 

"It's not a game" Zelgadis dizzily clarified. 

"We're actually switched," Amelia added. "Speaking of which, we should find Celo and see if he knows how to switch us back. Trickster or not, I'm not in the mood to put up with practical jokes. It's a sad day for justice, I have a thing or two to say to Celo about that too." Taking the matter of Filia and Xellos directly to Beast Master was far too dangerous, but pestering her minions about it was a whole different story. "While we take care of that, you should enjoy the rides of the resort." Amelia smiled at her father, through Zelgadis' face. 

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Phil offered. 

"Don't worry; we can take care of things." Amelia assured. "You've been working very hard; you need to take a little vacation." 

"Alright, I trust your judgment... There's just one more thing I need to ask about." Philionel's face was understanding, yet at the same time it demanded sincerity. "Are you sure you didn't switch bodies on purpose?" 

"No," Amelia replied, taken by surprise with the question. 

"Why would we?" Zelgadis added. 

"It's just that this would solve the problem with the throne. You got my letter, didn't you?" Receiving unanimous nods from Amelia and Zelgadis, Phil continued. "If we could prove that you really are switched and this isn't just an act, then you're technically both in line for the throne. One has the soul of the princess and the other has the physical body, thus the royal blood as a direct descendant. It's only natural to reconcile the split ruler by uniting the two parts in marriage." 

"We already took care of that," Zelgadis pulled out some official looking documents from Amelia's cloak. "These documents officially identify me as the prince of a near by island. Since I'm technically royalty now, even if it's just a deserted island with nothing but cooling lava on it, shouldn't that be enough?" Zelgadis handed over the papers with his and several other official looking signatures and seals. 

"This is perfect, it will do just fine! Private islands are the in thing among royals these days!" A great relief washed over Phil's features. "I'll take care of submitting these documents right away. Good luck getting switched back, don't forget to tell me all about it as soon as you make some progress." Taking another look at the documents, Phil continued to smile. "This is a good sign; it means that things will improve. Justice might suffer bad days now and then, but there's always a new day to look forward to and justice will always recover and triumph!" 

With her eyes, or rather Zelgadis' eyes, shining in admiration, Amelia cheered along with her father, "justice will always win!" 

xoxox xox xoxox 

While Philionel took care of the official documents concerning Zelgadis' status as a prince and the future of the throne of Seyruun, Amelia and Zelgadis went on their way to locate Celo. Doing so was not hard at all, as if he wanted to be found. In fact, the human monster chimera was the one who approached them as they made their way down the main street of the resort, near the cupid decorated fountain. "Good morning," Celo greeted Amelia and Zelgadis with a polite respectful smile as if he had no idea about their predicament. Yet the knowing, cunning and mischievous look in his eyes indicated that he knew exactly what was going on. 

"Good morning yourself," Zelgadis snapped, in a very un-Amelia way. "I take it you already know about our little problem?" 

"I am informed, Mr. Zelgadis," Celo confirmed. 

Amelia pointed Zelgadis' finger accusingly at Celo. "In the name of justice, I demand that you switch us back!" 

"As you wish," Celo replied with the same calm, polite and annoyingly respectful smile that he always had. 

Amelia and Zelgadis stared at him suspiciously until Amelia commented unsure. "Justice always triumphs in the end." 

"I beg to differ," the keen look in Celo's eyes hinted that there was a much deeper meaning to his words than what could be literally perceived. "The end would hardly do anyone any justice. It is the everlasting journey which will bring trials in which justice will shine for its glory or shine for its absence. In both cases, it will be a very present topic, whether they speak of great justice or the great lack of it. Consequently, injustice will also flourish in those conversations and events. The end is empty, the end knows no justice or heroism and it knows no injustice or villainy, it knows nothing. If one were to triumph the other would perish. A hero cannot exist without a villain. It's the villain that creates the hero. Without the villains of the world there would be no inspiration and people's hearts would die having nothing to strive for, justice would not exist." 

Amelia gasped as she gave Celo's paradoxical words some further thought. Justice was born to defend against injustice and without injustice; the concept of justice would never have come into existence. Maybe there would be peace, but then again, it really wouldn't be peace. What is peace if not a comparison to chaos? To be at peace was to rest, to rest from chaos, but without something to rest from, it would all be the same. Even Amelia had to admit that sometimes the need for adventure consumed her and she had to go around spreading justice. Yet if justice had an absolute victory, it would cease to exist. There would be no adventures. There would be no epic heroes. There would be no inspiration, no excitement, nothing to look forward to. 

"I never thought of it that way," Amelia admitted. "I know this might seem crazy, especially coming from me, but maybe a healthy amount of chaos is necessary in our lives. It's what inspires us and makes us improve. It's just like with the barrier. Because of the adversities that occurred in the lands inside the barrier, our magic was able to develop and grow. We discovered many things and adventures happened." 

"Yes," Celo's smile grew as his point was understood, though the true deeper meaning behind it still remained hidden. "When it comes down to it, it's necessity created by adversity that led to most discoveries. Otherwise, people would be laying around idly in caves to this day. Or even more likely, an extreme lack of motivation from severe boredom would have sucked away their will to live, leading to the extinction of all living creatures." 

"Okay, we get it, a little bit of mayhem can be healthy every now and then," Zelgadis admitted. "But too much of it is just plain frustrating. Pushing to strive is one thing, but pushing for a hopeless surrender is different." 

"That is very true, but hope is very hard to break, so as long as antagonists exist, life will flourish," Celo concluded. "In a sense, we monsters keep the spirit alive by presenting adversities to strive against. Maybe that is the reason why we were made to feed on negative emotions, so that for the sake of our survival we would seek chaos and at the same time save the world from perishing in idle depression. After all, accomplishments cannot exist without trials to conquer and happiness is unidentifiable without an opposite contrast. Eternal discord is true balance, chaos is life and absolute peace without adversity is death." Giving the words one more moment to sink in, Celo continued on to the next order of business. "About the cure to your switch, it is not a difficult task to perform at all. Follow my instructions and I will provide all that is necessary." 

Amelia and Zelgadis knew that Celo was a trickster who was not trustworthy in the least. They also knew that he was their best bet at getting back to normal and if Zelas truly wished for them to remain that way, she would make it so anyway. Thus they listened to Celo and were given the surprising cure to their switch, which was certainly not what they were expecting. None the less, they ventured out to fulfill the task that was set before them, even if it was indeed a mortal risk. Hopefully, Lina would understand. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, Xellos had returned to the elusive Wolf Pack Island, the headquarters and personal place of residence of Lord Beast Master Zelas Metallium. Wolf Pack Island was a place that could not normally be reached through the physical plane, though its location was a relatively well known legend. Ships would pass by claiming they saw it in the distance, while others sailed over it supposed exact location and found nothing. It was hidden by an astral shield and appeared only when Beast Master willed it to become visible in the physical world by removing the shield. 

The island received its name with a good reason, as there were many packs of wolves there along with an abundance of rare wild beasts that served to feed them. Even so, despite the wolves constantly hunting for prey, there always seemed to be plenty of wild animals around, all of which, big and small, were rather aggressive. Some were just regular, though unusually fierce, animals and some were animals possessed by lesser monsters as their means to reach out of the astral side and interact with the physical world. 

Others of the creatures that inhabited Wolf Pack Island were mutated animals resulting of various experiments, most of which were surprisingly conducted by the hands of humans, before Zelas decided to claim the results for herself. The initial few creatures eventually multiplied, the mutations becoming stranger with each generation, making the beings exposed to the aura of aggression that covered the island truly fierce. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 095: Tricky! The Queen Of Masterminds

Lina and Gourry were walking down the main street of Amor Resort, looking for a restaurant to assault for breakfast. Unknown to them, Amelia and Zelgadis were watching them, hidden behind the silly heart themed decorations that were all over the place, following them with the quietude of ninjas. Allowing their targets to move a little further away, but still keeping them in sight, Amelia, who was still stuck in Zelgadis' body, expressed her doubt. "I feel really bad about this." 

"Think of it this way," Zelgadis, who was still stuck in Amelia's body, tried to make the situation look better, though he might have pointed out that it was worse then it seemed. "If we don't do this, something worse might happen. Zelas has decided to annoy us and we'll have to deal with that as best we can." 

"So in a way, we're saving Miss Lina?" Amelia tried to shift her perspective to make her actions feel less terrible. 

"Exactly, we could be saving her life for all we know." Zelgadis agreed. 

"Okay... here goes," Amelia rushed out of her hiding place behind a cupid statue before Lina and Gourry got further away. She approached the pair as they examined a restaurant from the door with hungry faces apparently deciding that it was exactly what they were looking for. "Miss Lina, urgent news from Luna!" 

"What? Luna? Where?" Lina immediately panicked, jumping into Gourry's arms in her fright. "Where is she? Is she angry at me? What did I do this time?" 

"Luna was furious," Zelgadis lied. "She said she had to teach you a lesson and that things might get ugly." 

"We tried to talk her out of it," Amelia continued with dramatic acting. "We managed to calm her down for the most part. She said that if you made up for all your wrong doings, that she would forgive you. We wouldn't want a terrible fate to befall you, so we came up with some good deeds you could do." 

"What good deeds? What do I have to do to escape Luna's wrath?" Lina jumped out of Gourry's arms and shook Zelgadis' shoulders, though it was actually Amelia who was there on the inside. "Tell me!" 

"Here's a list," Zelgadis conveniently provided, with Lina immediately snatching away the list out of Amelia's hand. 

"Number one on the list is doing laundry," Lina read aloud. "I suppose doing chores for people can be classified as a good deed. There's also doing the dishes, cleaning the floor, watering the garden... I'm on it!" Lina had never been so energetic about doing chores before, but to her, this was a matter of life and death, or a fate worse than death, a punishment from Luna. 

"I can help," Gourry offered, as Lina's loyal companion, good friend and future husband. 

"Don't," surprisingly, Lina refused. "I might be tempted to dump all the chores on you and get into trouble with Luna," she admitted, shuddering at the thought of what having trouble with Luna might translate into. "This is something that I need to do on my own." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The creatures of Wolf Pack Island recognized Xellos upon his arrival. They growled threateningly, mainly because they growled at everything except Beast Master herself, but none of them dared to attack him. A few of the wolves circled him as he made his way to a cave, but tempting as the human flesh was, they would not defy Beast Master by attacking Xellos. Inside the cave, Xellos reached a large set of golden doors, which opened for him automatically, revealing the entrance to Zelas' underground palace. 

Xellos ventured inside, walking down the familiar hallways at a confident pace that was more a show than it was real. He was mentally exhausted and though he had a real physical body, rather than a physical body generated by his own astral energy, he found that it presented no benefit against mental exhaustion. Even if he wasn't purely astral anymore, being overloaded with too many events outside of his control caused a very annoying strain. Yet at the same time he found himself strangely relaxed. It was the notion of accepting defeat, the rest that came with the end of the struggle. Everything appeared to be far away as he remembered the many other times when he walked down those elegant hallways before. He remembered the exquisite decorations of ivory and gold that he never took the time to really notice before. Maybe this was what some would call nostalgia. 

After a long walk, Xellos finally arrived in front of the large doors that led to Beast Master's throne room, which did not automatically open for him. Zelas' energy was all over the island, her influence clear. She knew he was there but these doors he would have to open the hard way. Thus after much pushing and pulling, Xellos managed to get through the heavy golden doors. 

"Ah, Xellos, you've returned," Zelas feigned surprise. She sat comfortably upon a fluffy crimson cushion atop a golden throne. "You were not to return until your curse was broken, this means...?" 

"That I know I'm cured," Xellos confirmed. 

"I see, but look at you; you seem somewhat out of breath. Are you feeling quite alright?" Zelas grinned mockingly. 

"Peachy," Xellos grinned back, trying to look as if he didn't just make a big effort, simply to get through a set of ridiculously heavy doors, which he used to effortlessly pass through via the astral side without even having to open them before. 

"What of your dragon pet?" Zelas calmly inquired. 

"I dumped her," the squinty eyes grin of Xellos' face was obviously forced, a fact which did not go unnoticed by Zelas. 

"Why is that? Did she refuse to fetch the newspaper or did she chew up your favorite pair of shoes?" Zelas continued talking as if this was all just a casual conversation of every day small town pleasantries. 

"I'm sure she would have refused to fetch the newspaper if I asked her to," Xellos replied, still following the little game Beast Master had going on. 

"How dreadful, that dragon didn't know her place," Zelas leaned back on her throne, twisting a strand of pale hair between her fingers. The long pupils of her silver eyes stared right into Xellos' amethyst orbs, capturing his gaze in place. His pupils were round for now, reflecting the world around them through human eyes. "What is your true reason for this?" Though Zelas still smiled mockingly, her eyes were demanding and authoritative. 

Xellos' grin dissolved inevitably, his expression serious yet determined. "To serve you, it is what I was made for after all. I need no distractions." 

"But you want them," Zelas interrupted. 

"It serves no purpose," Xellos replied with a barely perceptible hint of bitterness. 

"Except research," Zelas mused, her expression relaxing into a less imposing and more inquisitive look. "Then there is the last ancient dragon, I have no plans for him, but I rather have resources that I never use than to let someone else have them. If you were simply trying to serve me, wouldn't you have considered all this?" 

Xellos stared into the silver eyes of Beast Master, it was as if she was looking into his very soul. "I was... trying to save her," he confessed. When it came down to it, he could withhold no secrets from Zelas, not for very long anyway. "If I am being trained to face an enemy that I know little about and enduring difficulties will make me stronger, then..." 

"Then if I order you to kill her, you must," Zelas finished for him. 

"Yes," Xellos forced the heavy syllable out. 

"Well, I'm glad that's clear, however, I don't remember issuing such a command," Zelas' expression feigned innocent ignorance. "Fear alone is simply not enough, I want respect, admiration. Even something as dreadful as gratitude is something that I crave for sometimes. I'm a terribly greedy woman, I suppose. I once heard someone say, something interesting, I forget who said it," she lied, "it was probably some unimportant creature. The saying went: 'pushing to strive is one thing, but pushing for a hopeless surrender is different.' It referred to the human race and other similar races, it basically means, don't break your toys if you want to play with them again." 

"Meaning?" Xellos dared to inquire, with a million thoughts running through his head. 

"I am a monster, but also a beast. I selfishly seek my own benefit, yet I surround myself with the members of my pack, expecting their loyalty and preventing their demise in return, not only by my hand, but by the hand of any. My followers are rarely ruined, in the worse case scenario they simply lose the power to interact with the material world for a time. Numbers, strategy, ultimate victory, is there such a thing? For a true hunter, it is the chase that is more trilling then the capture." Zelas paused, noting that Xellos looked thoughtful and confused. He was usually quick to follow what she meant to say between the lines, but this time she couldn't blame him if he didn't. The truth was... unexpected. "Which do you prefer? Chaos or destruction?" 

"Chaos," Xellos didn't doubt his answer for a second. "Destruction is empty and boring in the end, but chaos brings more chaos, more fun. Chaos never ends, destruction ends it. Destruction is simple and maybe even merciful; it's almost peaceful when it's all over." 

"I agree," Zelas smiled in such a joyous way that it took Xellos by surprise. It was as if she had come to terms with something that had been bothering her for some time. "If by coincidence anyone should inquire about my choice concerning the truth, say that I am undecided and leave the matter at that. If no one brings it up, seek no further information." Zelas ran her fingers over the smooth surface of the black cone gem that was on her necklace. "I cannot return this to you yet, but the time is near." 

Xellos took in all the information, trying to look beyond it. What was that truth that Zelas spoke of? "This whole thing was a set up, wasn't it? With the dare I mean." 

"Yes," Zelas admitted. "The world was condemned, but not necessarily to end. Rather its fate was to be decided by a choice that could turn the tides and possibly, but not necessarily, destroy everything. My choice, thus far is chaos, which means that Lina Inverse and I might have a common enemy. One who is an enemy even to the dragons; albeit they believe it is an ally. But it is too early to discuss this. For the time being, you are to remain here on this island. When and if your dragon pet loyally comes for you at her own stupid risk, you may leave and proceed with everything as if there were no interruptions. Whether you marry your pet or not will be up to you. I wouldn't mind further mocking the dragons, but it doesn't matter to me either way as long as you keep an eye on the ancient dragon, just in case." 

"A test of loyalty..." Xellos concluded. He could usually count on Filia to do something rash, but this time she was holding back for Val's sake, thinking that staying away was the best choice. Given all of that, she had no reason to barge into Wolf Pack Island if she thought her continued involvement was futile, suicidal and most of all, potentially dangerous for Val. Yet there was something off, this wasn't a misinterpretation, it was a set up. "Did you purposely do all this? Did you set things up for me, even this... misunderstanding?" 

"You're a work in process, Xellos. Much research has gone into this arrangement, though it was an emergency which cause me to put it into action now. Your astral self is your mind, removing the peculiarities of a monster will give the mind more freedom in a sense, while being held safe inside a human shell. That contradiction will build up chaos, longing for more, striving to accomplish, you should be stronger when you are a monster again. You should be able to resist what is normally harmful to a monster, because you have incorporated it into yourself, by integrating these experiences into your mind, it'll all be part of your astral self," Zelas explained, purposely being a little ambiguous and mysterious. 

"I see... so a part of Celo's research was for me?" Xellos concluded. 

"A part of it, yes and also Fang," Zelas confirmed. "Celo was made half human, he gain the advantage of many abilities and defenses, though it was at the cost of a monster power reduction. Overall, with the proper strategy, it was still in a sense a success and it helped significantly fuel the research. Fang was more carefully crafted with the results of Celo's research. He kept his power after becoming a chimera, but instead lost his aggressive instinct, albeit he can still fight fiercely when ordered to. So as to not diminish your power or make you lose your cunning malice, I gave you the experience without the permanent genetics. What you've learned will remain with you alongside your full power. This is all a theory of course, but even though I ran out of time to make a full test, I am confident it will work. Now then, I will take no more questions. There's a show I must see, I'm certain that it's getting good right about now." Without any further explanations, Zelas disappeared into the astral side, eagerly teleporting away to a place where amusement awaited. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Random articles of clothing rained from the skies in a soapy mess. Combining a whirlwind with soap and water to do a massive amount of laundry all at once was not a good idea if the tornado was the size of a three story building. As Lina felt the spell slipping out of her control, she tried to tame the wind with more wind and it all turned into a raging storm. She couldn't help it, she had to get things done fast to escape the wrath of Luna and it made her nervous. Never mind that she wasn't even sure about what specific thing had apparently ticked off her sister. When it came to Luna, it was best to please her without question, or Lina feared that might be the last question of her life. 

A little kitten peeked out from behind a pile of debris that was once part of a laundry service building. All that talking to Xellos made her miss part of the show already. This was another reminder as to why she preferred chaos; it was indeed, very fun. She intended to make her choice known to Celo eventually, but not yet. Let him keep trying to get his point across, that eternally torturing the world was better than destroying it. It was a pity that she missed the first act of the show. 

"Oh no! I messed up! Luna's gonna be so mad at me!" Lina panicked as she took in the sight of the huge mess before her, caused by her. 

"It's not so bad," Gourry tried to cheer her up, yet he had to pause and do a double take because not even he had enough optimism to smile at this. "Okay, yeah, maybe it is bad. But you've survived all sorts of battles, Luna can't be that scary!" 

"Luna is that scary!" Lina screamed at the top of her lungs in a desperate panic. "She's even scarier than slugs!" For Lina Inverse to say someone was scarier than slugs, that person had to truly terrify her. 

"I'm sure this can be fixed..." Amelia suggested unsure. She was of course, still stuck in Zelgadis body. 

Zelgadis, who was in turn stuck in Amelia's body, was starting to think that this little operation was about to backfire. Celo had provided a set of chores that needed to be taken care of around the resort, insisting that Lina Inverse had to be made to do them by trickery. He assured that someone would be watching to make sure they didn't try to use the safer approach of bribery instead of the terrible risk of trying to trick Lina Inverse. The trick was successful, but the chores were a mess. 

What Zelgadis and Amelia didn't realize was that things were going exactly the way Celo wanted them to go. He needed to gift all this mayhem to Beast Master so that she would favor chaos to destruction when it came to choosing what reaction she would have towards the truth that was revealed to her. 

After Lina freaked out for a while longer and eventually realized that she wasn't getting anywhere by running around in panicked circles, she proceeded to check the list of chores again. "Doing the dishes is next, this time, I won't mess up!" 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Miss Lina, should you really be eating right now?" Amelia asked in the somewhat shy tone she used when it came to trying to reason with Lina, though it was all in Zelgadis' voice. 

"I'm eating and working at the same time, the food helps me concentrate!" Lina argued as she opened her mouth again, it was the signal for Gourry to feed her. The redhead still insisted that she needed to do this on her own; she was still in Luna-panic mode and would not permit even her fiance to help her with the chores. He could, however, provide her with a snack. "Gourry, don't eat it!" 

"I was just tasting it," the bitten cookie that Gourry claimed to be only tasting and not eating, though tasting was a part of eating, was finished by Lina. The panicked redhead nearly bit Gourry's finger in the process of eating a cookie from his hand again. It all had to be done this way because her hands were soapy and occupied washing the dishes. 

There she stood, Lina Inverse, sorceress extraordinaire, wearing an apron and rubber gloves, immersed in the task of doing dishes, while Gourry fed her cookies. At least if she was constantly fed, she would somehow muster the patience not to try to speed the chores with magic and end up breaking something, or some things, like the entire supply of dishes in the restaurant's kitchen, where she was currently stationed. 

A small kitten peeked out from the supply cabinet at Lina's feet below the sink. This was getting boring. It was technically not her job to create the chaos in this situation; she was there to witness it. None the less, Zelas decided that it would be okay to give the chain of events a little push to set things in motion, but only because she really liked chaos. Thus she gave that little push, literally. The mischievous monster lord, in the guise of a kitten, jumped on the countertop where Lina was piling up the dishes as she finished washing them. 

Zelgadis opened his mouth, or rather Amelia's mouth, but paused before any sound could come out of it. That cat was Zelas, it had to be her. Was she messing up the chores of the resort that belonged to one of her own monsters? Was she messing up their chance to be cured? Then again, Zelas was Celo's boss, so rather than worrying about making a deal with him, it came as a higher priority to worry about how to deal with her. 

The kitten grinned in a way that only a cat from a fairytale would do. Then she gave the tall pile of dishes on the counter a little push with her tail. The tower of ivory porcelain became instantly out of balance, rapidly falling like an avalanche as Lina instinctively jumped back. 

Stunned, Lina looked from the dishes to the counter where a kitten sat. Recognition invaded her face as she remembered the incident that occurred at Seyruun which involved a ghost, a crazy chase and Zelas. That time, Zelas had shocked everyone when she jumped out of Filia's hat in the shape of a kitten. "You," Lina's voice was low and threatening. "Beast Master..." her teeth were clenched and her aura was full of angry sparks as she glowed, calling forth all her magic. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 096: Ferocious! The Cunning Wolf's Den

The fear of Luna had pushed Lina to the brink of insanity. When her chance to win back Luna's good favor was taken away by Zelas, Lina's wrath knew no reason. It didn't matter if Zelas was a monster lord who could kill her on the spot. Lina had faced monster lords and lived to tell the tale before, without the scars of mental trauma. Luna was another story; Lina had an absolute fear of her that she didn't feel towards anything or anyone else, not even Zelas. 

"Lina, don't pick a fight!" Zelgadis urged, but his plea fell upon deaf ears. 

"Miss Lina, you can't win against Miss Zelas!" Amelia insisted. 

"They're right Lina. All of this is very confusing, but you can't pick a fight with a monster lord just because her pet got into mischief!" Gourry had forgotten about Zelas' alternate kitten form, not surprising given the usual span of his memory, which only went beyond its limits in a few rare occasions. Instead, he concluded that Zelas came into the conversation so suddenly because the kitten belonged to her. 

"She ruined my chance to show Luna I'm behaving!" Lina screamed with an absolute raging fury. Nothing is worse than Luna's anger, not even a monster lord! You'll pay for this, Zelas Metallium!" In her state of panicked fury, Lina didn't even reason that using black magic on a monster lord was not very effective. She only acted automatically and summoned her usual temper tantrum spell. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows!" 

"Stop!" Zelgadis protested to no avail. 

"Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows!" Lina furiously continued. 

"Miss Lina, you mustn't do this! Mr. Gourry, please stop her!" Amelia pleaded. 

"I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hands!" It didn't look like Lina had any intentions of stopping. "Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess!" At a loss for what to do, Gourry kissed Lina, hoping that it would distract her from her rage. Much to his surprise, she actually kissed him back, more fiercely than ever before. But she suddenly parted from him and shouted out "Dragon Slave!" Then she pressed her lips against Gourry's again, blinded by her mix of panic and wrath. 

A brilliant flash of light invaded their vision, but they felt no pain despite being right in the middle of the out of control Dragon Slave and having no time to run for cover. Lina was still desperately clinging to Gourry, while he could do nothing more than respond to her unexpected affections. Amelia and Zelgadis saw the ruins of the restaurant, not a single dish, or piece of furniture, or wall for that matter, was left unbroken. Then it was all gone, the scene before them disappeared and was replaced by something else. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At Zelas' secret palace in Wolf Pack Island, Xellos was in his room, staring up at the near-black dark purple ceiling, surrounded by walls of a lighter purple and a plush purple carpet on the floor. The room was a place to keep things more so than a place to reside, as Xellos was often traveling around on errands for Beast Master. There was a large bed that served mostly as a decoration because he needed no sleep as a monster, albeit it was actually being used as a place to rest at the moment. It was big and soft, covered in purple sheets with a multitude of purple pillows. Yet despite how nice and comfy it was, Xellos couldn't get to sleep. He had dispelled the lighting and the whole chamber was shrouded in darkness. Even so, he glanced at the many book shelves and mentally went over the titles of the tomes housed in them, wondering if he should try reading a little to pass the time. 

Xellos sat up and created a new orb of light that floated above his head, illuminating the room. He was only there for very short periods of time to drop something off or get something he had previously put away, usually a rare magic book. His stomach growled loudly, reminding him that he had a human body to feed and that's when a troubling thought invaded Xellos to sit alongside the troubling thought of Filia acting rationally and not rushing into danger for a seemingly hopeless cause, thus failing the test of loyalty set up by Beast Master. What in the world was he supposed to eat? 

Zelas had no food supplies that Xellos knew of, aside from what she kept in her private kitchen that he was banned from entering. He ruined it one too many times with his volatile culinary experiments and Zelas insisted that the place never smelled right again. Yet there were wolves on the island, actual wolves of flesh and bones that needed real food to survive. They probably hunted the animals on the island's surface, so what was stopping him from doing the same? Just because Filia always said he was a disaster in the kitchen, it didn't need to be true. Hot sauce pranks aside, he could be a decent, maybe even a good, cook, perhaps even a great cook if he really tried. Or at least that's what Xellos thought; albeit he would soon find out that he was terribly mistaken. 

Xellos glanced at the small wolf cub he had very recently decided to keep as a pet. "We're going up to the surface of the island to hunt down some groceries." The little wolf eagerly followed him. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

When the colors of the world around Amelia, Zelgadis, Lina and Gourry, stopped spinning, they found themselves in an elegant palace of ivory and gold. There stood Zelas in her elf-like form. This time her hair was a pale orange at the crown, fading to blond and finally to silvery white. Her eyes were silver, with long pupils that reflected amusement. Her sleeveless dress held its usual style in a pale pink-peach fabric that accentuated her tan, the long skirt slit on either side up to her thighs. She was wearing jewelry as usual, long chains twisting around her arms fading from yellow gold to white gold. "Your chaotic feelings are so delicious, I had to bring some home to share." Zelas grinned her mocking little grin that reminded Lina of Xellos. 

"Home?" Amelia questioned in worry. "Do you mean your headquarters?" 

"Yes, you may call this place that," Zelas smiled in anticipation waiting for the amusing reaction that was no doubt soon to come. 

Zelgadis' eyes shone with Amelia's determination as she went on with her justice speech. "We have infiltrated the stronghold of evil and now we shall bring justice to it!" 

"Infiltrated?" Zelas questioned curiously. 

"Kind of..." Amelia conceded. 

"I really don't think this is a very good time to be fighting for justice." Zelgadis tried to inject some logical thinking into the situation. "This is the lair of a monster lord, we can't win. We're in a terrible situation here." 

"We're in a perfect situation here!" Lina exclaimed, taking everyone by surprise. 

"Poor Miss Lina," Amelia frowned through Zelgadis' features, assuming that the extreme fear and anger had made poor Lina lose her mind. The princess felt terribly guilty about it. 

"This is Beast Master's lair; Luna will never come looking for me here!" Lina finally breathed easy. Sure she had been angry at Zelas for putting her in the path towards the receiving end of Luna's wrath, but if Zelas provided protection from Luna, then Lina could forgive her. Besides, Lina was starting to come back to her senses and remembering that if she made Zelas truly angry, she would be dead. 

"If you wish to stay here, you'll have to work for it." Zelas warned with a cunningly plotting look. "I'll tell my monsters not to harm you, but you must do your job well." 

"Fine," Lina knew she had no choice but to agree. Greed aside, she also knew that asking for a monetary reward was probably pushing her luck too far. Besides, there was no better reward than being safe from Luna anyway. "What do we have to do?" Since this set of chores wasn't going to be done for a sort of redemption, then there was no reason why Lina shouldn't try to dump the work, or at least part of it, on everyone else. 

"Take care of the young wolves. The many of the adults are off terrorizing human villages and the cubs need to be fed." Zelas explained, particularly enjoying the indignation coming from Amelia. "Basically, all you need to do is baby-sit a bunch of puppies, easy, right?" 

"Nothing's ever easy when it comes to a Metallium," Lina ascertained. "Nonetheless, you can leave the cubs to us." 

"How cooperative. Oh and by the way, here," Zelas snapped her finger but no obvious changes occurred. "The cubs are in the inner yard just down this hallway. You'd best not wander around, I cannot guarantee your safety if you do." Zelas disappeared, leaving a heavy feeling of foreboding behind. 

A short moment of silence passed as a mischievous grin invaded Lina's face. "I wonder what kind of treasures and magical devices there are here?" 

"Miss Lina!" Amelia scolded, realizing that her voice was indeed her own. She looked at Zelgadis, seeing him from her own perspective now. 

At the same time, the same realization reached Zelgadis, "we're cured!" 

"Yes!" Amelia cheered. "Maybe Zelas isn't so bad after all, at least she changed us back." 'There might be hope to convince her to agree to Xellos and Filia's wedding after all!' Amelia mused. 

Zelgadis' relief was short lived, as his mind came up with a disturbing theory. "What if the only reason Zelas changed us back was because she has something much more troublesome in store for us?" Interrupting his own line of speech, Zelgadis turned his head suddenly, which was actually his own head now, to gaze behind the group, to where Lina was trying to tiptoe away down the opposite end of the hallway. "Gourry, I think Lina is tired, why don't you carry her? Keep her out of trouble while you're at it." The chimera helpfully suggested. 

"Sure!" smiling as if he had no idea how dangerous that place was, and he probably didn't, Gourry picked up Lina. 

"Put me down! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! I want the treasures! I need them!" Lina struggled and tried to break free of Gourry's grasp. 

It was true that Gourry wasn't exactly an expert on the current happenings, or an expert on anything aside from swordsmanship, eating and Lina, but even so, he was still human. He still had a natural survival instinct that pushed his normal capabilities past their limit in cases of emergency. Thus, after much careful deliberation, Gourry reached several conclusions. "This place belongs to Zelas," he made his opening statement by reciting the obvious. "Zelas is a monster lord, she's strong and dangerous. The treasure here belongs to Zelas too. It's a bad idea to steal from someone strong and dangerous." 

"Or from anyone at all," Amelia corrected. "It's unjust to steal, but I do agree with Mr. Gourry in that this time it's a particularly bad idea. This robbery would be much worse than any other robbery, not because Zelas doesn't deserve it, but because she would kill us." 

Lina crossed her arms and pouted, still in Gourry's arms. "Fine, fine, I'll behave!" 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Aw, you're so cute!" Amelia squealed for what felt like the millionth time. She found it hard to believe that those adorable little wolf cubs that were still so small they had to be fed milk in a bottle would one day be terrorizing random human, and likely also elf, villages. The chamber containing the inner yard was large and spacious with various forms of vegetation that were not plastic present there, consisting mostly of beautiful poisonous flowers. This was Zelas' place, so it was fitting. 

"I can't believe we're doing this," Zelgadis frowned as he pried another little wolf cub off his arm. "Why do I get stuck with the ones that are teething?" 

"Because your skin is the most durable out of all of us." Lina pointed out as a matter of fact. She too, like Amelia and Gourry, was cradling a wolf cub in her arms, feeding it with a bottle. The wolves were all young cubs, they were not all newborns, though most of them were. They came in all imaginable shades of gray and brown; black, white, red-ish, yellow-ish and so on. 

The door to the inner yard was suddenly opened with a familiar person making his way in. Xellos had to pause and stare at the scene before him. "What are you doing here?" He wasn't sure if he should be glad or worried. Then again, if this was some sort of insane mission to 'rescue' him devised by Filia, why would her 'troops' be sitting around taking care of the wolf cubs instead of sneaking around trying to find him? 

"We're babysitting, what's it look like?" Lina pointed out. She was quickly being tired out by the chores. Sure, the pups were kind of cute, but there were so many of them wanting her attention at the same time that it was starting to get on her nerves. 

"Is there a reason for that?" Xellos inquired curiously. 

"Zelas is protecting Lina from Luna," Gourry pointed out with a smile. He was proud of himself for being able to remember what was going on and accurately explain it. 

Lina shuddered at the reminder, "let's not talk about Luna. Maybe if I lay low here for a while, she'll forget about me... I hope." 

"Mr. Xellos..." Amelia wasn't going to reveal more than those around her already knew out of respect for Filia, but she had to have at least a silent conversation with Xellos about the situation. "Have you spoken to Miss Filia lately?" The princess hinted. 

"Not really," Xellos admitted with a hint of something in his eyes. Amelia thought it was hope, but it was so well hidden she wasn't even sure. "Did she come along with you and stupidly wondered off?" 

"No," Amelia replied somewhat flatly. "Miss Filia isn't here." 

"I see..." A hint of disappointment escaped him. Xellos wondered just how much the group knew about his situation with Filia. Amelia seemed to be informed, but her relative silence as if wanting to communicate without revealing a secret made him conclude that the others were not necessarily fully informed about the latest happenings of his personal life. Not that it was any of their business anyway, but even Xellos had grown used to being in nosy company. 

"Are you here to help take care of the wolf cubs?" Lina being Lina, was eager to recruit another person to dump work on. The more people were working as a team, the less she would have to do herself. 

"What's in the tray?" Zelgadis suspiciously inquired, eyeing the covered tray that Xellos held. "Something you cooked?" He inferred from the fact that Xellos was wearing a pink apron with a picture of a little yellow chick on the front and a bandana of matching colors to keep his hair out of the way. 

"Yes, I was going to prepare a meal for myself, but I don't have much of an appetite so I tried to give the food to my pet." Xellos looked around until he spotted his little pet shyly peeking into the inner yard chamber from the door. The little wolf cub had yellow fur that was lighter around her face, chest and stomach and bright blue eyes. She looked like she was waiting to take cover for some reason. "The little ingrate didn't want it, so I told her I was giving the food to her siblings and cousins instead. There's no use in letting a masterpiece go to waste. Now that you're here, maybe you can have some too." Xellos' hand hovered over the rounded metal cover that kept the contents of the plate in his hands hidden from view. 

"No thanks," Amelia tried to sound as polite as possible. 

"I'm not hungry either," Zelgadis agreed. 

"Same here," Lina refused as well. She had a huge appetite, but she knew that if worse came to worst, starving was a much more pleasant option than attempting to stomach Xellos' cooking. 

"I'll have some," Gourry stupidly volunteered himself. He didn't really understand why Lina would refuse food, but he was about to realize her reasons when Xellos revealed his dish. The scent that invaded the atmosphere was terribly unpleasant at best. 

The dish appeared to be some kind of steak, although were it came from was anyone's guess. It was part burned and part raw with a foul scent all around it. Mutants were rather hard to cook, but Xellos thought he did pretty well for this being his first time making a roasted mutant animal steak. Honestly, he couldn't even tell what the mutant most resembled. 

"On second thought, I'm not really hungry after all." Gourry quickly changed his mind, unable to resist the urge to cover his nose. The wolf cubs around them, that had an acute sense of smell, began to whine and cover their noses with their little paws. Some darted away further into the inner yard, while others hid behind their caretakers, giving them little shoves with their tiny paws, indicating that they should do something about this. 

"Fireball!" Lina blasted the so called steak with a well aimed fireball that left Xellos holding a plate of ashes instead. The little wolf cubs gratefully gathered around their red haired savior, licking her and cuddling her. 

The former monster frowned. "That was very rude of you, Lina." 

"It was wrose of you to try to cook. Your cooking skills are an offense to food!" Lina scolded. "Besides, what was that thing supposed to be anyway? Some kind of roasted meat? It looked like it came from some kind of mutant creature!" 

"It did come from a mutant creature," Xellos confirmed. "Don't you know that mutated creatures are considered delicacies in some countries?" Xellos guessed that they must have been brought directly inside if they had no chance to have a look around the surface of the island and notice the abundance of weird beasts. 

Lina twisted her nose to the side in disgust. "Not in the country where I was born." At least she hoped not. 

Since the danger was apparently gone, the little wolf that accompanied Xellos walked past the door to the inner yard and went to sit by his side. Having a better look at her, since she wasn't hiding in the hallway anymore, the group noticed that the little wolf had a purple bow around her neck and another smaller pink bow tied around the end of her tail. Before anyone could comment that Xellos' pet reminded them of Filia, or inquire about her name, another person entered the inner yard. 

The new arrival walked a few steps inside the large chamber, standing there looking dangerously imposing. Her hair of deep purplish-crimson created a sinister shadow over her eyes as she threateningly voice one name. "Lina..." 

Lina's face grew pale, her eyes wide, her mouth ajar. Her whole body trembled. "Lu... Lu... Lu..." This wasn't supposed to happen; she was supposed to be safe there. Where was Zelas when she was needed? "Luna!" Lina screamed at the top of her lungs as she took off in a mad dash further into the inner yard. She spotted another door on the opposite end of it and hurried towards it. She wasn't supposed to be wondering around, but nothing in the lair of a monster lord could possibly be scarier than Luna in Lina's opinion. "Zelas!" She screamed in a panic. "Help! You're supposed to be protecting me! Where are you? Zelas!" 

To be Continued


	33. Chapter 33

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 097: Crafty! The Trickster of Tricksters

Upon seeing the mirror image of Luna, Lina had ran off in a panic, all through Zelas' palace. The so called Luna changed back into the appearance of Zelas, proving that it had been a trick to scare Lina. Amelia frowned in disapproval. "Miss Zelas!" She spoke in her most scolding voice, ignoring Zelgadis, who was trying to get her to calm down. "You've been picking on us too much. You've caused stress for everyone, you've terrified Miss Lina." Never mind that Amelia had also terrified Lina along with Zelgadis with their Luna lies. Amelia reconciled with her conscience by concluding that it was all directly or indirectly Zelas' fault. "The worse of all you did was that you interfered with true love!" 

Xellos had a strong foreboding feeling that Amelia was talking about him and Filia. He immediately joined Zelgadis in an effort to make her stop, but it all proved to be fruitless. 

"For what purpose?" Amelia demanded to know. Zelgadis was seriously close to just grabbing her and holding his hand over her mouth. It would be for her own good anyway. "Why?" Amelia continued her dramatic declaration, pointing her accusing finger of justice at Zelas. "Why have you done this? What benefit do you get from all this suffering?" 

"A good meal," Zelas stated simply in a matter of fact sort of tone, unfazed by Amelia's audacity. "That's why I sent Lina on a panicked run, her fear that borders insanity will be a good treat for my monsters. I need to keep them well fed for what's to come." 

Throwing caution to the wind, Zelgadis dared to ask. "What is to come?" 

"It is far too early to share that information." Zelas grinned mockingly with the joy of someone who knows a secret that everyone wants to know. "Now I must go tend to another guest." Leaving the group thirsty for answers, Zelas disappeared. 

Gourry didn't really know what was going on. He lost track around the time Luna randomly showed up and was deep in confusion by the time she turned into Zelas. He still wasn't sure who had been addressing them. Zelas who had been disguised as Luna, or Luna who disguised herself as Zelas? Never mind that a person of at the very least average intelligence, would reason that the transformations to so easily change her appearance fitted the astral nature of a monster, thus making it a logical conclusion that the one who had been there was Zelas. Confused and clueless as he was, Gourry at least knew that there was one thing he needed to do. "I'm going to find Lina." Without further ado, he ran off in the general direction she had dashed off in. 

"I don't think Lina is in mortal danger if Zelas only intends to have her monsters feed on her fear," Zelgadis theorized. "Nonetheless, it's obvious that something big is happening behind the scenes and I want to know what it is." Zelgadis gave Xellos a critical glare. 

Xellos only grinned in return, "that is a secret." 

"I'm not going to take that line for an answer this time!" Zelgadis warned. 

"It's the only answer I have," Xellos truthfully replied, though to Zelgadis and Amelia it might have looked like stubborn annoyance. 

Amelia sighed hopelessly, "forget it; he's not going to tell us." Then her mood underwent a dramatic change and she was optimistic and energetic again. "It doesn't matter, because justice is ready for anything!" Except maybe a panicked Lina Inverse. "We better go help Mr. Gourry find Lina before she starts shooting Dragon Slaves at random around here." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia Ul Copt was a golden dragon whose clan had been wiped out during an incident involving a threat from another world, Dark Star Dagradigdu. Since then, following the discovery of the fate of the ancient dragon race, she had virtually no contact with other golden dragons. Or at least no golden dragons that were still a true part of the race's main group. She was an unusual one, she admitted to herself as she coughed madly and came to an ungraceful landing among thick black fog that she desperately hoped wasn't poisonous. Well, she didn't feel like she was dying, though a heavy air of malice hung in the atmosphere. 

Filia didn't bother turning into an elf. If she ran into trouble, and she expected to, she would be better off fighting in dragon form. 'So this is Wolf Pack Island,' she mused. A pack of wolves, some seemingly regular wolves and others wolves possessed by monsters, soon surrounded her, growling threateningly, baring their claws and fangs. Filia bared her claws and fangs right back roaring like one of those wild ferocious dragons in fairytales. "I'm here to speak with your leader, let me through!" 

The beasts looked unsure. Filia noted that aside from the wolves and the monster wolves, there were also several unidentifiable animals, possibly chimeras. They appeared to be having a conversation among themselves with their growls, until they finally reached a consensus and stood aside. Filia was taken by surprise; she had been prepared for a massive struggle, expecting to be granted a word with Beast Master when she was barely alive. She hurried through the path they opened for her, standing left and right of her as if guiding her. Filia reached a cave with a set of doors inside it. The doors opened by themselves and she went in. 

The inside of the place was dark at first, then strange blue fire lamps were lit one by one through a specific set of hallways, the others left in darkness. The halls of carved gold decorating ivory marble were large and spacious enough for Filia to walk through in dragon form with ease. In fact, five golden dragons could walk in arm in arm without bumping into the walls left and right, not that any golden dragons at all should be traversing those halls. The ceiling was three times as tall as Filia, with diamond chandeliers holding glass orbs that served as lamps to light the way with their blue flames. 

Finally, Filia arrived at a set of golden double doors. She concluded that she was supposed to go inside and slightly opened one of the doors. "Excuse me..." she called shyly as she peeked inside. 

"Come in, I don't have to help you with the door, do I?" Beast Master was sitting upon her throne, well aware of the fact that Filia had arrived. That didn't take a very long time at all. 

"No thanks," Filia gulped; this was it, the moment of truth. She opened one of the double doors sufficiently for her smaller form to pass through. Then she stepped back behind it and changed back into an elf. She was ready to fight Zelas' minions if she had to, but not Zelas. Filia knew she couldn't win, so she might as well make it obvious that she wasn't there to pick a fight. She entered to the sound of her nervously beating heart. She had thought of many things she could use as arguments for Zelas to allow Xellos certain liberties. She had thought of reasons as to why it could be beneficial, but all those arguments were gone. Filia's mind was suddenly left in a total blank; she could barely remember her own name. She stopped in front of Zelas' throne, her face pale, her hands fidgeting with her cloak, her tail tracing small circles on the floor behind her. "Um..." 

Zelas raised an eyebrow and waited a few more seconds, than finally let out a clear and melodious, yet absolutely mocking and superior laugh. "Is that all you have to say? How very eloquent." 

"Um..." Filia dumbly stuttered again. She took a deep breath and shook her head slightly. "Xellos," this wasn't working, she couldn't think. 

"You're here to see Xellos, like the stupidly loyal little pet you are. Yes, that much is obvious. But have you really come without a plan?" Zelas inquired in amusement. 

"I'm here to speak with you," Filia tried to gather her bearings and push her mental capabilities to function. 

"Very well then, bark, I mean speak," Zelas grinned from ear to ear. 

Filia was too nervous to even get angry at the barking comment. "I think... I think..." Her gaze was on the floor as she fidgeted nervously. 

"You do?" Zelas feigned an exaggerated shock before her expression turned doubtful. "Are you sure about that? Right now it doesn't look like you have such an ability." 

Trying not to let Zelas get to her, Filia attempted to push her rehearsed speech forward. There was something about strategizing, something about research, something about spying, something about cover-ups, something about information, something about allies, something about tactical advantages, something about pride, something about cunning, something about loyalty, something about strength, something about power, something about magic. Yet at the same time there was absolutely nothing about anything and Filia had to admit she lost all the somethings that she had thought of before. She took a deep breath and began again. "I'm sorry; I had a whole speech prepared for you." She slowly lifted her eyes from the floor to look at the monster lord she was addressing. 

"Let me guess, it fell out through the holes in your hollow head?" Zelas teased. 

Not even trying to come up with a retort, Filia continued. "I had a lot to say about why it was beneficial for you to allow Xellos a certain degree of freedom. He's very loyal to you and not only because you hold his life in your hands. He admires you truly, I know he does. I suppose, I tried to see what I could come up with that you would find beneficial. In the end, I guess you would want a general priest that serves you properly, that's what you created him for after all. If you think I'm bad for that cause, maybe even bad for him, then I suppose it's only logical that I'm out of the picture. But I think Xellos was happy and he was still eager to serve you. He actually missed working for you, I know he did. He didn't want to disappoint you. For you to let him go, it was worse than for you to simply eliminate him. I didn't understand it and maybe I still don't, but he respects and admired you so much and... and..." 

"Are you here to state the obvious?" Zelas interrupted. 

Filia had no idea when the first tear escaped her, but she noticed then that she was crying. She tried to calm herself enough to speak clearly once again, throwing out a desperate hasty plan. "Lord Beast Master, do you think you could find some room for one extra golden dragon intern?" 

"No," Zelas refused. "One is more than enough to make a mockery of your race. Phythan is stupid and naive. His idiocy mocks the golden dragons, perhaps even more so because he so strongly believes he's doing the right thing. It's all very amusing." 

"What can I do then?" Filia desperately asked. 

"Why did you come here, dragon? Did you miss Xellos that much? Do you not have others in your life that hold an important place?" Zelas' silver eyes were piercing. 

"Yes," Filia's blue eyes were becoming full of fear. "I do not wish for harm to come to them. I was stupid to come here, but I thought that if I spoke to you I could come up with a reason for an arrangement that could benefit you and..." 

"And you too?" Zelas laughed as if the notion was simply too ridiculous. "That's doubtful." 

Filia lowered her head. "Then I apologize for wasting your time. I'll try to come up with something better to say, I'll write it down so I don't forget it next time." 

"Who is to say that you'll leave here alive?" Zelas predatory look would scare anyone to an inch of death. 

Filia couldn't take her frightened eyes off Zelas' intense gaze. "You..." she stuttered. 

"A correct answer," Zelas agreed, leaning back on her throne, with a rather dismissive expression taking over her delicate yet fierce features. "In the end, everything is as it should be, but I do not believe this detour was in vain. Truths were reinforced and benefits were enjoyed." Filia could only stare blankly. She didn't know what Zelas was talking about, but it didn't look like she was going to attack any time soon. 

Then the echo of a screaming voice was heard through the long hallways calling out for help, for Zelas help apparently. Lina Inverse, the sorceress extraordinaire, the extreme glutton, the bandit killer, the dragon spooker, the slug fearer, the Luna-phobic, dashed into the throne room through the slightly parted large golden doors. "Help! Zelas! Save me!" The panicked redhead ran hastily towards the throne, where the monster lord regally sat, and dived behind it. She peeked out from behind the golden throne, thankful that Luna had not caught up with her yet. "She's coming after me, Luna is here, she's coming after me! Don't let her get me, don't let her get me!" 

Filia's jaw dropped. "Lina?" She exclaimed in shock. 

"Lina? Where did you go? Are you in here?" Another person entered the throne room, this time a tall man with long blond hair. "There you are," Gourry Gabriev, the swordsman extraordinaire, the extreme glutton, the tremendous idiot, the Lina fan boy, smiled at the event of finding his fiance. He had long forgotten why Lina was running away in the first place, but he caught up to her, so it didn't matter anymore anyway. 

Filia's surprise continued to grow, "Gourry?" 

"Here they are! Oh and Miss Filia is here too!" Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, the loyal agent of justice, the adventure loving princess, the justice speech giver, the hyperactive sorceress, arrived at the throne room. She was being followed by Zelgadis Graywords, the chimera who was unaware of his own coolness, the skilled swordsman sorcerer, the prince of an all but useless island covered in cooling lava, the one who was hard on the outside and lovably soft on the inside. 

"Amelia and Zelgadis too? Or is it Zelgadis and Amelia?" Filia wondered what in the world was going on. Why was everyone there? She had not told anyone where she was going, they weren't supposed to know. Did they secretly see her snooping around Celo's library to learn about Wolf Pack Island? 

"We switched back to normal." Zelgadis replied, though at the moment their past predicament paled in comparison to the deadly mayhem that would ensue if Zelas anger was provoked. 

"I'm here too," yet another person entered the throne room. Xellos Metallium, the annoying trickster, the infuriating manipulator, the vexing spy, the obnoxious secret keeper, the monster that was currently stuck as a human, the favorite minion of Beast Master, the cunning general priest, the chocolate ice-cream pie fan boy, had arrived to the surprise of finding a familiar golden dragon. 

Filia Ul Copt, the temperamental golden dragon, the good intentioned drama queen, the artistic vase and mace maker, the kind hearted time bomb waiting to explode, turned towards the door to see her ex-fiance walk in. "Xellos..." 

"Good, good, you're all here; you can all protect me from Luna." Lina feverishly demanded. "Maybe if you team up against her, I'll come out of this unscratched!" 

Zelas got up from her throne and took a few steps around it. She calmly turned around to face Lina and transformed into the mirror image of Luna Inverse, the sister of the bandit killer dragon spooker, the knight of Ceifeed, the mysterious waitress, the fearsome sorceress. Lina screamed at the top of her lungs for several minutes, leaving everyone's ears ringing, until Zelas changed back. Zelas Metallium, the master of beasts, the queen of masterminds, the cunning wild wolf, the keen monster lord, the trickster of tricksters, grinned with satisfaction. "Such delicious absolute despair!" 

The pieces finally fell into place for Lina. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped, her face holding the expression of shock for a few seconds. Then her teeth were clenched, her face was darkened by fury and her whole body was trembling with wrath. "You tricked me," she spoke in a low and threatening tone. "Zelas Metallium, you'll pay for this!" 

"Oh look, the little girl is throwing a temper tantrum," Zelas laughed. "Xellos, it looks like our guests could use some fresh air and a little stress reliever. Why don't you take them back to the resort now?" 

"Gladly," Xellos grinned. "Gourry, grab Lina and lets go!" 

"Right!" Gourry picked up the protesting Lina, who desperately tried to break free with full intentions of trying to rip Zelas apart with her bare hands. It was a suicidal attempt, but in her fury, Lina didn't care, she just wanted revenge. 

"Filia, I know you're too lazy to be of any use most of the time, but we need to get Lina out of here before she makes a mess. Now is a good time to conquer your laziness and cooperate by flying us out." Xellos suggested with an amused cheerful grin. 

Filia didn't know what was going on or why Xellos was so casually suggesting that they leave, apparently including himself in the group. She didn't understand why Zelas wasn't simply destroying everyone. She didn't understand why they were apparently being allowed to make their escape. In short, Filia didn't understand anything. That must be how Gourry felt all the time, she honestly pitied him. Without further ado, in the middle of the confusion and rush, Filia transformed and the group climbed on her back. 

Gourry was carrying a temper tantrum throwing Lina, who was struggling and screaming at the top of her lungs. Amelia and Zelgadis just wanted to put as much distance as possible between them and Zelas, resolving that there would be time to ask questions and sort things out later, when they're lives were not in such impending danger to be abruptly extinguished. Xellos picked up his wolf cub pet and climbed aboard at the lead, kicking Filia lightly, teasingly, on the side, "giddy up, stupid dragon!" 

"I'm not a horse!" Filia argued, but took off full speed anyway. She flew through the long gold and ivory hallways, trying to remember the path she took on the way there as the whole place seemed to be illuminated now. Finally reaching the doors that led to the cave, which in turn let out to the surface of the island, she didn't slow down. It looked as if she was going to crash, but at the last moment, the doors opened, allowing Filia safe passage. 

As soon as she was outside, Filia headed straight up, trying to get away from the heavy miasma that covered Wolf Pack Island before she coughed out a lung. After a few more seconds of desperate fast flying, the skies began to clear out as Wolf Pack Island was left behind in the distance. Slowing down to a more comfortable pace, Filia glided through the skies, heading back towards the lopsided wooden clock tower at Amor Resort. Once there, she expected to get some answers and maybe even a little bit of hope for the near future. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 098: Return! The Final Countdown

Filia safely landed at Amor Resort, near the lopsided wooden clock tower, with her passengers getting off. Lina was a little calmer, though Gourry still kept his arm wrapped firmly around her waist to make sure she didn't try to return to Wolf Pack Island. This time remembering not to transform in a hurry, Filia ducked behind some plastic trees and changed back into her elf form. "Okay, I'm ready for a lot of explanations right now," the golden dragon impatiently requested. 

"I think we all are," Zelgadis agreed and with that, all eyes landed on Xellos. 

"Me? What makes you think I have the answer to everything?" Xellos innocently inquired. "It's true that I'm a genius, but not even a genius can know something if no information is available about it." 

"Don't stall!" Filia stomped her foot impatiently. "Just tell us what you know, you piece of raw garbage!" She had dried her tears around the time everyone started showing up at Zelas' throne room and visually calmed down during the flight back to the resort. Yet on the inside, Filia's emotions were still in turmoil. 

"Is that any way to speak to your fiance? You're so mean." Xellos feigned offense, just like when he used to playfully criticize Filia, just like when they were together. "Keep that up and I won't marry you." 

Filia paused, her confused and shocked mind taking a moment longer to process the information. Xellos was acting as if things were back to normal between them, as if their breakup never happened. Her shock turned to hope that she feared would be crushed, but couldn't help it but to hold on to. "You mean... you'll marry me?" 

"Possibly," Xellos looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure, I might change my mind. After all, you're terribly stupid and I'm a genius, we're so mismatched." 

That sarcastic playful mockery was the Xellos Filia was used to. That could only mean that he really did find a way to convince Zelas to allow them to be together. Things would be back to normal for them, or as normal as it could get for a dragon and a monster that flirted by bickering. In another emotional outburst, Filia jumped on Xellos, giving him a bone crushing hug. The wolf cub he was holding jumped out of his arms to the safety of the ground next to her master's feet, so as to not be crushed along with him. The little cub tugged on the end of Filia's dress, trying to pry her off of Xellos, whose face had began to turn blue. Realizing she was suffocating him, Filia finally released Xellos. 

Xellos took in a big breath of much needed oxygen. Being a human who was with a dragon was certainly not easy, especially if the dragon was temperamental, moody and emotional. "It's okay, Fili, the stupid dragon wasn't actually trying to kill me, she's just a clumsy brute." 

The little wolf cub whimpered lightly and observed Filia with curious eyes. "Fili," Filia knelt on the ground next to the cub, which had yellow fur and blue eyes with long pupils. She slowly extended her hand, which the cub sniffed before allowing Filia to pet her. Filia adjusted the purple bow on the little wolf's neck and the pink ribbon on her tail, which had become a little disheveled with the strong wind of the fast flight. "Her name is Fili?" The whole group had left their questions for later, waiting to see how Filia would react to this. 

"Yes," Xellos confirmed. "Her full name is Fili Algar Metallium, she's my replacement pet and she's way smarter than you. She listens to me like a good pet and even fetches things when I tell her to." 

Filia made a long pause, occupying herself in petting the wolf cub while she did. Xellos waited for her to call him raw garbage and complain about being compared to a pet, but she took him by surprise again by giving him another bone crushing hug, along with a loving kiss. "That's so sweet!" 

"Huh?" Xellos blinked in confusion. Sweet? What was so sweet about making a mockery of her name by using it for a pet? "You're weird," Xellos concluded. 

Amelia was smiling from ear to ear. She was so happy that apparently Xellos and Filia were back together that she couldn't contain the need to cheer, "justice!" At the top of her lungs, raising her fist in the air. She wasn't sure how things were resolved, but she was certainly glad they were. The princess assumed that Filia's presence in Wolf Pack Island had something to do with it. She thought that a heartfelt conversation between the would be mother and daughter in laws was responsible for convincing Zelas to change her mind. Her theory couldn't be further from the truth, but in Amelia's optimistic justice loving mind, it was possible. 

"Welcome back everyone!" Phythan approach towards the group from the direction of the lopsided wooden clock tower, which called their attention towards the building. Onyx peeked out from a window on the third floor before returning to whatever she was doing. Apparently it involved writing something on a desk next to the window; she was possibly outlining a story for Phythan to draw. "I was waiting to give you this," Phythan was carrying a sword in a fancy sheath, which he handed over to Gourry. "You're a very skilled swordsman Mr. Gourry, so I'll give this to you. I'm sure you'll put it to better use than I can." 

"A new sword for me? Thank you!" Gourry happily received the gift, curiously taking the sword out of its sheath. "Glass?" He observed the blade in surprise. It looked like it was made of glass, but it had some considerable weight to it. 

"It's made from my horn. I had a portion of it cut off. It's much smaller now, so it doesn't make me feel all out of balance when I transform. My headaches are also gone." Phythan smiled, relieved that the ordeal with the horn was over. 

"A sword made of dragon horn, this sounds pretty cool!" Gourry happily exclaimed. 

"It sounds valuable too," Lina eyed the sword greedily. Her temper tantrum had passed, but she still wanted a sort of consolation gift. At least she knew that Luna wasn't after her. "Do you have one of those for me?" 

"Only one was made, sorry," Phythan replied, feeling kind of nervous with Lina's greedy eyes fixed on him. 

"Don't you have a little bit of horn left that you can give me?" Lina took a step forward toward Phythan. 

"Not really, I kind of want to keep what's left of it," Phythan nervously took a step back. 

"Don't pick on him," Filia scolded defensively. 

"I wasn't picking on anyone, it's just not fair that Gourry gets a gift and I don't." Lina pouted and crossed her arms. 

Gourry swung the glass-like sword, which was definitely much stronger than any actual glass could ever be. He slashed the plastic tree in front of him effortlessly and several others behind it, causing them to fall in a domino effect. "How did that happen?" 

"It's a special sword," Phythan grinned proudly. "Take a look at the hilt." 

Gourry observed the sword's golden handle. At the part where it united with the glowing glass blade there was the silhouette of a wolf standing on two legs, with wings stretched out left and right on its back serving as part of the blade's handle. "That reminds me of the amulet Onyx used to have," Lina pointed out, while Gourry gave her a puzzled look. "You know; that amulet that she used to cast magic while her true power was sealed." 

Gourry blinked without a clue, "who's Onyx?" 

Lina slapped her forehead in frustration. "Never mind, the point is that the winged wolf is the symbol of Beast Master. She owes me for all the trouble she caused. I nearly had a heart attack back there! I should be the one to get this rare and expensive looking sword." 

"Okay," Gourry agreed to everyone's shock. 

Lina's jaw dropped, "are you serious? You'll give it to me?" 

"I wouldn't be a very good husband if I didn't share my things. I'll give it to you when we get married. But I'll also ask to borrow it, like all the time, okay?" Gourry requested, which didn't really change the situation much. 

Lina blushed at the mention of Gourry as her husband. "Okay, you can borrow it all the time. We've been looking for a good sword for you anyway, so you should use it." Technically Lina would own the sword eventually, though Gourry would be the one using it all the time, so he would be more so the sword's owner than her. None the less, having the treasure somehow to her name, Lina was satisfied. 

Getting back into the topic of the sword, Gourry inquired something important. "How come the trees behind this tree were cut too?" 

"Because of the astral echo of the slash," Phythan uselessly explain, since Gourry didn't understand a single word of it. Nonetheless, the rest of the group was certainly interested in hearing more about it and, unlike Gourry, they could actually follow the explanation. "This is a rare type of dragon horn; it's very sharp and can cut through just about anything. Similarly to how laser breath works, the attack isn't limited to the physical side, it also affects the astral side. The hilt of the sword is infused with monster energy, Beast Master's energy to be specific. It boosts the power of the sword, gives it a fusion magic effect and causes an echo of the slash that can reach targets beyond the physical reach of the sword via the astral side." 

While most of the group was fascinated, Gourry was only confused. "What does that mean?" 

"Basically," Phythan tried to simplify the explanation to make it as clear as possible for Gourry. "The harder you swing the sword the further you'll cut." 

"Oh, I get it!" Gourry's face lit up in understanding. He wondered why Phythan didn't just say that from the beginning. 

Moving on to the next subject, Phythan reminded. "Everything is almost ready for the wedding. Tifa asked me to remind you to visit the atelier today to make sure all the clothes fit properly. 

"I can't wait for the wedding banquet!" Lina cheered happily. 

"I wonder what kind of dress Miss Zelas will design for Miss Filia." Amelia mused aloud, while petting little Fili. 

The spoken thought served as a frightening reminder for Filia. Apparently the wedding was on again and she was happy about that, but now she had her dress to worry about. Xellos had a big mischievous, amused and mocking grin plastered on his face. "So Zelas is designing your dress? I can't wait to see it." 

"You'll have to wait until the wedding," Amelia pointed out. "The groom is not supposed to see the bride's dress until then." 

"Is that so?" Xellos continued grinning in amusement as Filia's worry grew. She was imagining all sorts of terrible dresses that not even Naga would wear. "Then let's get this show on the road, my curiosity is killing me." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Over the course of the next few days, the final preparations for the wedding were finished and all the guests showed up. The ceremony would take place in just a few hours and Filia was stressing, running around making sure everything was ready. It was true that if Zelas wanted to ruin the event, she could, but Filia would be terribly disappointed if the occasion was ruined by a cause other than Zelas, a cause that could have been avoided. 

There was also the matter of the dress to consider. Filia had not seen it yet and she had not spoken to Zelas since her visit to Wolf Pack Island. Maybe the monster lord would say something about forgetting the dress because it was so unimportant, at least Filia hoped that happened. Then she would have the perfect excuse to wear her backup dress, which she actually liked, instead of whatever monstrosity of a dress Zelas could come up with. 

"Is everyone ready?" The bride to be asked Amelia and Lina for what probably was the millionth time. 

"Yes, we're ready," Amelia and Lina chorused yet again. 

"Where's Tiffany?" Filia inquired impatiently. 

"I'm right here, sweet Filia." Tiffany entered the atelier, already in her bridesmaid dress, standing next to Amelia and Lina, who were wearing matching gowns. "I just had a little something to take care of first, but it's all done now." There was a hint of mischief in Tiffany's eyes that reminded Filia of Xellos and Zelas. Perhaps Celo was rubbing off on her; he was one of Beast Master's tricky monsters too. 

"Okay," Filia took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She had already taken all the damage control and contingency measures that she possibly could. Now all that was left to do was hope that Beast Master was feeling merciful, if such a mood could even exist in her. She allowed her eyes to wonder across the atelier, a spacious place with sewing machines, needles, threads and various rolls of fine fabric all over the place. The walls were decorated with scrolls featuring various color palettes to serve as inspiration for those who worked there, a contrast to the plain white tiles that covered the floor, the place they looked to when they needed to rest their eyes from the bright and varied colors on the walls. 

The sound of sizzling electricity was heard coming from the door, along with a complaint in Xellos' voice. "Who electrified the door?" 

"I did!" A female voice from behind the door replied. "This is a place to create amazing sexy designs. I suspect that men might have set foot on my atelier while I was out recently. I can't have something like that happening, no man must see my designs until they are fully completed to their maximum splendor!" 

"So you design clown bikinis?" Xellos inquired with a tone of sarcastic mockery that was so very Xellos. 

Annoyed, the female voice retorted. "I am the great Marty, world famous fashion designer! How could you not know this?" She paused with a rather suspicious "hmm..." left hanging on the sound waves. "Although, I could forgive you if you serve as the model for my new line of men's clothing. It will be fabulous!" 

The next sound that followed from behind the closed door was laughter, which lasted several seconds until Xellos stopped and spoke, with exaggerated surprise. "What? You weren't joking just now?" 

With her curiosity getting the best of her, Filia decided to open the door. Being female, she was not electrocuted by it. This Marty person reminded her of Naga in regards to her style of clothing. However, there were far more colors involved in her skimpy outfit. Xellos was right; it really did look like she was wearing a clown bikini. 

Marty was wearing a bra consisting of blue and yellow stars. Her bikini bottom was a bright shade of pink with little blue stars. Her knee high Boots were yellow with blue stars over the knees. She had a pair of fingerless gloves that were pink with yellow stars on the back of the hands. Her lipstick was the same bright pink, with blue eyes shadow over her eyes and yellow star earrings. Her yellow hair was long with a few blue and pink dyed strands. There was a short cape attached to her shoulder straps, blue on the back and yellow on the inverse side with yellow and pink stars on the back and blue and pink stars on the other side. "Of course I wasn't joking!" The strange woman pulled out a rolled up piece of paper from a pocket on her cape and stretched it out for all those present to see. 

The paper contained a sketch of a man, who was not meant to resemble anyone in particular, just a generic model. Only the clothing was colored, while the man's line art was left unfinished with no detailed features added in. The unfortunate caricature was wearing a rather short tiger print loincloth with a tail attached to the back of the garment, leopard print boots and fuzzy arm bands like a lion's mane, along with a necklace decorated with fake fangs. "It's my Wild Cat series' main design; it's called the Wild Feline Trio!" Marty proudly declared. "It will soon be distributed in the lovely boutiques of Amor Resort. To announce the grand arrival of my new Wild Cat line, there will be a grand fashion show and I'm running a little short on models. Consider yourself very fortunate that your gorgeous eyes have inspired me to offer you the honor of being the first of many to wear this in front of hundreds, no, thousands of people!" 

There was a silent dramatic and suspenseful pause, then Xellos, Filia, along with Lina and Amelia who gathered near the door, took a moment to laugh at Marty and her ridiculous drawing. Filia and Amelia didn't want to be mean, but they couldn't help it. Xellos made a mental note to keep his eyes squinty all the time, not just most of the time, especially around strange women, and they didn't come much stranger than this one. 

Tiffany was there as well, though she held in her laughter as best she could. "They are all overjoyed!" Tiffany loudly exclaimed, excusing the others. "Your designs are as amazing as ever, Marty, you're an absolute genius!" 

Filia, Amelia, Lina and even Xellos couldn't help it but to give Tiffany strange looks, as if she had gone insane. "I knew you would love them." Marty smiled proudly. 

"Well, we're done with the atelier now, so it's all yours. Don't worry about the models, I can get you some. My cousin Phythan has no modesty and will wear any sort of skimpy rag if you tell him it's for the sake of justice, er I mean, he's very open to new fashion and will wear your fabulous designs if you tell him it's for the sake of justice, you know, fashion justice. Plus his eyes are kind of a similar color as Xellos'." 

"If he's as hot as this guy, that would be awesome!" Marty happily accepted the offer. 

"I could also ask Fang to participate," Tiffany suggested. "He has cute silver eyes and a black fox tail and ears. He'll do just about anything if you scratch him behind the ears just right." 

"Oh, he sounds like he would look great with this design; I call it the Wild Beast Tamer!" Marty pulled out another extreme design from her little cape. The sketch featured the same generic male figure as the previous one, with only the outfit being detailed, though it was not as colorful as the previous one. The outfit consisted mainly of black belts with silver buckles. The man in the sketch was wearing two thick belts over each other in the shape of an X, diagonally with the top of the belts on the waist and the other end on the thighs, just barely covering what had to be covered. He had belt anklets, wrist bands and armbands, matching a belt collar around his neck. 

"Wonderful, I'll let them know to be ready for an audition. We must go now, see you later Marty!" Tiffany happily went on her way, beckoning her guests to follow. 

As Lina, Amelia, Filia, Tiffany and Xellos made their way down the stairs, Marty pause and looked at Lina. "Have I seen you before?" 

"I'm sure we've never met!" Lina hurried down the stairs away from Marty's view. In truth, the redhead remembered the atelier golem battle of Marty and Naga versus Tatjana and herself all too well, but she rather not bring that up ever again. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 099: Surprise! I'm On The Guest List

Filia was feeling extremely nervous as she went down the stairs away from the atelier and into the boutique below. After seeing Marty's designs and her outfit, she was starting to fear that the dress Zelas expected her to wear for the wedding would be much, much, worse. "Filia, sweetie," the bride to be snapped out of her worried daze when Tiffany called her for the third time, though it was only the first time Filia actually noticed. "Are you feeling alright?" 

Filia forced a nervous smile, "great!" The exclamation came out slightly out of breath from the force of the stress it carried. 

"Aw, how cute, I was nervous before my wedding too," Tiffany giggled. "You better go get into your dress now. I think I saw Zelas browsing around the boutique; she was probably waiting for you to give you the dress. You should go talk to her." 

"The dress... right..." Shaking with every fearful step, Filia moved out of sight among the many boutique displays. 

Lina brought up a question that had been bothering her since she saw Marty. "Why do you sell Marty's designs at the resort? Does anyone actually buy them?" 

"Oh yes, they sell quite well!" Tiffany happily exclaimed. "Honeymooners love that kind of thing." 

"Okay, that's enough information," Lina quickly took back her question. 

"Well, we should be on our way," Tiffany announced with a smile. "Xellos, you'd best go change into your tuxedo, Zelas should come get you soon. She said something about throwing away the groom." 

"You mean giving away?" Wasn't that the bride's role? Ah well, this wasn't a conventional wedding anyway. "I'll make sure not to keep her waiting." Thus the group went on their way, Xellos to get into his tuxedo and the bridesmaids off to the temple where the guests were. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia was having a bit of trouble locating Zelas. She asked the shop keeper at the boutique and was told that the lady matching that description had already left. Apparently, most of the human employees of the resort were unaware of Zelas' status as the boss of their boss. Thus Filia made her way down the main street of Amor Resort, searching for her would be mother in law. Her fear of the wedding dress of doom that awaited her grew with every step, but Filia knew that avoiding this was not an option, if anything, it could only make matters worse. 

While searching among the crowds, Filia saw someone that she recognized. His golden hair made him stand out in the crowd. She had seen him briefly shortly after the fall of the barrier, just barely exchanging a short introduction. It was only politeness, she was only there to greet her father's guest and serve some tea before leaving them to discuss their business. Nonetheless, she knew who he was and his position. "Milgazia," the name escaped Filia in a terrified whisper. It wasn't that she assumed that he was there to pick a fight, the leader of the remnant dragons who served Aqua Lord Ragradia had to be smarter than that. He couldn't be there to interfere, but he was there and that reminded Filia of many things. 

Filia might have forgiven Xellos, but was it okay? She might not be directly involved with the golden dragons anymore, but she was still a golden dragon and she couldn't let go of that. She had to admit that despite it all, she still held a high esteem and respect for the part of her race that had been her family growing up and for her family's friends, which included Milgazia. Her father had always spoken highly of him. Filia froze in place unable to say or do anything. It looked like Milgazia was turning around, he would see her, he would see her for sure. What would he say? Filia didn't want to imagine it. So many golden dragons were killed; the War of the Monsters' Fall was especially harsh on the dragons of the water clan. 

Suddenly, just as Milgazia turned around, someone pulled Filia behind a big heart shaped plastic bush with mint green leaves and hot pink roses. A tan hand, with perfectly manicured shiny silver nails with little diamonds on them, covered her mouth to stop her from making a sound. "Shh," Zelas made the universal sign for silence with her other hand, holding her index finger over her crimson lips. 

Filia, who still looked like a kicked puppy, nodded her head, indicating that she would be quiet and Zelas released her with a warning look in her predatory silver eyes. While this was happening, Milgazia walked by. He paused in front of the bush, glancing at it suspiciously, then went on his way again. After Milgazia was gone, Filia let out a breath she didn't even realize she had been holding. Zelas was hiding her monster power, just barely projecting herself in the physical world, while her true self remained mostly on the astral side. Filia looked towards Milgazia, who was walking further away, then back to Zelas with a questioning look in her eyes. 

"We're going to follow him," Zelas decided as she picked up one side of the large white pot adorned with red hearts containing the silly fake bush. 

"Why?" Filia automatically grabbed the other end of the pot and moved along with Zelas, using the plastic shrubbery as a shield to stay hidden from view. 

"Because I want to know what he intends to do, stupid." Zelas replied in her most mocking tone, while keeping her voice in a quiet whisper. "I rarely do any spying myself, I haven't followed anyone in secret in many years," Zelas admitted. 

"Of course," Filia frowned. "You have minions to do this for you." 

"Yes, but since I'm here, I might as well stretch my legs and do a little spying myself. It might be amusing." It was obvious that Zelas didn't consider Milgazia to be a threat in the least. Why would she, if she could so easily end his existence? 

Filia remained quiet. She wasn't sure what to say to all of this. She had no idea why Milgazia was there and wondered if Zelas had a clue. "Do you suspect why he's here?" 

"I don't suspect, I know." Zelas whispered in a superior tone. 

Filia waited for the revelation that never came, thus she prompted. "Why?" 

Zelas' answer was simple and to the point, but it filled Filia with even more confusion. "Because I sent him an invitation to the wedding." 

"You did?" Filia almost failed to keep her voice's volume in check, her hand automatically covering her mouth while Zelas gave her another warning glare. "Sorry," Filia whispered in a barely audible tone. "Why did you send Milgazia an invitation?" 

"Because the side of the temple designated for the bride's guests was too empty, given that all your relatives are dead." Zelas smiled sweetly as if she was doing something very considerate. 

Filia frowned, anger and sorrow invading her eyes. Most of her relatives were dead because of Darkstar, but some were killed in the War of the Monsters Fall along with many other golden dragons. "Did you enjoy the War of the Monsters Fall?" 

Zelas raised a curious and amused eyebrow. "Talk about random topic shifts. Your brain, if it's even there, must have a leak. I'll dignify you with an answer anyway. Yes, it was quite an enjoyable time. Xellos had lots of fun too, he was such a messy little beast, but not much else can be expected from a newborn monster. He's gotten much neater over time." 

Filia's frown became more prominent; she threw caution to the wind and bitterly whispered, "I hate you." 

"I know you do," Zelas grinned. "I can taste it and it is delicious, yet the flavor isn't pure. Is that the benefit of the doubt? How disturbing," the monster lord wrinkled her nose in distaste. 

"Xellos respects you a lot, he truly admires you. You were created by Shabranigdu, much like Xellos was created by you. I suppose it makes sense that you would want to do his bidding, but..." Filia wasn't even sure where she was going with this, she felt like she was speaking at random. "He's been torn apart, the pieces have been sealed. You don't have to listen to Ruby Eyes anymore; you can do whatever you want." 

"What makes you think I wouldn't have already noticed the obvious?" Zelas glanced at Milgazia, who had stopped in front of an ice-cream booth. He received a vanilla ice-cream cone with heart shaped chocolate chips from the vendor and sat down at a heart decorated bench to eat it. Zelas assumed that even bitter dragons on business got hungry. It didn't look like he was moving for the time being. 

"My point is that you don't have to return the world to chaos if you don't want to." Filia finished her argument even if she thought it was useless. 

"Can you really call emptiness chaotic? Chaos, unrest, disarray, turmoil, hysteria, it's all in the eye of the beholder. We are all chaos and the end is nothingness," Zelas revealed. "It's sad when everything you thought you knew turns out to be a lie, but at the same time it's deliciously chaotic. It opens up a world of new possibilities that most would fear sooner than appreciate. To win is to lose and to struggle is to win. A true victory has no aftermath. The aftermath is a loss, because a true victory never ends." 

Filia stared at the monster lord that was hiding behind a plastic bush with her. This was not exactly the best setting, and certainly not the ideal company, to have anything resembling a deep conversation. Yet Filia felt as if she had just been told something meaningful, something vital, something that was too deep to be easily understood. "What do you mean?" The anger was overwhelmed with deep confusion and concern for the world as a whole. 

"Look, some ditz is trying to flirt with Milgazia." Zelas pointed out, changing the subject and ignoring Filia's look that pleaded for more information. "He's on the move, coward, running away like that. Even if golden dragons are so pathetically weak, a single laser breath would have been enough to kill that human, or just regular golden dragon bad breath." 

Filia decided not to reply. She wasn't going to amuse Zelas with an argument. Instead, she picked up her side of the pot that held the plastic bush and moved it along with Zelas to follow Milgazia. He stopped again, this time to speak with an elf woman in armor. "I can't help it but to think someone is watching me. I feel like the fake bushes are following me. Anyway, have you seen anything suspicious, Memphis?" 

"They're not following you, those weird fake bushes are just all over the place," the elf woman, called Memphis, replied. Zelas, who was well informed in the happenings of the world, recognized her as Milgazia's apprentice. "Maybe it's the people here that are staring at you, like that girl from a few minutes ago," she grinned. "Anyway, I didn't see any waiting ambushes or anything." 

"I thought as much," Milgazia concluded, ignoring the comment about the girl. "If Beast Master wanted to pick a fight, she could bring it to our home." 

"Then this means we can safely conclude that the wedding invitation for our clan was not part of an ambush. As if we'd fall for that anyway," Memphis huffed. "It was all probably just a bad joke, Zelas' way of rubbing the wedding on our faces, something about corrupting the golden dragon race, like the invitation said." 

Filia felt her heart sink as she listened. Milgazia shook his head in disagreement. "I don't think it's that simple, though the golden dragons have been driven to make mistakes in the past, I think this is different. If Zelas' intentions were only mockery, she could have done that without inviting me to the wedding. Her message to me with that invitation wasn't 'I'm corrupting your race' it was 'I know of the secret.' Don't you see? She's trying to tell me that she knows the truth about the balance needed to maintain chaos in an eternal struggle. Although I would only understand the message between the lines if I knew the truth too." 

Memphis sighed hopelessly. "Does that change anything? I doubt most monsters would hold back because of the truth. On the other hand, it is also a truth of hardships." 

"Everyone pushing and pulling towards their own side is what keeps the world going. It may seem like we got the worse end of this, but the monsters will be affected too." Milgazia continued speaking of things that Filia didn't understand. 

"If they believed," Memphis corrected. 

"Yes, but I doubt they will. Maybe it's even best if they don't know." Milgazia paused, giving his next few words some extra thought. "Maybe it's also best if the golden dragons, elves, humans and creatures of this world don't know either, for now at least, until they're ready." 

"It does bring a lot of self questioning, doesn't it?" Sighing tiredly, Memphis brought up an important point. "Beast Master may know, but what has she decided upon?" 

"Maybe I'll find out today," Milgazia concluded. 

Memphis gasped. "You don't mean?" 

"I was invited," Milgazia looked determined. He pulled out a golden pocket watch. "It's almost time; I'd best go get changed and ready for the event. Are you coming?" 

"Of course I'm going!" Memphis assured. 

Milgazia and Memphis began to walk away. Filia automatically picked up the pot with the fake heart shaped bush, but put it down again when she realized Zelas didn't look like she intended to move. Apparently she heard all that she needed to hear. "By the way, did you remember to buy a present?" Milgazia inquired as he and Memphis got lost among the crowds. 

"You mean a wedding gift?" Memphis looked surprised. "You weren't just joking about that?" 

"It would be rude to show up empty handed." Milgazia pointed out, and that was the last bit of conversation that reached Filia's ears from her current position. 

"Interesting," Zelas mused aloud. "This makes things a bit easier, but at the same time, there's also that to deal with..." 

"That?" Filia questioned. "What's going on?" 

"Nothing for you to worry your ugly little head over," Zelas grinned with mocking superiority. "Now let's get you into your dress and try to make you look somewhat decent for the wedding." A brick of dread settled into the pit of Filia's stomach. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia couldn't retrace her steps even if she tried. She knew she was at Amor Resort, but how she got to that particular building was a mystery to her. All she did was follow Zelas, dragging her feet. Filia's sense of place in the world didn't recover until she saw her bridesmaids near by, along with the guys, who were already dressed up in tuxedos. Xellos was there too, dressed as a groom should be, passing the time by throwing sarcastic comments around that annoyed Zelgadis and flew over Gourry's head. The murmurs of many voices beyond the opposite wall told of a gathered crowd, which Filia concluded were the guests. 

Filia finally realized that she was in a structure attached to the back of the temple where the wedding would take place, performed by Sylphiel and made official by the authority of Seyruun royalty. She went over to Xellos, who seemed to be perfectly calm, as if this was just another ordinary day, while Filia was a nervous wreck. "Is everything ready?" She asked, barely finding her voice. "Where are the rings?" She remembered she had not seen the wedding bands yet and those were usually present at weddings, unless of course, Zelas happened to decide they were unnecessary. 

Xellos attributed Filia's nerves to the approaching ceremony and didn't think there was anything more to it than that. At least until he saw that lost look in her eyes that screamed of guilt. She didn't seem to want to directly address what was bothering her at the moment though. "The best man has them." 

Filia nodded automatically, then paused, glancing around for anyone in the back room holding wedding rings. "Where's the best man?" She stopped again, coming to another realization. "Who is the best man?" 

From the lamp above their heads, little Val flew down from his perch and landed on Filia's shoulder as Xellos replied to her question by pointing at the small dragon and stating what had become obvious, "there." 

The little ancient dragon had a pair of chewed up wedding bands in his mouth. "Val, sweetie, give the rings to mommy." Val spat out the rings, but his miniscule yet strong jaws and tiny yet sharp growing fangs, had already twisted the valuable gold into something unidentifiable. The purer the gold the softer it was. "Can somebody fix these?" She held out the mashed up rings, giving Xellos a quick glare as soon as she noticed his amused look. He must have known Val would chew up the wedding bands. 

"Don't worry, Miss Filia, we'll take care of everything," Amelia graciously offered, taking the near shapeless gold from Filia's hands. 

"Enough stalling, your dress is in there," Zelas pointed at an adjacent door which led to a smaller changing room. Filia took a deep breath and bravely marched towards the door, mentally prepared to see something horrifying behind it. While Filia was changing, Zelas waved her hand in the air dismissively. "Finish the last few preparations and take your places everyone. I'm going to change into my dress," never mind that she could do so instantly is she so wished it. "Xellos, I'll see you at the entrance to throw you away or whatever you call that strange tradition that I'll have to take care of in Bazard's place because he's so very dead." Zelas knew all too well that Filia could hear her just fine through the thin door of the changing room. With that final mocking comment in place, she faded to the astral side. 

Meanwhile, inside the adjacent small room, Filia found herself staring at the dress she was supposed to wear. It was dark purple, but she should have seen that coming since Zelas did mention it. She examined it carefully and found that it was in perfect conditions and did not look like it would fall apart, or itch, or otherwise malfunction. She ran her fingers on the soft fabric, this was too easy and she was very suspicious. With as much courage as she could muster, Filia began to put on the dress, trying to figure out what the catch was. The answer soon arrived. 

Despite the dress being strapless, Filia wasn't worried that it would fall off; it was far too tight for that. What she was worried about was being able to breathe while wearing it. Her back was bare, the top only covering the front, ending below her shoulders. How in the world could a bareback dress hug her torso so closely was beyond the laws of physics. Perhaps the fabric was enchanted to be form fitting, or form squishing. The skirt finally became loose at the hips, flowing to the floor in a way that made Filia worry she would trip over it, or be somehow made to trip over it. 

Straining not to asphyxiate, Filia exited the changing room and found that only Zelas was left there, in her pretty diamond covered white gown, because she just had to be the center of attention. The monster lord's hair was also completely silver now and elegantly shiny. "Isn't this dress a little too tight?" Filia inquired in the most inoffensive tone she could push her voice into. 

"Nah, you're just fat," Zelas chirped with an infuriating amount of cheer. Filia felt her eye twitch. Xellos was definitely his mother's son, or monster lord's minion or whatever. Filia hated when the similarities between them shone through, it made it feel nonsensical to be so in love with Xellos and detest Zelas so strongly, but what was she supposed to do? Let it all go? She couldn't, not after seeing Milgazia again and being reminded of her race's suffering. 

To be Continued


	34. Chapter 34

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 100: Acceptance! Reconciling With The Past

Filia probably shouldn't be doing this and she knew it, but she had to. They could wait a little longer to start with the wedding. She was probably being rude to the guests that were gathered at the temple, but she had to get this off her chest. Thus she stayed still while a whirlwind encased her and played along having her hair all done up. Two strands fell on the sides of her face, the left one purple. If Filia had been paying attention, she would have taken a moment to hope the dye was temporary, but she wasn't paying attention. 

Filia looked at the reflection in the diamond decorated hand mirror Zelas had held up out of nowhere, not even glancing at the mocking look in the monster's eyes. "You're still as hideous as ever, but there's nothing more that can be done about that. Go on now; take your place next to the altar for the ceremony of golden dragon corruption and humiliation... I mean, for this lovely wedding." Without any further teasing, as if it wasn't enough already, Zelas disappeared into the astral side, leaving Filia alone with her plotting and planning. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At the entrance to the temple, Xellos was waiting for Zelas as instructed. She peeked over to the side of the temple and called Xellos over. "Look at that, your bride is running away with another man." Zelas sounded amused and not really serious. 

"My loyal little pet wouldn't do that," Xellos joked back. 

"Oh, but she is doing it, come see." Zelas hid herself at the edge of the temple's front, looking past the corner to the area at its side as she whispered. 

"I'm sure that's not what it is," Xellos peeked around the corner and found nothing. "Especially because Filia isn't even there," he finished. 

Zelas stood upright with a victoriously playful expression. "I made you look." 

"I fell for it, my bad," Xellos admitted in the same playful joking tone. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia nervously fingered her jewelry of gold with amethysts. The expensive looking bracelets and arm bands were extravagant, like something Zelas would wear. Actually, the dress was Zelas style too, elegant yet showy, prone to making heads turn. Filia looked around the back room one last time, almost fearing that Zelas would pop out of nowhere with another cruelly sarcastic comment to deliver. When that didn't happen, the golden dragon climbed out the window and went around the temple. 

Filia made her way around the side of the temple, keeping her head low, away from the view of the golden lined glass windows. She occasionally peeked in cautiously through the windows, searching for a specific guest. Sylphiel was dressed in the formal robes of a priestess, the white and gold outfit accentuated by two brooches side by side on her chest. One was the royal crest of Seyruun and the other was the crest of the Metallium family. Sylphiel looked like she was trying to pretend not to notice that second crest, but was admirably putting up with having to wear it. 

Lina, Amelia, Elena and Tiffany were standing to the side of the altar in their bridesmaids dresses. Amelia was holding Val, making sure he didn't chew up the repaired wedding bands. One side of the temple was filled with people that Filia mostly did not recognize. Celo and Galathia were there along with many other monsters and monster chimeras. Some were disguising themselves as humans and others appearing in a variety of grotesque monstrous forms. That had to be the side designated for the friends of the groom. The side for the friends of the bride held her new family and mostly humans with a few beastmen here and there. 

Martina, Zangulus, Philionel and Naga were all present, father and daughter sitting next to each other. That placed Naga in the middle between Phil and Gravos, who sat by her side at the front of the temple. It looked like he was having a conversation with an amused yet analytical Phil and looking more nervous than Filia ever remembered seeing Gravos get. As for Naga, she was laughing obnoxiously, leaving her boyfriend and father to converse while she was slightly turned around, chattering with Martina, who sat at the row behind her. Martina was also laughing obnoxiously, which was probably why the area was not occupied by anyone else aside from those who had their reasons to have to stick around near Naga and Martina. 

Jillas and Palou had moved back to try to put some distance between their ears and the sources of the painful sound waves. Fili, Xellos' pet wolf cub sat next to Palou, who was entertained in quietly playing with her. Near by were Phythan, Onyx and Fang, the monster fox retaining his almost human form sitting on Filia's side of the temple, possibly to balance it out, since there were so many monsters on the other side. Zelas probably advertised this event to them as some sort of comedy show. Naturally, Zelgadis and Gourry were there as well. Other people present in the bride's side of the temple were Kally, Kalio, Medusa and Pokota, along with several others that Filia didn't recognize. Those others included friends and relatives of Amelia and Pokota, plus a few people Lina and her traveling companions had encountered in their travels. Lina's family was absent, since Luna was a knight of Ceifeed and Zelas probably wouldn't want her there. Thus Lina conveniently forgot to suggest their names for the guest list when Tiffany had inquired about it. 

Some of the guests that Filia didn't recognize included Wizer Freion, Ruuma, Marlene, Jeffrey Mailstar, siblings Laia and Huey Einburg. The formal clothing designer Tatjana Dayward was looking quite uncomfortable as she exchanged dagger filled glares with the risque outfit designer Marty Lenford. Marty was feeling particularly confident while she alternated between glaring back at Tatjana and conversing with her stylish new friends; Sirene Fitzmeier and her husband Alphonse. Both of them claimed to be personal acquaintances of Naga the White Serpent, whom Marty positively had to have a word with at the reception in hopes of inviting her to join her team of models at the upcoming fashion show. Sirene and Alphonse also received invitations to the fashion show. 

There was also a man with dark purple and blond hair, whose glowing green eyes gave away his status as a monster. He was sitting alongside a human woman with short blond hair and brown eyes. Another odd pair of tall monster and petite human sat in the same row as them. The monster had red hair that had a darker, near-black color at the roots and eyes in a similar color to Lina's. Next to him there was a woman with black hair in pigtails, who held a smaller monster in her arms with the appearance of a pink bunny-like creature. 

Filia didn't know them, but she assumed that Xellos must know the monsters at least, they appeared to be of a high rank, lieutenants perhaps. They were actually pretty well known in distant regions of the world outside of the peninsula. Neuro, the monster who liked to feed on evil intentions and became involved in clarifying murder cases for that purpose, along with his human companion, Yako, who had a personal case she was trying to solve. Zenki, the monster who had been captured by a human sorcerer and trapped during the time of the War of the Monster's Fall. Years later, he was released by the sorcerer's descendant, Chiaki, to use his power to defend her village. 

Filia peeked into one of the windows near the front entrance of the temple, which was further away from the altar at the other end. There she spotted the person she was looking for. Milgazia was sitting there alongside an elf woman. Just like the other guests, both were dressed up in attire fit to attend a formal event. Filia lightly opened the window, thankful that Milgazia was conveniently sitting near it. "Mr. Milgazia..." She whispered. 

Filia didn't have to call too much, since Milgazia was already alert to his surroundings. He approached the window. "You're..." He had to pause in surprise when he realized who was at the window. "Filia Ul Copt," Milgazia whispered, trying not to gain the attention of the other guests. 

"Can I talk to you? Somewhere else I mean," Filia requested. 

"Yes, I wanted to speak with you too," Milgazia admitted. He glanced back at Memphis and nodded in assurance. "I'll be back in a little while." 

"Okay," Memphis agreed unsure, but made no motion to follow Milgazia as he jumped out the window. 

Unnoticed by Filia, Tiffany moved from her position alongside Amelia, Lina and Elena. She approached Sylphiel and whispered something to her ear, causing her to nod in understanding. Sylphiel left her position in front of the altar and retreated to the back room of the temple without a word. The strange occurrence left the other bridesmaids wondering what that was about, while Tiffany made her way towards the rows of guests. She approached Zangulus and whispered something to him, then left towards the back room where Sylphiel had gone earlier. 

Zangulus tapped Martina on the shoulder for several minutes until she finally paid attention to him. He knew it would have been useless to try to strain his voice to be heard over the combined chatter of Martina and Naga. He whispered something to Martina, who nodded and bid Naga farewell for the time being, as something had come up that she needed to take care of. A few seconds passed and Naga's curiosity got the best of her, thus she ran off to see what kind of business Martina and Zangulus could have in the back room. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Xellos, come see," Zelas once again was leaning over the corner, though this time it was the other side of the temple. "Your bride is running away with another man, for real this time!" 

Xellos wasn't sure why Zelas was in such a playful mood, but it was certainly better than an angry mood. Nonetheless, he wouldn't be tricked again. "I'm not falling for the same trick twice." 

"It's true this time, come see," Zelas voiced quietly with amuse urgency. "Milgazia just jumped out the window. He's talking to Filia. I think they're running off somewhere. Maybe she's looking to have one last fling with a member of her own species before she ties herself down to a monster. Or maybe she intends to marry him instead of you." 

Xellos' amused grin became more genuine at being called a monster. It filled him with a strange sense of pride that Zelas still acknowledged him as such, despite his current human condition. "Really now, you tricked me once but you can't expect the exact same trick to work twice in a row." Maybe Zelas was just stalling so that the guests would get all impatient and annoyed. Judging by the murmurs of the many different voices coming from inside the large temple, the atmosphere was already tense with all the monsters there. 

"I order you to come look immediately," Zelas commanded, her amusement never leaving her voice and face. 

"Alright," Xellos agreed, approaching the corner of the temple. "But I'm only looking because it's a direct order, not because I'm falling for the same trick again." As soon as he looked past the corner to the temple's side, he saw Filia running off with Milgazia. They turned the corner at the other end of the white building and disappeared behind the temple. "I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation for this." He insisted with an annoyed pout. 

"Such as your Filia being a dirty little cheat?" Zelas cheerfully suggested as if it was the most amusing thing she had heard all day. 

"Such as my Filia being kidnapped, she's such a damsel sometimes." That was an obvious lie and Xellos knew it. Even if Milgazia did decide to kidnap Filia, which Xellos seriously doubted was the case, she wouldn't be stolen away without a fight. As for the fight, if she had been defending herself, the temple would have been demolished in a barrage of lasers by now. The fact that no destruction had taken place could only mean that Filia was not being taken against her will. But the question still stood about what business she could possibly have with Milgazia. 

"So she's being kidnapped," Zelas chuckled. "How troublesome, are you going to save her?" 

"I suppose so," Xellos put as much laziness and complaint into his tone as he could, as if this was all a big drag. He took a few steps in Filia's general direction before turning back for a moment with a thumbs up. "I like the dress you made for Filia." He could imagine the dress was driving Filia crazy with how it hugged her torso so tightly. The slit on the side of the skirt was a nice touch that annoyed Filia even more; she had been trying to hold it closed as she walked. 

"I thought you would," Zelas grinned, knowing full well how annoyed Filia was with the dress. Golden dragon vexation was delicious. "Xellos," Zelas detained him for a moment longer. "If you're going to follow them, it must be done properly." 

"Properly?" Xellos questioned with a hint of impatience. 

"Yes," Zelas went down the white marble steps of the fancy temple and picked up a potted bush that was on the side of the street in front of it. It had mint green leaves and hot pink roses, all of which were made of plastic. The pot was white with red heart decorations on it. "Let's go." 

"Okay..." Xellos hid behind the fake heart shaped bush and turned the corner to the back of the temple along with Zelas. They spotted Milgazia and Filia sitting on a bench in a cute little patio behind the temple. The bench was of course decorated with hearts to fit the excessively romantic theme of the resort. "Why are we spying like this?" Xellos silently inquired. 

"This is how I spied on Milgazia with Filia earlier and it was fun." Zelas replied in a whisper. 

Xellos feigned hurt, with a hint of real surprise surfacing over his features. "You went spying with Filia and didn't bring me along?" He pouted in an exaggerated way. 

"Don't be a baby; just think of it as a girls day out, except it was a whole lot less than a day." Zelas quietly explained. "Next time you want to tag along with the girls when we're spying, I'll invite you. Just make sure you wear a pretty dress." 

"I'll remember that," Xellos joked. Though he rather not wear any dresses if it could be helped, he unlike Gourry and Zelgadis, wouldn't present any complaints if it was for whatever reason necessary. Then they quieted down and listened to the conversation between the two golden dragons. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Catching a hint of movement from the corner of his eyes, Milgazia looked back. Filia gazed at the spot he was looking at in puzzlement. "What is it?" She inquired. 

"Was that bush there a second ago?" Milgazia pointed it out. 

Filia blinked, tilting her head to the side slightly. "Of course it was there, those bushes are all over the place." 

"Right," Milgazia nodded. Maybe he was being a little too paranoid. He might have looked into it, but because the feeling of being watched had been with him for so long, he was learning to disregard it. He didn't sense any violent intentions from the bush anyway. "What were you trying to tell me?" 

"About that..." Filia tried to organize her thoughts into words, which turned out to be a very challenging task. "I just wanted to say that I'm aware of the past. I mean, I know what happened. Obviously I know, what golden dragon doesn't know, right? What I mean is that I disapprove; I strongly disapprove, a lot. It was terrible, and I know that, and I agree that it was awful. You believe me, don't you?" 

"Filia," Milgazia's interruption brought Filia's rambles to a pause. "This wedding, be honest, are you going through with this of your free will? If you're being pressured in any way, you can tell me. I'll help, but don't worry, I won't act rashly." 

"I'm doing this willingly," Filia assured. "I know that I am in many ways surrounded by danger and I'm sure you already know about the delicate situation concerning Val." Filia paused to gather her thoughts as Milgazia quietly nodded in understanding. "Even with all of that I assure you, no one is forcing me into this. I love Xellos and I... even if I shouldn't I do. Even if I should feel terribly guilty somehow I don't. The past makes me sad, but the present makes me happy. Does that even make any sense? Am I a shameless terrible dragon who has been corrupted?" 

"What would you do if I disapproved of this union?" Milgazia curiously inquired. 

"I'll go through with it anyway," Filia answered without a second thought, her face full of determination. "I'm not looking for approval; I just needed to tell a golden dragon about my feelings on all of this, a real golden dragon who is still an active part of dragon society. I'm not hoping for any encouragement or kind words that I do not deserve. I just wanted to say this, to get it off my chest. I know it may seem like I shunned the golden dragons when I found out about the ancient dragons and after my clan was wiped out, but in the end I'm still a golden dragon and I should be, I am, proud of that. In short, I just wanted to tell you that the golden dragons do matter to me, even if we may have our disagreements. The golden dragon race is important to me, it'll always be important to me and I'll always be a part of it. I might have denied that in the past, but I take it back. I'm a golden dragon even if other golden dragons may not consider me as such." 

"That is enough," Milgazia gently assured, recalling something that happened relatively not too long ago. "When I met Xellos again after over a thousand years, I was angry at him. He came looking for the Claire Bible along with Lina Inverse and her friends. He even threatened to harm the golden dragons again. I was frustrated and worried, but after seeing how they interacted with Xellos in such a carefree way, I realized that we weren't in any danger. There was something about Lina and her friends that made me think they would not be so easily disregarded. It wasn't a matter of sheer power and though they might have been being used, it wasn't only usefulness either." 

Milgazia continued, "I suppose there are some people in the world that are so peculiar not even monsters wish to destroy them, people that they would much rather observe. In the grander scheme of things it only makes the truth easier to believe, despite it being so..." Milgazia left the sentence hanging and moved on to something else. "Nonetheless, no one should lower their guard around a monster." He finished in a more neutral manner. "All else aside, its only natural to chase after what your heart tells you, regardless of if it might not make perfect sense right away. Your influence may be for the best." 

Filia was feeling both relieved and puzzled. She was glad that Milgazia didn't reprimand her. She would love Xellos all the same, but it was still a big weight off her shoulders. She was also curious about this truth that Milgazia hinted at. Zelas was aware of it as well, but what was it? "Honestly, I don't really have any influence. There's nothing I can do to change Zelas' mind if she decides to go on the attack." 

"The best kind of influence is the kind that requires no trying, the things that just happen on their own. Every creature in the world is influencing every other creature without even knowing it," Milgazia assured. 

Filia closed her eyes, drying the emotion filled tears she didn't realize she had shed. "Thank you, I'm glad I could speak to you like this." 

Milgazia handed Filia a white golden lined handkerchief. "I am too. I should return to the temple now and I believe you have a wedding to get ready for." 

"Right, I'll be ready in a moment!" Filia smiled. 

As Milgazia left, he gave one of the heart shaped plastic potted bushes a suspicious look, then continued on his way. As soon as Milgazia was gone, Xellos jumped out from behind the bush, startling Filia. As a result, she was caught off guard and had no time to present any resistance when Xellos snatched away the handkerchief and burned it. 

"I was using that!" Filia indignantly protested. 

"No amount of wiping your face will make you any less ugly," Zelas mocked. "The mirror doesn't lie." The amused monster lord pulled out an elegant diamond decorated hand mirror out of astral space and handed it to Filia. 

Filia's eyes had been lined with black and decorated with dark purple eye shadow, which accentuated her clear blue orbs and long eyelashes. Her eyes looked stunningly beautiful before. Now her crimson lips were still glossy, but her eye makeup, which was not water resistant at all, had been completely ruined. She had black and purple lines running down her face in a big mess that Milgazia was too much of a gentleman to directly point out. This certainly explained why he thought she needed a handkerchief, which she would have certainly ruined with black and purple stains if Xellos hadn't ruined it by turning it into ashes first. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 101: Rush! Chaotic Rampage

The temple where Filia and Xellos unusual wedding was set to take place was full of conversation and tension. The monsters sitting at the groom's side of the structure were talking about how they would love to rip the bride's friends apart, purposely keeping their voices loud to feast on the discomfort the mental images produced. As for the bride's friends, they kept shifting around nervously with Philionel trying to keep the peace by loudly telling lame justice jokes that no one really thought were funny. 

"Isn't this taking too long?" Lina whispered to Amelia. Tiffany's odd behavior a few minutes ago got her thinking that there might be a situation that she was thus far unaware of. "Do you think there's something wrong and they're trying to solve it as quietly as possible?" 

"I hope not," Amelia replied, trying to keep her worried expression in check, so as to not clue in the guests too much. It was best for them to keep thinking that both the bride and the groom happened to be fashionably late to their own wedding and that there was nothing actually wrong. The Seyruun princess felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned around to see the figure of a person wearing black. 

The mysterious person was a female, judging by the shape of her body. The woman had quietly snuck behind her out of seemingly no where, her face was completely covered in black, save for her emerald eyes. Without a warning, the woman snatched away the wedding bands and jumped back. 

Already anxious from the long wait, Amelia couldn't help her outburst as she hugged Val protectively and demanded. "Give those rings back in the name of justice!" Her voice rung out crystal clear, echoing loudly across the temple as if she had a megaphone integrated into her throat. 

The sheer potency of Amelia's sudden voice made Lina jump back. The redhead knew that her dark haired friend's voice could reach considerably high volumes, but it wasn't until Amelia actually tried to be heard over a noisy crowd that Lina realized just how loud those volumes could be. Needless to say, Lina was thankful that Amelia did not have her older sister's habit of laughing obnoxiously. 

The ninja woman did not say anything in reply to Amelia's demands. Instead she backed away and made a swift escape through one of the temple's windows. "Come back here!" Amelia called after her, with little Val screeching loudly in an attempt to imitate his justice loving aunt. The princess and the young ancient dragon both chased after the ring thief, jumping out the window, leaving behind a stunned Lina and Elena. 

"Amelia!" Zelgadis got up from his seat and hurried after Amelia, exiting the temple via the same window. 

Filia emerged in the main part of the temple from a door to the back room hidden from view behind the altar. Her face was cleaned and her make-up redone. Beast Master insisted that she should at least try to look half decent, even if the attempt would inevitably fail. The golden dragon was holding a beautiful bouquet of purple flowers that looked like they were poisonous, but no one was going to consume them anyway, so it didn't really matter. With tiny steps so as to not show too much leg from the slit of her dark purple dress' skirt, Filia stood beside the altar, in the position normally designated for the groom to wait for his bride to enter the temple. She looked at Lina and Elena, wondering where Amelia, Tiffany and Sylphiel were. Filia noticed that Lina appeared to be rather uncomfortable, as if she was unwillingly stuck with the task of delivering bad news. She listened to the active murmurs of the crowd that not even the arrival of the bride could cease. They were saying something about stolen rings. "Lina? What are the guests talking about? Where are the wedding rings?" Filia questioned with growing worry. 

"Um..." Lina shifted uncomfortably. She should have rushed out along with Amelia, then she wouldn't be stuck delivering the bad news. She looked at Elena, throwing the task at her. 

"The wedding rings were taken away," Elena confessed, "but I'm sure they'll be recovered soon." 

An orchestra composed of both humans and monsters, some in disguise and others shamelessly showing their frightening forms, began to play a wedding march that sounded more like a funeral song than anything else. Lord Beast Master entered the temple and the crowd finally fell into silence. All eyes were on the monster lord as she walked in her beautiful ivory dress decorated with diamonds, the flowing skirt leaving a long trail of fabric behind her that was much longer than Filia remembered it being when she saw that dress before. Her perfect figure was well accentuated, her smooth tan skin glowing, decorated with extravagant jewelry of white gold and diamonds. Her hair was silver to match her stunning eyes, as she marched down the long red golden lined red carpet set along the center corridor of the temple between the rows of seats. The monster lord grinned like a movie star who knows she's about to win an Oscar. Like a beauty queen, she waived regally to the guests with the hand that wasn't linked with Xellos' arm. 

Filia didn't know what to do. Two of her bridesmaids were gone, the priestess was gone, the wedding bands were gone. How could the wedding progress with so many missing pieces? While Filia drowned in her nerves, Zelas and Xellos finished making their way to the front of the temple where Zelas released Xellos' arm and gave Filia a critical look. The monster lord glanced at the altar, noticing that several people were missing from their positions. "Did the wedding staff run away? How rude, don't they know they're supposed to wait for the 'speak now or forever hold your peace' line before they express their disagreement?" 

"The rings were stolen," Lina informed the groom and his 'mother' in a grim quiet whisper so that only Filia, Xellos and Zelas could hear. "Amelia ran off with Val to try to recover them." 

"What was that?" Zelas pretended she didn't hear. "Speak up, Lina, I don't think they heard you way in the back." 

"They weren't supposed to," Lina clarified, though it was obvious. 

"Oh but they should," Zelas insisted with a grin. "Tell the guests the reason for this delay, it would be rude not to." 

Filia had enough; she stepped forward and addressed the gathered crowd. "We apologize for this delay, please give us a few more minutes and the ceremony will resume." She then turned to face Lina, Xellos and Zelas. "I'm going to help Amelia get the rings back. What did the thief look like?" 

Lina pointed to the entrance of the temple, "like that." Standing at the open doorway was the same ninja woman from before. She was casually throwing and catching one of the wedding bands tauntingly, the fate of the other unknown. 

"That's one of the rings!" Filia spotted the stolen ring and took off in a mad dash towards the entrance to the temple. The slit of her skirt made the material flow behind her like a cape around her waist, giving the flowing gown the appearance of a mid-thigh mini-skirt. 

Flirty whistling was heard from the bride's side of the temple as Filia dashed by, her haste to recover the ring preventing her from realizing how much she was showing off her legs. Xellos identified the source of the whistling as originating from a brown haired man, it was the golem maker, Huey. He soon found himself frozen solid in a block of ice thanks to a well aimed Freeze Arrow from Xellos. His sister, Laia, crossed her arms indignantly, making no effort to assist her brother in escaping his icy prison; she believed he got what he deserved. 

Lina tried to join the chase to recover the ring, from the ninja woman, who ran away as soon as she saw Filia advancing towards her. The red haired sorceress took a few steps and soon fell flat on her face, tripping because of her high heels. Sirene took a moment to stand up, point at Lina and laugh in her imitation of Naga's insufferable laughter. She was soon joined by Alphonse and even Marty. Growling indignantly, Lina shot a barrage of fire balls in their direction, accidentally hitting the thin and bony knight wanna-be, Jeffrey, with one of them. "Oops..." 'At least his mother isn't here,' Lina thought. 

Though she had been no where to be seen before, Jeffrey's overprotective short and chubby mother, Josephine, jumped out of seemingly nowhere. The mallet wielding, executioner mask wearing, super fast terror, set her angry glare on Lina. "You dare to attack my Jeffrey?" 

"It was an accident!" Taken off guard, Lina pleaded for mercy. Her dress and heels limited the agility of her movements and she could do nothing more than stumble to her feet and back to the floor in a failed attempt to dodge. 

"Lina!" Gourry jumped out from the crowd heroically, using his new sword to block the incoming impact of Josephine's mallet. 

The mallet was cut in two upon colliding with the powered up dragon horn sword. One half of it remained attached to the long handle and the other half was sent flying over Lina's head by the force of the momentum with which Josephine had swung her weapon. The detached half of the mallet collided with Celo's head painfully. "Ow, that was uncalled for!" He protested. It was a good thing he was part monster, because he was sure his skull would have been shattered into tiny pieces if he had been fully human. 

"I will avenge my Jeffrey!" Josephine shouted at the top of her lungs. She swung her weapon again, each time the mallet losing a piece that was chopped off when it collided with Gourry's super sharp sword. 

"I told you it was an accident!" Lina tried to argue. She took off her high heels and threw them away in frustration. "I'm sorry!" 

Celo had moved to a different seat, further away from the front in hopes of avoiding any additional pain. Unfortunately, that happened to be where Lina's pink heels landed one after the other colliding with his head. "Ow, not again! How terribly disrespectful." 

"Calm down, lady!" Gourry shouted at the stubborn woman in the executioner mask. "Lina's sorry and it takes a lot to get her to apologize, so it really means something!" 

With nothing but a tiny piece of the handle left of her mallet, Josephine finally relented. "Oh, alright, if you're really sorry, I'll forgive you; just make sure it doesn't happen again." 

Josephine tossed the useless piece of metal handle over her shoulder and it promptly landed on Celo's head. "Is this uncalled for violence day?" He complained. 

With her task fulfilled, Josephine left as swiftly and mysteriously as she arrived. Lina let out a breath of relief and went back to the task at hand. "Let's go, we have some rings to recover!" 

"We'll get them back in no time!" Philionel joined Lina and Gourry, cheering loudly, deciding that it was time to join the fun. "Zelgadis already ran off after Amelia a while ago. We should go help them search for the missing rings, so that this wedding can finally take place. Did you hear that everyone?" Philionel addressed all the guests. "It's a scavenger hunt for the wedding rings, let's get them back as soon as possible, go!" 

The temple was soon emptied, as a stampede of formally dressed guests avalanched out to play along with Philionel's plan as if participating in a sort of party game. Among the stampede, Celo discretely approached Kally, Kalio and Medusa, delivering a secret message to them. In the middle of the distraction, Zelas faded to the astral side with a very amused expression adorning her mischievous features. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, at the main street of Amor Resort, Filia dashed after the emerald eyed ninja woman. Another female ninja, this one with blue eyes, was perched on top of the cupid decorated fountain. The ninja with green eyes threw the golden wedding band to her blue eyed ally, who dashed away in a hurry. Filia stopped to catch her breath, this wasn't fair. She had been chasing the first woman for quite a long distance and they were both tired, but the second ninja had been standing there resting, waiting for her companion to hand over the ring. Plus the whereabouts of the other wedding band were still unknown. As soon as she caught her breath, Filia let out her frustration in the shape of a laser breath aimed at the blue eyed ninja woman. 

"Watch out!" The ninja with green eyes called out to her comrade, her voice sounding oddly familiar to Filia's ears. 

The ninja with blue eyes pulled out a strange yet familiar talisman from her black identity concealing outfit and used it to create a shield which protected her from the laser breath, allowing her to make a safe get away. 

Frustrated beyond words, Filia felt her temper flare. "Give me back the wedding rings!" She was surrounded by a golden glow as she threw a hissy fit and the next thing anyone knew, there was a large golden dragon standing where the elf woman in the purple dress had once been. Unfortunately, at the moment Filia wasn't wearing any sort of enchanted item that would store her clothes and accessories when she transformed. As a result, the purple fabric of her form fitting dress was torn to pieces unable to contain her new size, the ruined shreds of dark purple fabric falling to the floor around her. Her jewelry was ruined as well, all but her engagement ring, which was safely stuck to the very tip of her left ring finger claw. 

With a mighty roar, Filia took off after the blue eyed ninja woman. Seeing her large pursuer rapidly approaching, the ninja quickly turned the corner, ducking into a narrow alley between two tall buildings. Enraged beyond reason, Filia came to a screeching halt in front of the alley and pushed the two buildings aside to make room for her large golden dragon body to pass between them. The pair of buildings collapsed left and right, crashing into the structure next to them and spreading the damage like dominos. 

This was certainly more than the ninja woman expected. The blue eyed woman tossed the ring she had in her possession to a male ninja, who dashed away with it. Forgetting about the woman, Filia hastily followed the man, shooting lasers at him and spreading destruction in her path. 

Milgazia witnessed the scene from several feet away in awe. "I didn't think Filia's temper was like this," he observed. Then again, it took a strong woman to marry a monster general priest. 

"Wow," Memphis accurately commented. 

"I better go try to talk some sense into her before innocent civilians get hurt," Milgazia decided. 

"You mean before innocent civilians get killed," Memphis corrected. "I'm pretty sure the toll of injuries is already quite high." 

Ignoring his apprentice's remark, Milgazia transformed in a bright golden light. "Ah, my eyes!" Galathia, who was watching Milgazia hiding behind a heart shaped plastic bush, jumped out holding her hands over her eyes under the thick veil that covered her face. "Don't you know this fabric is enchanted to only block the view one way? I can see just fine with this veil over my head, or at least I could before you shone that ridiculously bright golden light in my eyes!" The Gorgon monster complained, as she rubbed her eyes some more under her veil. 

"Calm down," Milgazia, now much larger in full dragon form, spoke. "Just blink a few times and your eye sight will return to normal, that light doesn't cause any permanent damage, not even to monsters." 

"She's got a point though," Memphis acknowledged. "It is kind of blinding. I already know to look away when you're transforming, but I'm sure you annoy a lot of people with that overly bright light." 

"It's not like they would all be willing to politely look away if I asked them too," Milgazia defended. "Besides, it's faster than having to find a private place to transform every time." 

Galathia's eyes were fully recovered now as she glared under her veil with her hands on her hips. "That's the whole point! I didn't want to miss the show!" 

Memphis gave Galathia an odd look while Milgazia frowned in embarrassed disapproval. "Aren't monsters supposed to hate golden dragons?" The elf inquired with almost academic curiosity. "Shouldn't you be more disgusted than attracted?" 

Galathia shrugged, "lust is a sin too, you know," she pointed out in her defense. 

"I've heard enough, more than enough, actually." Preferring to end the exchange before it became even more disturbing than it already was, Milgazia hurried after Filia. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Earlier, the green eyed ninja woman had tossed one of the wedding bands at another similarly dressed female, whom Amelia was still chasing after. The busty ninja seemed to be having fun as she dashed away with one of the wedding bands in hand. "Stop in the name of justice!" Amelia kept calling out continuously, albeit it was evident that she was only wasting her breath. Val was flying close to Amelia, screeching loudly and throwing little laser beams at the agile ninja woman. Not too far behind, Zelgadis was following after them in the crazy chase to recover the stolen wedding rings. 

The busty ninja woman saw her allies ahead. She tossed the ring to another woman, who tossed it to a man, who tossed it to a ninja clad creature with tentacles, who tossed it to another man. Each time the wedding band switched hands, or tentacles, it got further away from Amelia, Val and Zelgadis. Even so, the allies of justice would not give up the chase and hurried after them as fast as they could. 

Not too far from there, Milgazia approached Filia cautiously, an enraged golden dragon female was very dangerous, though one didn't usually become this angry unless her children were threatened, this one was obviously exceptionally temperamental. "Miss Filia," Milgazia tried to address her in the calmest tone he could muster despite the situation. 

A loud roar echoed as another female golden dragon arrived on the scene, her head covered with a black mask as she tackled Milgazia behind a row of buildings. It all happened in a split second as Filia turned to look at the one calling her. Instead she saw a rising cloud of dust among the continued panicked screams of the crowds of resort tourists and employees. 

Turning her attention back to the ninja she was chasing, Filia realized that the man had regrouped with the two ninja women with green and blue eyes. There were also more ninja joining them, two men, two women and something that wasn't quite human in shape. They were being chased by Amelia, Zelgadis and Val. 

Emerging from the debris all around them, Wizer pointed at the gathered ninja. "There they are!" Lina, Gourry, Pokota, Jillas, Elena, Palou, Gravos, Philionel, Phythan, Onyx, Fang, Xellos and Zelas arrived at the scene along with him. 

Milgazia stood up from behind the row of almost collapsing buildings with the masked golden dragon holding him back. "What's the meaning of this?" He roared. 

"This is Filia's fight, I won't let you interfere!" The masked golden dragon insisted in a familiar voice. 

"All the other golden dragons transformed," Phythan observed. "I guess I might as well do it too!" Said and done, Phythan changed to his dragon form. At least he didn't take up as much space as Filia, the masked golden dragon or Milgazia, who was the biggest out of all the golden dragons present. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 102: Together! Ode To Chaos

Just when it looked like things were finally proceeding smoothly for the wedding of Xellos and Filia, at the last moment the wedding rings were stolen by a mysterious person in ninja attire. The unforeseen event caused a rampage of chaos to spill over Amor Resort, as all those present ran off to recover the rings. Filia, transformed into her true dragon shape in a fit of rage, was facing off after the reunited group of thieving ninja. Milgazia had transformed to try to talk some sense into Filia without risking being stepped on, but he had been held back by a ninja masked female golden dragon. 

Seeing as there were other golden dragons in their true form there, Phythan decided to transform as well, in the usual sudden way that lacked in modesty. "I never get tired of seeing that!" Galathia squealed in delight. She made her way to the area past the debris just on time to witness the transformation. 

"Not again," Zelas groaned exasperated. Phythan was not supposed to so carelessly transform in her presence, but it stood to reason that he had not seen her coming, thus Zelas decided to spare his life, annoyance aside. "For the record if anyone cares to know," even though honestly, no one probably wanted to know. "Milgazia's little light show has no effect on particularly powerful beings, which obviously includes me." 

Galathia pouted in frustration, "you're so lucky," she grumbled under her breath. 

"What's that? I'm terribly unfortunate? Indeed I am," Zelas dramatically placed her hand on her forehead with an exaggerated expression of misery. Her face soon evolved into warning anger. "The next dragon that doesn't cover up when transforming is going to die, no arguments! All this bare dragon skin is making me terribly hungry." 

Phythan backed away in fear, "I'm sorry, Lord Beast Master!" 

Unwisely, Galathia half asked and half stated. "Hungry for passion?" 

Zelas glared murderously, "hungry for flesh." 

The gorgon decided it was time to partially change the subject. "About Milgazia," Galathia began to inquire in a mischievous 'spare no details' tone of voice. 

"The next person to ask me to describe things I wasn't supposed to see in the first place will die too!" Zelas warned in a threatening beastly growl. 

Galathia slapped both hands over her mouth under her veil and nodded quietly. 

The male ninja who had received the ring from the blue eyed female ninja, who was being chased by Filia, tossed it to the busty ninja woman. The man who had caught the other ring after it was passed from one ninja to another tossed it to her as well. The busty ninja woman backed away, giving the other ninja some room. Amelia took the opportunity to take her by surprise and tackle her, but at the last moment, she threw the rings to the ninja woman with the green eyes. However, the tall busty ninja was still caught and Amelia wasted no time in removing the black mask that covered her head to reveal her hidden identity. "Naga?!" 

Zelgadis stopped cold in the middle of his pursuit of the green eyed ninja. He couldn't help it but to look back at Amelia's captive, who had been revealed to be her sister. "What in the world is going on here?" 

The green eyed ninja backed away and threw the wedding rings at one of the male ninja, who caught them and jumped on top of a pile of debris a short distance away from the area where the other ninja had gathered. He removed his mask to reveal that he was Celo. The green eyed ninja then removed her mask too and revealed she was Sylphiel. "It was only a matter of time before our identities were discovered. Either way it doesn't matter because our mission is complete. Miss Filia has transformed and is ready to face her opponent!" 

"This will be a grand show! Ah ha ha ho ha ha!" Naga's laughter echoed. 

The masked golden dragon removed her mask as well, to reveal she was Tiffany, though given the limited number of golden dragons that were on the island, that was pretty easy to guess anyway. "I wish you luck, sweet Filia!" 

"Luck for what? What is this?" Filia demanded to know as she stomped her large clawed feet angrily. 

Xellos levitated over to Filia and perched himself on her shoulder. "I'm not sure what this is about, but it looks like a summoning." He pointed at the ninja below. 

"A summoning?" Filia looked at the remaining five ninja all of which had uncovered their faces. 

Martina stood in the middle of their gathering, holding up the talisman of Zoamelgustar. Surrounding her were Zangulus, Kally, Kalio and Medusa, who were also holding up Zoamelgustar talismans. "Prepare to feel the wrath of the mighty monster Zoamelgustar!" The five talismans glowed unexpectedly as a shadowy figure began to emerge from them, the mist of each talisman uniting in the center. 

The mist became more solid, taking the shape of a large mask that looked exactly like the Zoamelgustar talismans. The mask shot out lasers from its eyes, which Filia narrowly ducked out of the way of. She jumped back, slightly flapping her wings and retaliated with her laser breath. The laser went right through the mask, having no effect what so ever. The mask shot more eye lasers at Filia, which she struggled to dodge as they were coming in extremely fast. 

"Is it just me or is Filia's stomping around making a much bigger mess than the lasers," Lina wondered. 

"It's not just you, the lasers are illusions and so is the mask." Milgazia, who had since been released by Tiffany and gone back to his elf form, joined the others, followed by Tiffany, Phythan and Memphis. The dragons had all transformed back into their elf forms away from Zelas' view, thus her hunger was not further provoked. Unlike Filia, Milgazia had actually planned ahead considering the possibility of needing to transform and his tuxedo was intact when he changed back. Interestingly, he now held a bucket of popcorn which Lina and Gourry were eyeing hungrily. 

Zelas looked amused, "I'm sure that Xellos already knows, but I don't think he'll tell her. Let's all watch Filia make a fool of herself in a fine representation of the golden dragon race." 

Seeing that the situation was mostly under control, the resort tourists gathered around to watch. The rest of the wedding guests also joined in as spectators. While all of that took place, Memphis looked like she had something to say, constantly opening and closing her mouth. Yet no sounds came out, because she just didn't know how to express what was on her mind. Finally, she poured all her indignation, which wasn't supposed to be her own, into one word, "uncle!" 

"Let it go Memphis, just let it go. We're not in danger here," and Milgazia wanted to keep it that way. Most of all he didn't want to anger Zelas and have her take the fight to his clan. 

"That's right, there's no need to throw a hissy fit over the fact that dragons are stupid." Zelas cheerfully stated her own form of agreement. She snatched away Milgazia's popcorn and stuffed a handful of the buttery treats in her mouth. Then she made a disgusted sound, "ew, dragon germs!" She threw away the bucket of popcorn. 

The bucket of popcorn landed on the head of an approaching Celo. It wasn't as hard as the other items that had hit him on the head that day, but it was certainly stickier. "Is this throw things at Celo's head day?" He complained as he threw the bucket off his head and brushed off the popcorn that was sticking to his hair with the hand that wasn't holding the wedding rings. 

"The popcorn!" Lina agonized at the waste of good food. Zangulus and Martina had disappeared towards an unknown destination when everyone's attention was focused elsewhere. They approached the group pushing little popcorn selling carts, revealing where Milgazia had gotten his popcorn. Needless to say, their mobile businesses were immediately targeted by Lina and Gourry. 

While all the commotion went on for the crowd to enjoy, Filia was becoming frustrated. Xellos was still sitting on her shoulder grinning in amusement. The monsters that had been invited to the wedding were practically rolling with laughter in the crowd below, making a mockery out of the golden dragons. 

A lady with long hair wearing a blue dress and a man in a tuxedo, much like the many that were in use in the area, approached Zelas. "Great party, your staff certainly has a talent for comedy shows." The woman in blue commended. 

"Admittedly the entertainment is better than I expected," the man agreed. 

Milgazia instinctively inched away from them. He knew he was walking into monster territory, but he didn't expect to find Zelas, Dolphin and Dynast all in the same place. Yet there they were, making a mockery out of his race, but strangely, he wasn't worried. He didn't feel the rush of battle adrenaline that came with the presence of impending doom. This wasn't a battle field, this wasn't a time for war, it was a time for recreation. Zelas would not permit any real battles to take place, not with her general priest in such an exposed state. This was a temporary truce that Milgazia knew was in everyone's best interest not to break. 

Filia's frustration grew alongside her exhaustion. When she finally had enough, she rushed towards Martina. "That thing is Zoamelgustar; it answers to you, doesn't it." 

Martina was in the process of selling Lina some popcorn, as it was demanded by her current employment, even if she wasn't too happy about having to serve Lina food, or serve her anything at all. Lina had her greedy expectant hands outstretched to receive the large bucket of caramel covered popcorn, her expression denoting her hunger. That's when Martina threw the popcorn in indignation. "Do not call the great Zoamelgustar a thing!" 

"No!" Lina agonized over the waste of food. 

Predictably, the popcorn landed on Celo's head. He removed the sticky mess, doing his best to clean his hair. "I'm really not liking this running gag," he frowned. 

The mask of Zoamelgustar was about to shoot another laser at Filia, who jumped out of the way immediately. The beams of light headed towards her previous location of a split second ago, threatening to collide with the area where the popcorn vendors and their customers were located. "Look out!" Filia warned, but no one seemed inclined to move. The light of the lasers collided with the area but produced no damage what so ever. "What?" Filia stood still as the next blast of lasers from Zoamelgustar came and passed harmlessly through her. "This is only an illusion!" The laughter of the crowd echoed, along with Xellos. Filia grabbed hold of him in her large clawed golden scaly hand and glared, looking very much like a fairytale dragon with a hostage on hand. Except Xellos wasn't a princess in a flowing dress, hoping to be rescued by a brave knight before she was devoured by a fierce dragon. "You knew!" Filia accused while she shook Xellos. 

All that shaking was making Xellos kind of dizzy, but not dizzy enough to withhold his classic comeback. Though his arms were being held down by Filia's massive golden fingers and thus he couldn't make his trademark pose, he still spoke the words he was so well known for. "That is a secret." 

Filia let out a deafening roar and threw another hissy fit, before running off in the direction of the lopsided wooden clock tower with Xellos, literally, on hand. She ducked into the plastic forest and seemingly disappeared in a golden flash. 

"Encore, encore!" The monsters loudly chanted, soon to be joined by the rest of the crowd. 

"Hear that, Zelas? They want more, can you provide it?" Dynast challenged. 

"Of course I can, I'll prove that I am the best party host," Zelas proudly declared. "Now let's see, who shall be the star of the next part of the show." Her eyes landed on Milgazia, who wanted to fade out of existence. 

Galathia immediately jumped forward. "Why don't Milgy and I dance a passionate romantic tango to entertain the guests?" She offered. 

Milgazia shook his head, "I don't know how to dance, I'll step on your feet," he lied. 

"I don't have any feet for you to step on, hottie," Galatia wiggled her snake tail reminding him that she was a serpent from the waist down. 

"Galathia, your one sided flirting isn't funny, it's pitiful," Zelas shook her head in disapproval. "Besides, I have a better idea, Phythan, go behind that pile of debris over there and transform back into a golden dragon." 

"Right away!" Phythan cheerfully agreed and obeyed Zelas' request. He emerged from the debris in his dragon form, stepping over it and approaching the group. 

"Why did you have to make him hide, just because you don't like golden dragon fan service doesn't mean the rest of us wouldn't enjoy it," Galathia pouted in disappointment. 

Dolphin twisted her nose in disgust, "you're weird. Liking a dragon is okay for an odd ball like Xellos, but for us sane, non-chimera, monsters it's weird." Dolphin then added in a whisper under her breath. "Honestly, I think Zelas was drunk on radioactive wine when she made Xellos." Monsters didn't normally get drunk or obtained any sort of effect from beverages beyond taste, although obscure legends told of a special spell that could enchant drinks to induce a drunken state even in purely astral beings. 

"I heard that," Zelas growled. "Back to the topic of amusement, gather around for the golden dragon roller coaster, it's a classic ride that no one ever gets tired of!" 

"Using golden dragons to carry us around for fun?" Dynast mused aloud. "It seems appropriately mocking," he nodded in approval. "I want to ride that one!" He pointed at Tiffany. 

Celo stepped forward with a protective pout upon his face. "That's my wife." 

"So? Doesn't she come with roller coaster functions like all golden dragons do?" Dynast inquired. 

Dolphin giggled in a way that was too cute for a monster lord. "That went right over your head, didn't it Dynast?" 

"What did?" Dynast inquired in confusion. 

"Never mind, let me find a private spot to transform and I'll come give the innocent one a nice little ride." Tiffany chirped as she headed over to find a hiding place behind the debris. 

"What did I miss?" Dynast insisted on knowing, but no one wanted to tell him. All the while the illusion of Zoamelgustar kept putting up quite the laser light show, which would go on for some time, until the magic faded away. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After hiding herself from view among the plastic trees behind the lopsided wooden clock tower and confirming that there was no one in the area, Filia put Xellos down, looking embarrassed. "I had a little accident with my dress," she confessed in a mix of shame and warning. 

Interested in hearing more, Xellos curiously inquired. "What kind of accident?" 

Filia knew she had to confess because it was about to become obvious anyway. "It was torn to shreds because I had no way to magically store it when I transformed," she confessed. After taking another look around to make sure they were indeed alone, she warned. "Don't say anything!" Then she changed into her elf form and hurriedly made her way into the empty clock tower, thankful that she knew there was no one there. All those who could possibly enter the structure were gathered below the area where the Zoamelgustar light show was. 

"It's such a pity that you destroyed that dress, it actually made you look less ugly." Xellos teased as he followed Filia inside the clock tower and up the stairs to rummage around for something to wear. 

Surely Tiffany had plenty of clothes in her rebuilt home by now and wouldn't mind if she borrowed some. "I told you not to say anything," Filia growled, not turning around to even glance at Xellos. 

"What? It was a compliment," Xellos defended with feigned innocence. "Either way, I like what you're wearing now better." 

Filia finally found Tiffany's room, let herself in and began to browse through her closet. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm not wearing anything!" She snapped, while picking up a simple navy blue dress and examining it. 

"That's my point," Xellos grinned mischievously, wrapping his arms around Filia from behind. "If you want, we could skip the wedding and move along to the honey moon," he whispered in her ear, nibbling on her neck. 

For a moment Filia almost gave into temptation... almost. Then she loudly exclaimed, "absolutely not!" Adamantly declaring her refusal so as to convince not only Xellos, but also herself. 

"Why are you being so stubborn? Technically, we already skipped ahead to the honey moon before," Xellos reminded. 

"That's not the point!" Filia argued. "I can't get distracted now. I have to show Zelas that I'm strong enough to put up with anything she can dish out, or she'll just pick on me even more. I'm not running away and giving up. This is only a temporary retreat for clothes. I intend to march right back into that temple and get married as soon as possible." 

"Someone's really determined, as I suspected, you're completely obsessed with me," Xellos smugly teased. 

Filia pouted and finished getting dressed. "That's how you wish it were." 

"And how it is," Xellos grinned. 

"Let's finish this discussion later," Filia proposed. "We have a wedding to get back to and it's already been postponed long enough." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

When Xellos and Filia finally reunited with the others, the illusionary image of Zoamelgustar was close to fading away completely. As for the guests, they were being amused by golden dragon roller coasters. It was an activity in which Milgazia was forced to participate under a death threat. After a while of roller coaster fun, the guests returned to the temple and once again took their seats, with the dragons back in elf form, taking their places as well. 

Filia was pacing around the back room in the company of Sylphiel, Lina, Amelia, Val, Xellos and Zelas. She was taking a moment to fuss about her lost purple dress and also to apologize to Tiffany for borrowing her clothes without asking, though Tiffany insisted it was nothing to worry about. 

"You really are clumsy," Zelas pulled out something out of the astral side and tossed it to Filia. 

The soft black fabric hit Filia on the face, though obviously not too hard. "Another dress?" 

"You owe me," Zelas declared, then speedily fixed Filia's makeup in a dark style she normally did not wear. 

Nonetheless, Xellos decided it was a fine time to give his bride to be a flirty look complimented with a wink, expressing his approval. Before he could make any flirty teasing remarks, Zelas faded to the astral side, taking Xellos with her. 

Filia certainly didn't feel like she owed Zelas for the dress. When it came to all the trouble the monster lord caused, the dragon still felt like she got the short end of the deal. Even so, she was very grateful that the wedding was apparently finally progressing and overall concluded that it was worth it. "I'm going to get dressed." Filia took a step towards the smaller changing room attached to the backroom of the temple. 

"Sweet Filia," Tiffany stopped her for a moment, "no hard feelings?" 

"I would like to apologize too. I stole the rings as part of my job." Sylphiel added. 

"It's okay, if anything I'm thankful that the chaos has seemingly appeased the monsters in a way." Filia smiled with more energy than she thought she had left and went to change. The new dress was black, with amethysts lining the top and bottom. Among the fabric Filia found matching jewelry to wear. 

The black dress felt even tighter than the first, if that was even possible. The style was similar to the purple one, with the most noticeable difference being that the slit of the long skirt was much wider, cut diagonally on one side. It provided a constant view of one of her legs up to mid thigh and part of the other up to the knee. This wasn't what Filia dreamed of as her ideal wedding dress, but she knew that at least Xellos would like it. More importantly, regardless of what she wore, what really mattered was that the wedding would finally happen. 

To be Continued


	35. Chapter 35

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 103: I do! Terms and Conditions

The guests' chatter once again settled down and the temple became silent as Zelas made her entrance with Xellos on her arm. The audience was perfectly quiet, except for the gnashing of Huey's teeth, as the block of ice encasing him had only recently melted. Beyond the sound of the orchestra's funeral march, Filia could have sworn she heard the sound of her own beating heart. She clutched her new bouquet of black and purple flowers, roses this time, false of course, though they were filled with an alluring perfume that was making her dizzy with its intensity. Finally, Xellos arrived by Filia's side and Zelas released him to join his bride, standing aside to allow the bride and groom to take the center stage. 

Of course, the slit of Filia's dress was on the side that faced the crowd, as she took the position in front of the altar where the groom usually stood. She was sure Zelas took that into account too, to further embarrass her. Regardless of the difficulties that she had gone through and the trials and tribulations that were surely to come, Filia cherished the moment. While Sylphiel went on with the less than classic wedding vows, Filia tried to focus her eyes on Xellos, but from the corner of her eyes, she couldn't help it but to see the monsters sitting at the temple making faces at her. Xellos couldn't see them, instead getting a view of Filia and the bride's guests on the opposite direction. 

Filia didn't expect anything except disrespectful mockery from the monsters, but they were really getting on her nerves, especially because some of the stupid faces they were making at her were actually funny. Matters got worse when Zelas started quietly blowing raspberries and Dolphin slipped her hand behind Dynast's head creating the shape of horns with her fingers. It was especially silly, since Filia theorized that he probably had horns in his true form anyway. The bride clenched her teeth and tried to focus completely on Xellos while Sylphiel went on and on with the unusually long wedding vows that sounded more like some kind of slavery contract. 

In an effort not to be distracted by the monsters' funny faces, Filia paid attention to the vows. "In the event that the golden dragon race should reinstate the bride into their ranks, she will be required to serve as a spy for Beast Master." Sylphiel read from the scroll that she had been provided with. 

The words made Filia wish she had been paying attention to the whole list of wedding vows that were very out of place in a wedding. As Sylphiel went on with the ridiculous terms and conditions set by Beast Master, Filia's angry eyes landed on Xellos' amused gaze. He was grinning, almost laughing. She glared and accidentally looked at the audience behind him, noticing that Zelas was still making faces at her, sticking out her tongue and wiggling her perfectly manicured fingers, with a pair of strangely adorable little wolf ears twitching atop her head. Unable to contain herself, Filia burst out laughing despite her anger. 

Sylphiel paused, as she was done reading the terms and conditions recorded on the scroll and was left with an unanswered question that required an official 'I do.' The priestess tried to give Filia a moment to compose herself, but the bride had been ceased by an uncontrollable laugh attack. With Filia still laughing her head off, Sylphiel decided she might as well turn her question to Xellos. "Do you, Xellos Metallium, agree to all the terms and conditions hereby stated and shamelessly confess your traitorous lustful feelings for Filia Ul Copt, who should have been your mortal enemy?" 

With her face scarlet red in mortification, Filia managed to calm herself just in time to hear Xellos' mocking and superior, "I do." 

Seeing as the bride was somewhat compose, save for the bright shade of red on her face, Sylphiel repeated her question to Filia. "Do you, Filia Ul Copt, agree to all the terms and conditions hereby stated and shamelessly confess your traitorous lustful feelings for Xellos Metallium, who should have been your mortal enemy?" 

"I don't!" Filia snapped. The gathered crowd erupted in shocked gasps and scandalized murmurs filled the temple. 

"Such drama!" Amelia beamed in excitement. Little Val squeaked in confusion in the princess' arms. Val wasn't sure what was going on, but the strange looks his aunts, Lina, Elena and Tiffany, were giving her, hinted that aunt Amelia's reaction wasn't what should be expected. 

At a loss on what to do, Sylphiel assumed that the bride had given the wrong answer on accident because she was nervous. Once again, she voiced the vital question. "Do you, Filia Ul Copt, agree to all the terms and conditions hereby stated and shamelessly confess your traitorous lustful feelings for Xellos Metallium, who should have been your mortal enemy?" 

"I don't," Filia repeated with stubborn determination. It became obvious that her answer was no mistake and the gossiping murmurs of the crowd increased as a reaction. 

Xellos frowned, making an exaggerated dramatic sad expression. "Don't you love me, stupid dragon?" 

"Of course I love you, raw garbage, but I can't agree too all those terms and conditions!" Filia insisted. 

"True love is supposed to agree to anything," Zelas pointed out. 

Filia placed one hand on her hip, the other still holding the bouquet of black and purple flowers. "How would you know, you're a monster lord, you don't feel love, do you?" 

With a mix of offense and disgust, Zelas snapped, "I most certainly do not!" Then she added in a calmer tone, "but I have read well researched reports about it." 

"I've been abandoned at the altar, oh I'm so miserable!" Xellos dramatized, backing away from the altar and pretending to cry on Zelas' shoulder. 

"There, there, we'll find you another slave, I mean bride." Zelas petted Xellos hair in mocking consolation. 

Dynast and Dolphin focused on him to try to taste his misery. The misery of Zelas' general priest would surely be a sweet delicacy, but they were terribly disappointed. "He's faking it!" Dynast accused. "More realism!" 

"Shut up, don't interrupt, this is the best part!" Dolphin elbowed him urgently. "I hope this soap opera has a tragic ending, I really like those." 

Filia sighed hopelessly; this so called wedding was becoming even more of a mockery than it already was. "You know, if you wanted to force me into doing everything that your contract states, you could." She dangerously stated the truth. 

"That is very true," Zelas agreed. 

"So why should I bother agreeing to all of it if it makes no difference? Can't I at least have a somewhat normal wedding vow?" Filia pleaded. 

"That would not please the audience," Zelas pointed out with a predatory look that indicated that by audience she was including herself and she was not someone anyone would want to displease. 

"I have an idea," Xellos ceased his silly drama, with a cheerful amused grin that didn't fit at all with his previous feigned misery. "I need a pen." 

"Here," Dynast tossed a pen at Xellos with such speed that if Zelas had not caught it, it would have stabbed his throat and killed him. 

With a mocking grin that screamed 'you can't kill me, nya, nya, nya, you can't kill me!' Xellos took the pen Zelas handed him. "Thank you," a polite phrase never sounded so smugly mocking before. Xellos turned the scroll Sylphiel was reading from over to the blank back side and scribbled something on it, with Zelas looking over his shoulder amused. With the new vows on paper, everyone took their places again as Sylphiel once again read. However, the priestess paused, causing Xellos to give her a questioning look. "What is it?" He inquired. 

"Nothing," Sylphiel replied, "it's just that I didn't think you would dot your i's with little stars. That's not something one would expect a monster to do," it was cute. 

"Why not? It's stylish," Xellos defended. 

"I guess so," Sylphiel agreed and proceeded with her reading. She wondered if Filia would actually agree to this. It seemed less extreme than the previously proposed agreement, but it still wasn't exactly romantic. "Do you, Filia Ul Copt-" 

"I object!" All heads turned towards the loud voice at the entrance of the temple. 

"Is that a goblin?" Princess Marlene inquired. 

"Maybe it's a troll," Ruuma theorized. 

"It's an ogre!" Pokota announced. "Can't you tell from the onion smell?" 

The chubby green ogre with the funny ears looked embarrassed, as all eyes were on him. He glared at his donkey companion, needing someone to blame for the mishap, then laughed nervously. "Sorry, wrong wedding, please carry on!" 

The ogre hurried away, while the Donkey went on and on about how they "should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque." 

Sylphiel cleared her throat to gather the attention of the guests once more and continued with the very interrupted wedding ceremony. "Do you, Filia Ul Copt, agree to tease and be teased, annoy and be annoyed, give and receive frequent hot fan service and its aftermath..." Honestly Sylphiel would rather not read too deeply into that part, but it was making Filia blush. "And happily bicker with Xellos Metallium, in amusement and in stress, in entertainment and in chaos, in mischief and in insanity, not permitting boredom to ever be a part of your lives, for the rest of your miserable existence?" 

The audience waited with baited breath, all eyes on Filia. They wondered if she would decline to those terms as well, most sane people would. But who ever said that love was sane? Filia actually thought this vow was kind of fitting and cute in its own peculiar way, plus Xellos wrote it himself and that made it special to her. "I do." 

Murmurs erupted from the crowd, most of them questioning Filia's sanity. They were quickly silence by Sylphiel, who continued reciting the new wedding vows. "Do you, Xellos Metallium-" 

"I hate happy endings!" Dolphin called out, initiating a chorus of 'boo' from the groom's side of the temple. 

"Summarize it and let's get it over with," Zelas ordered. "The guests are getting impatient." 

Sylphiel nodded and continued. Instead of the usual slow dramatic pace commonly used to read wedding vows, she spoke in a hasty voice. "Do you, Xellos Metallium, agree to everything I just asked Filia about?" 

"I do," Xellos agreed and with that the wedding vows were officially completed. 

As it is traditional, Sylphiel went on with the next line. "I now declare you husband and-" 

"Don't kiss her!" Dynast called out. "You're going to make us toss out all that energy we ate from the rampage earlier." 

"I hate happy endings!" Dolphin complained again, pulling out a fan out of nowhere and creating a soft breeze around herself. She looked like a snobbish offended aristocrat, which was probably the look she was purposely going for anyway. 

While Filia glared at the monster lords who were set on ruining her wedding, Xellos blew raspberries at them and suddenly pulled Filia into his arms. He kissed her with enough passion to make her face turn scarlet and provoke the complaints of all the monsters in the temple, except the monster chimeras, Celo and Fang. Even Zelas was joining in the booing. "Alright, that's enough; break it up before I break you both!" Beast Master warned. Xellos and Filia finally parted, taking in some much needed oxygen into their thirsty lungs. 

"Now it's time for the tradition of throwing things at the newly weds." Dolphin had a spiky metal ball ready to throw it and Dynast was about to light up a bomb. 

"You're supposed to throw rice!" Filia defended. Her face was still rosy from the intensity of her first kiss as a married woman. 

"There are people in the far reaches of the world who are still recovering from the effects of a terrible famine and you want to waste food?" Zelas feigned indignation. "You are such a cruel and inconsiderate dragon!" 

Before Filia could come up with any form of answer, and thankfully, before the monsters could start throwing things at the newly weds, the temple began to shake violently. 

"Perhaps the union of a golden dragon and a monster has upset the balance of the universe and doomed this world to implode!" Wizer theorized, with more excitement than certain doom should merit. 

"I think it's just a regular earthquake," Pokota argued, though it was none the less a pretty unlucky event. "Everyone outside!" 

"Let us panic in an orderly manner!" Wizer contradictorily added. The bride, the groom, the priestess, the best man, the bridesmaids and all of the guests, avalanched out of the temple with plenty of pushing and shoving along the way. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

By the time the harsh earthquake ended, the temple was left in shambles along with most of the structures of Amor Resort. It looked like the place would have to be closed down for repairs for quite some time. Even the majestic glass dome where balls were usually held, the place where they had planned to hold the wedding reception, had fallen to pieces. At least the biggest and fanciest cruise of the resort was still safely at port, having survived the harsh tidal waves that came as a consequence of the seismic activity. Thus the group headed there to have the wedding's after party. 

As they walked to the port, making their way through the debris and destruction that was all over Amor Resort, Sylphiel shared her worries with Amelia, Lina and Tiffany. "I have a strong feeling that I'm forgetting something important. With how" unusual, strange, weird, "original this wedding is, it kind of threw me off." 

"As long as no one forgets the banquet and cake, any other details can be overlooked," Lina firmly declared. "I never got my popcorn and all that running around after the rings made me very hungry." 

"The rings!" Sylphiel, Amelia and Tiffany exclaimed at the same time. 

"Oh no, I got so caught up in the drama that I forgot to make sure Val wasn't chewing on them!" Amelia apologetically confessed. "Val, can you give the rings you were holding back to auntie?" Little Val deposited two chewed pieces of gold into Amelia's hand. The shiny materials were impossible to identify as rings. 

"All that work to get them back and they weren't even used," Lina stated in disbelief. 

"It's not the ring that matters, but its significance... or something cheesy like that," Tiffany cheerfully chirped. "Although, we should get those fixed before sweet Filia remembers them, so we can give them to the newlyweds as soon as possible. I'm sure they won't mind too much. Xellos will be amused and Filia will be okay, thinking that at least she managed to get married despite all the interruptions and difficulties." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia fingered the wedding band that had been so difficult to obtain. It was ironic that the wedding was halted to recover it and all that mayhem occurred, only to forget about it during the actual ceremony. Well at least she had her wedding ring, though she was sure Xellos would oh so kindly allow Val to use his as a chew toy and criticize her for being a bad mother if she didn't allow their child to chew up her wedding band as well. At least she could keep her engagement ring to herself, probably. None the less, at least the wedding went through, albeit Filia didn't feel any different with the status of being married then she did before, not that she expected to feel too different. 

All things aside, the situation was the same. There was a mysterious enemy out there, a hidden conspiracy, Zelas was plotting and after all of that was done and over with, after it blew up in Filia's face, she would have a shop to get back to, a son to raise and a life to live... hopefully. However, there was a more immediate problem to address right now. "Are you sure you're okay with this, Xellos?" 

"Of course I'm okay," Xellos grinned in his usual confident way, but anyone who knew him as well as Filia would see past it. His human body was prone to becoming sea sick, though he was fighting it; the constant rocking of the waves combined with the piercing smell of fish wasn't helping. Though the large cruise was not sunk by the massive tidal waves that came along with the earthquake, the deck was showered in salty water and sea creatures. It was a mess and in no way similar to the kind of place one would expect to hold a party at, let alone a wedding party. 

None the less, Lina was quite happy, immediately suggesting a fish barbecue, and thus it was done. The S.S. Highwind cruise circled the Amor Resort island, rocking constantly on the energetic waves with the scent of barbecued fish all over the deck. Among the seafood being prepared there was octopus, which Xellos' human body was allergic to. He wouldn't have any serious consequences as long as he didn't eat any, but the smell was clearly bothering him. Then again, such a strong smell of fish would bother anyone. Filia knew that his arm around her waist wasn't just a show of affection to gross out all the monsters present. Xellos was desperately trying to hold on to his sense of balance, so as to not fall face first into the deck in a dizzy daze. 

Zelas approached with a bottle of a suspicious looking liquor, which she handed to Xellos. "This will make you feel better about the fact that all the wedding presents that were kept at the dome for the originally planned location of the party were crushed to pieces." Then she added in a whisper. "Besides, I can't have you getting sick in front of my guests; you must not be so weak." 

"Sick? I'm not sick at all." Xellos tried to look confident. He would fool anyone into believing he was just fine, except Filia and Zelas. 

"Either way, drink, it's an order," Zelas smiled sweetly, her eyes glinting dangerously. 

"Cheers!" Xellos uncovered the bottle and began to drink. 

The scent of alcohol emerged heavily from the container, invading Filia's senses. Dragons had a higher resistance to alcohol than humans, but even so, she thought the scent was way too strong and Xellos was chugging the entire bottle of the stuff like water. "That can't be healthy," she worried. 

"Come now, little dragon, a drop of liquor now and then won't kill anyone... Then again, humans are fragile, make sure he doesn't drink anymore; this is only for a special occasion." Zelas' mocking grin never left her face. 

Filia frowned, "if Xellos actually survives this," she certainly hoped Zelas was informed enough about the human body not to make Xellos drink anything too lethal. "He's going to have such a killer hangover that I'm sure he won't dare to drink a single drop of alcohol ever again." At least not while he was human. 

"That would make things difficult for you, wouldn't it?" Zelas mused with a pitying expression. 

"How so?" Filia inquired, though she knew she didn't really want to hear the answer. 

"Any man who stays sober long enough would no doubt dump you." With no further words of sarcastic compassion beyond that mocking utterance, Zelas went off to play hostess. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 104: Party! Festivities of Hilarity

The party guests were spread along the deck of the cruise ship, each enjoying the festivities in their own way. Phythan practically skipped over to Milgazia and chattered about random things for a while. Though he had been warned to be on his guard before Milgazia had no choice but to allow him to leave his group and journey to the fire clan, Phythan had not properly heeded the warning. None the less, he knew that Milgazia wasn't in on the trap that befell him and still looked up to him very much. 

After Phythan ran off to try to get some barbecued fish before Lina ate it all, Milgazia resumed his previous activity of staring suspiciously at a certain peculiar item. Memphis had thought that Milgazia was done looking in that direction when his gaze settled politely on Phythan's face while the two talked, but after the younger golden dragon was gone, Milgazia's eyes went back there. Honestly, it was getting on Memphis' nerves and she thought it was about time she said something about it. She downed another glass of wine, her cheeks rosy from the alcohol and spoke in an accusing tone. "I'm sure she's already noticed you're staring and is plotting terrible ways to murder you." 

Finally, Milgazia looked away from the black cone shaped jewel on Zelas' necklace. The gem reeked of monster energy, specifically Xellos' energy. The only reason why he recognized it beyond Zelas' own power was because he was looking for anything suspicious and kept his senses on high alert, especially towards the cunning Beast Master. "I know, I'm being too obvious," the golden dragon admitted. "If only I could get my hands on-" 

"Uncle!" Memphis scolded, stomping her foot for emphasis. The rosy color of her face seemed to increase and Milgazia wondered if it was really all due to the wine or if there was another reason, such as rage. "For crying out loud, I thought you were a gentleman. I thought you had a lot more decency in you than this!" 

It was true that jewelry theft wasn't exactly a commendable action, but given the circumstances it might be for the best, not that it would work anyway. "It's not like I'll actually try anything," Milgazia tried to defend himself, though he wasn't sure why he had to. "I know very well that Zelas could kill me ten times over before I even come close." 

Memphis clenched her teeth angrily. "If she did kill you, which I'm sure she would, I wouldn't blame her, given the circumstances." 

Milgazia didn't understand why his apprentice was being so harsh. "You can hardly blame me for thinking about it, for wishing I could." If he somehow managed to destroy that jewel, then maybe Xellos would never get his power back. His race would be avenged in a way and Filia wouldn't even need to be saddened by the loss of her husband. She could keep living with Xellos as a human. 

"Why?" Memphis huffed. "Because you're a man?" 

Milgazia blinked in confusion. When did gender come into the discussion? Furthermore, robbery wasn't a male exclusive activity and there were plenty of female thieves in the world to prove it. "Because I'm a golden dragon." 

"So now all golden dragons are perverts?" Memphis huffed, crossing her arms indignantly. 

"How is stealing a necklace perverted?" Milgazia inquired in puzzlement. "It's true that stealing is wrong and I'm not crazy enough to think I can actually get away with stealing from Zelas. I would understand if you called it insane or suicidal, but perverted?" 

"Her necklace?" Memphis giggled, showing that the wine had indeed gone to her head. "So that's what you were staring at!" She laughed at her own silliness. "For a minute there I thought you were staring at her chest." 

Milgazia's jaw dropped, his eyes wide, "are you crazy?" He exclaimed louder than necessary, then laughed nervously when several pairs of eyes landed on him. He pretended not to notice the odd looks that silently turned his own question on him. His face was slightly red, though it wasn't only embarrassment, a clear hint of offended rage could be perceived. He made a mental note not to allow Memphis to drink anymore. She was his apprentice, so he could say it was part of her training. 

Memphis giggled and waved her hand dismissively. "Don't be angry, it was just an honest mistake. I mean come on, it was even technically true. I mean that jewel is right on her cleavage. I bet the guests think you're a pervert." 

"I was not paying attention to that," Milgazia almost growled. 

"I know, I know, you were thinking 'vengeance on Xellos' I'm just saying people might have gotten the wrong idea. If not because I stopped you, they would still be getting the wrong idea," Memphis reasoned. 

Milgazia grumbled something inaudible as he ran his fingers through his golden blond hair. Admittedly, Memphis had a point; Milgazia just hoped that if he avoided looking at Zelas at all for the rest of the evening, people would assume the whole staring business was entirely in their imagination. He was sure that if someone brought it up, he would either pass out of extreme embarrassment, or go on a berserk rampage worse than Filia's in offended rage. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Gather around everyone, it's time to throw more things!" Tiffany cheerfully announced. Immediately, Dolphin and Dynast got their spiky metal balls and bombs ready to throw them. Seeing the impending doom, Tiffany clarified, "no, no, the guests' chance to throw things has passed, now only the bride and groom get to throw things." Before the monsters began to protest, Tiffany was quick to signal to Filia to come over, with a very drunk Xellos on her arm. "You better throw the flowers quickly, before the monsters get impatient and start throwing things that hit a whole lot harder than flowers." 

"Okay," Filia tried to make Xellos stand still for a moment while she threw the bouquet of black and purple roses. He seemed to be more or less sufficiently balanced not to fall down, so she let him go and looked away for a moment as she threw the flowers over her shoulder. 

The unmarried women had been gathered around to try to catch the flowers, or in the case of most monsters, excluding Galathia, to try to avoid catching the flowers. Lina was too busy pigging out along with Gourry, so she did not join them. The bouquet flew over the group of women, escaping the grasp of all the willing females who jumped in a futile effort to catch it. It sailed through the air above the main gathering of women towards the back where Zelas and Dolphin were, uninterested in trying to catch the roses. It would be an embarrassment for either of them really. 

Seeing the approaching flowers, with fast reflexes, Dolphin pushed Zelas towards their path, but Zelas ducked, the bouquet safely passing over her and colliding with Celo's head, who was sitting at a table minding his own business behind the group on the deck. "I thought everyone was done throwing things at me!" Celo exclaimed with a frown. "Besides, I'm already married." 

"Throw it to someone else!" Naga called out from among the group. 

"Here goes," Celo threw the bouquet of black and purple roses into the air. 

Wishing for revenge, Zelas pushed Dolphin in its path, holding her in place by the shoulders. Unwilling to give up and suffer the humiliation of catching the bouquet, Dolphin batted it away by swinging her long hair at it. The flowers bounced away, gaining altitude. "You touched the bouquet!" Zelas mocked, finally releasing Dolphin, to occupy her hands in pointing mockingly. 

"That doesn't count, I didn't catch it!" Dolphin adamantly argued. 

Simultaneously, the flowers were pulled down by gravity, falling at the midst of the group of women who actually wanted to catch the bouquet. A cloud of dirt mysteriously formed out of nowhere as they fought for it, even though the deck had no visible dirt before, just some water, seaweed and sea creatures. Amelia crawled out of the fight, victoriously holding up the bouquet, "I got it!" The rest of the women had no choice but to admit defeat and clap half heartedly, with only Amelia's friends actually clapping for real. 

While everyone was still busy, congratulating Amelia and contemplating where the cloud of dirt that covered the battle for the bouquet had come from, Tiffany pulled Filia aside for a moment. "Did you remember to wear a nice garter?" 

"I forgot," Filia confessed. She always had a garter to use as a holster for her mace and on the one day she needed it for other purposes she forgot to wear it. Well she wasn't carrying her mace, not with that dress, so she completely forgot about the garter. 

"I thought you might have forgotten with how busy things are." Tiffany signaled over to Sylphiel, who was holding a box. "I made sure one was prepared, now all you have to do is put it on so Xellos can take it off and throw it." 

It felt silly to put it on just so it could be removed seconds later, but Filia played along with it and put on the purple garter with amethysts. It was pretty and comfortable. It certainly made a good mace holster, so it was a pity she would soon lose it. "Is that a mini-mace in the box?" 

"Yes, I thought it would be fitting," Tiffany smiled. 

"Here you go," Sylphiel handed Filia the mini-mace with a smile. She didn't catch the bouquet, but she was still having fun. 

Filia put the tiny mace on the purple garter. The little mace was black with a pretty purple ribbon tied around it. "Ready Xellos?" She glanced at the spot where she had left Xellos, but found that he was no longer there. "Xellos?" Whipping her head around urgently, Filia finally spotted her husband dancing on a table, previously occupied by Celo, Dynast and Fang, not too far away. Filia's face turned scarlet in embarrassment as she marched over to get him down. 

"I thought for sure he would be affected by all this," Filia heard Dynast comment as she approached. "A lot of the humans are sea sick, or drunk or both; except the more gluttonous ones that can only think of eating the barbecued seafood." 

"General Xellos is quite strong, even as a human," Celo proudly declared. "That's why the situation isn't affecting him at all." 

Upon hearing those words, Filia couldn't help it but to exclaim, "that is unaffected?" 

"Of course," Celo smiled with confident admiration. "Albeit Xellos must play his role of snobbish spoiled brat in the human business parties where the Metalliums are invited, this is not one of those events. In this party Xellos can do what he always does in Zelas' personal parties, dance on top of the largest guillotine in a perfect imitation of a terribly intoxicated human, or dance on a table for lack of guillotine." 

Filia had a feeling that she did not want to know what Zelas' monster parties were like, nor did she have any desire to ever be invited to one. "I see..." a part of Filia wondered if Celo was kidding, but the part of her that was afraid to find out he wasn't prevented her from asking. Without further ado, Filia pulled Xellos off the table and dragged him away. "Listen, Xellos, you need to throw the garter, can you manage that?" 

Xellos smiled like the intoxicated idiot he currently was, his face slightly red from the effects of the alcohol. "Yer pretty," he winked. "I like yuu," he laughed. 

Filia sighed, "right, just take off the garter slowly and throw it." 

While Filia was trying to make the drunk Xellos understand the process, Tiffany made the unmarried men gather around. "Let go of me, both of you!" Dynast demanded as Zelas and Dolphin dragged him towards the group, each one holding on to one of his arms, and held him still. 

"A beautiful woman on each arm, man is that guy ever lucky." Huey grumbled from among the crowd of single men. Thankfully, the monster lords were not paying attention to him, or those might have been the last words of his life. 

When Xellos finally threw the garter, it looked like it was heading right towards Dynast, whom his fellow monster lords conveniently positioned in its path. In a desperate attempt to escape humiliation, Dynast shot a beam of power from his mouth, which disintegrated the pretty purple garter to dust. 

"Ew, you shot energy from your mouth like a dragon." Dolphin let go of Dynast's arm, brushing imaginary dirt off her hands, the motion being mimicked by Zelas. 

"Who are you calling a dragon, you almost caught the bouquet!" Dynast retorted. 

With a very mocking grin, Zelas began to sing, "Dolphin and Dynast sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" 

That was it, Dolphin and Dynast saw red, "kill her!" They unanimously growled and began to comically chase Zelas all around the deck. Perhaps the drinks were enchanted with that secret spell that could make even an astral being drunk. The monster lords shoved and pushed people out of the way as they went and sometimes overboard if they were particularly unlucky. 

"That didn't go exactly as planned," Filia contemplated. 

"Should I throw the pretty wand?" Xellos slurred, referring to the miniature mace. 

"This might hurt someone," Filia refused, though to Xellos it sounded like an agreement and even more so like encouragement. 

"Yay!" Xellos snatched away the mini-mace and threw it before Filia could stop him. 

The tiny mace flew over the group of men, escaping their grasp as they jumped to catch it and headed straight towards Celo's head. Enough was enough and Celo's poor head had been abused more than enough already. He ducked quickly, avoiding another hit to the head. Instead the little mace continued its course through the air and landed on Gourry's plate, turning his barbecued fish with a side of roasted potatoes into barbecued fish with a side of mashed potatoes. "A little mace?" Gourry picked up the mace off his food and was met with applause, albeit he had no idea what it was for. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After a while, Zelas managed to slip away from her pursuers and continued playing hostess. "The special treats should be ready right about now," she informed as she approached Tiffany. "It's lucky that I started preparing them when I did, or else the recipes wouldn't have been finished on time." 

The mention of special treats, albeit it took place several feet away, did not escape Lina. "What treats?" The gluttonous redhead yelled from across the deck. If it was some kind of time consuming, ultra rare recipe, then it had to be worth looking into and biting into. 

"Something delicious," Beast Master grinned. "And don't worry, unlike Xellos who only thinks he knows how to cook, I actually know how to cook. Tiffany, would you mind giving me a hand in the kitchen." 

A cold chill ran down Tiffany's spine. She felt that there was some kind of catch she was missing, but knew better than to refuse Beast Master's order, even if it was masked as a simple request. "Sure, no problem." 

"I'll help too!" Lina immediately offered. 

"Me too!" Gourry volunteered as well. Yet before Gourry and Lina could make their way over to Zelas, the monster lord had already faded into the astral side, taking Tiffany with her. 

Time passed as Lina and Gourry impatiently waited to see, and most of all to taste, the treats that Zelas promised. Insecurity invaded Lina as she wondered if Zelas was only getting their hopes up for nothing. She was a monster lord, so she could be that cruel. Yet the worries evaporated when Zelas returned to the deck. Tiffany faded into existence along with her and several food carts loaded with trays and dishes that smelled amazing. 

Needless to say, Lina and Gourry immediately attacked the food. "This is awesome!" Lina complimented between big bites, not caring that she was talking with her mouth full. 

"Yummy! Super yummy!" Gourry eloquently added. 

"I think you're my favorite monster lord." With the proper reward Lina had been driven to forgive and forget the frightening incident involving an angry Luna false alarm. 

"It's a pity that you can't return the favor and feed me something delicious right now." Zelas referred to the joy that was eradiating from the gluttonous pair. "But I'm sure your golden dragon friends will make up for that." She hinted ominously. 

Amelia and Zelgadis curiously approached, beckoned by the appetizing scents. Zelgadis was especially glad that there was something other than seafood available to eat. He didn't mind seafood, but it wasn't exactly his favorite. Without reading too deeply into Zelas' words, the new arrivals managed to snatch away some plates from the food carts without losing any limbs to Lina and Gourry. "This is amazing!" Amelia exclaimed in admiration. She never would have guessed a monster lord could actually cook something so absolutely delicious. 

"I have to admit, it's the best I've tasted," Zelgadis was also nothing short of shocked. 

"I'm sure," Zelas grinned. "Do enjoy the meal, the monster guests could use some toughening up, so a little joy won't be too harmful. Plus we have the golden dragons to balance things out if they get out of hand." Zelas picked up a tray of appetizers, consisting of some kind of sauce covered meat on cute little toothpicks, and walked away. 

"What is this meat anyway?" Amelia curiously inquired. "It's richer than the meat of a bird, but it doesn't taste like any cattle meat I've tried before." 

"Chicken," Tiffany replied with a continuous little twitch in her eye. 

"Really?" Amelia looked at the dishes in disbelief. That sauce on the meat must be really super special if it so drastically changed the taste of chicken. 

"How can a steak this size come from a chicken?" Zelgadis questioned. "It has to have come from something a whole lot bigger." 

"It's chicken!" Tiffany shouted, stomping her foot in emphasis and glaring aggressively. She breathed heavily, her eyes still twitching. "It's chicken, that's what it is, it's all chicken, okay?" 

Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis nodded in unison. They didn't understand why Tiffany was so upset, but they did not want to further provoke a dragon. Thus they agreed that the meat was chicken, though it was obviously not. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Zelas approached Milgazia and Memphis, who were quietly keeping an eye on all the happenings around them. Memphis had stopped drinking at Milgazia's insistence, though the effects of her drunkenness were not gone yet. Milgazia saw Zelas heading over to them. He hoped and wished with all his might that Memphis wouldn't say anything embarrassing. He drained his glass of wine, which was probably not the smartest thing to do, but unlike his elf comrade, he was a dragon and had a much stronger resistance towards alcohol. He just needed some moisture in his throat in hopes that it would get him ready for a diplomatic conversation. Or at least as diplomatic as he could be with someone he particularly disliked, but knew he had to put up with anyway. 

Zelas smiled as if she was actually happy to see them. If she was, that could only be a bad sign. "Are you enjoying the party?" 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 105: Tension! Diplomatic Discussions

Zelas had merrily approached Milgazia and Memphis, with a tray full of appetizers, seeking to make friendly conversation. That, of course, meant that the monster lord intended to make them miserable. 

"Uncle Milgazia won't let me drink," Memphis frowned. Milgazia wished that he had never suggested that first cup of wine to help Memphis relax, which should have been the first and only, but turned into many more. 

"How terrible! Zelas pretended to feel the deepest compassion for Memphis' dilemma. "This is my party; Milgazia doesn't own the drinks here, so he can't tell you not to consume them. Go ahead and drink to your heart's content!" 

Memphis' face lit up, only for her expression to fall seconds later when Milgazia reminded. "Memphis needs to focus on her training." 

"Don't work too hard now," Zelas offered them the tray of appetizers. "Have some, I made these myself." 

"No, thank you," Milgazia politely declined. Everyone else was eating and drinking, so the food seemed to be safe enough, but eating something directly offered by Beast Master was a whole different story. 

"I insist," Zelas glared defiantly. "You don't think I'm trying to poison you, do you? That would be such an anti-climatic death. I assure you, these appetizers are perfectly safe. Besides, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done so already." 

Admittedly, Zelas had a point, which Milgazia begrudgingly realized as he took one of the appetizers and ate it. The sauce really gave the rich meat a nice touch. He hated to admit it, but the food was exquisite and the satisfaction the delicate yet pronounced taste produce was revealed in his expression. Milgazia mentally kicked himself for that; he was supposed to be keeping a serious diplomatic face with this infuriating monster lord. 

Memphis tasted the appetizers as well, happily receiving the tray that Zelas handed her and consuming them one after another. 

"Do you like them?" Zelas asked with growing amusement. 

"This is great!" Memphis happily exclaimed. 

Milgazia mentally kicked himself for it, but he took another appetizer and ate it, they were simply too good. He wanted to look unimpressed, but not to compliment such a delicious delicacy felt like a terrible crime. "This is quite good," he swallowed his pride and confessed it. 

Zelas' mocking grin grew even more, if that was even possible. "I'm only all too happy that you're enjoying my cooking. Eat as much as you like. In fact, I might want to have you for dinner some time." 

Milgazia disregarded the so called invitation as sarcasm, but Memphis paused in her eating and gave Zelas a suspicious look. "Did you just ask Milgazia out on a date?" 

"Memphis!" Milgazia scolded. The look in his eyes screamed 'are you trying to get us killed?' 

"Do not misunderstand," Zelas clarified with a serious look. "I do think Milgazia looks delicious," she paused to lick her lips for the sake of creeping out Milgazia. The golden dragon shuddered visibly, proving that the gesture did indeed creep him out. "But I only mean that in a purely culinary way. Unlike Galathia, I don't enjoy golden dragon fan service, or any fan service, unless you count gore as being fan service. Though lust is indeed a sin, some of us prefer pride." 

Memphis nodded, lost somewhere along the explanation. She understood that it wasn't a request for a date and left it at that. Milgazia however, did have something to say, "culinary?" He questioned, wondering if he even wanted to know. He automatically took another appetizer and ate it to calm the tense anger and creeped out frustration that was threatening to blow up like a time bomb. 

"Yes," Zelas nodded in ambiguous confirmation. "By the way, my condolences on those golden dragons that disappeared some time ago." 

"You were responsible for that?" Milgazia frowned, he was so very angry, but kept his temper in check for the sake of diplomacy and most of all survival. 

Not directly addressing the question, Zelas continued. "I'm sure your comrades are with you in a sense and they will continue to be with you... at least until you're done digesting." 

"Digesting?" Milgazia felt his heart almost stop. He looked at the last appetizer on the tray, which was soon consumed by Memphis. His brain came to a conclusion that he didn't like at all. "Was that dragon cuisine?" 

"Indeed, it was golden dragon cuisine of the best quality, prepared with a special sauce consisting of a secret recipe made by me." Zelas smiled, savoring the moment along with the mix of unpleasant emotions eradiating from Milgazia. He really was delicious, in a purely culinary sense of course. 

Milgazia's face went from ghostly pale to slightly green. He muttered a desperate sounding, "excuse me" and ran off to the side of the ship with his hand over his mouth. 

"Aw, isn't that sweet?" Zelas chirped with endless amusement. "Milgazia is giving his friends a burial at sea." 

Memphis, who was drunk, but not drunk enough to miss the basics of what was going on, was left twitching as she held the empty tray where the golden dragon cuisine appetizers once were. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A few agonizingly nauseating minutes later, Milgazia was leaning on the cruise' railing, staring at the waves below. He allowed the sea breeze and the gentle rocking of the ship to calm him or at least tried to. The combination of soft motions, salty air and the scent of sea food and alcohol might have made many sick, but Milgazia preferred all that over the scent of dragon cuisine. He was ashamed to recall he thought it was appetizing and he hated the fact that the taste of the delicacy was still in his mouth. He didn't care if he drank enough to get drunk despite being a dragon, he needed a strong drink. He wouldn't mind if it was strong enough to burn his tongue and throat. He would do anything to get rid of the alluring taste of cannibalism. 

Milgazia bitterly reminded himself that picking a fight with Zelas was suicide and when that knowledge was no longer enough, he reminded himself that he would not be the only one to suffer the consequences of his actions. Whatever he said or did there, would surely reflect on the entire golden dragon race and their allies. He concluded that his best course of action to keep a shred of sanity was to pretend he did not eat what could have been, and most likely had been, a friend of his. 'The appetizers were made of chicken. It was all chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken...' He mentally chanted. 

"Hi," Milgazia's mental chicken chant was interrupted by Filia's friendly voice. She approached with a drunken Xellos on her arm, raising her voice to be heard above his ridiculous singing, which Milgazia had previously filtered out. 

Milgazia was about to reply to the greeting as politely as possible despite his bad mood, but pause when he noticed a certain detail. Both Xellos and Filia were holding sticks with pieces of meat on them. Xellos was singing into his, as if it was one of those enchanted wands that amplified sound waves. After an annoyingly high note, he took a bite of the snack while Filia did the same to occupy herself during the awkward silence that settled in while she waited for Milgazia to reply to her simple greeting. Without a warning, Milgazia snatched away the meat on a stick, gave the snacks a sad look and threw them to the sea. 

"I was eating that, you big meanie head!" Xellos complained. 

Filia pouted and placed one hand on her hip, her other arm busy keeping Xellos next to her so that he wouldn't wander off to do something stupid that would embarrass her a lot more than him. "That was mean," she disapproved in a much more clear and much less slurred version of Xellos' recent accusation. 

"That was my friend," Milgazia frowned, receiving a puzzled look from Filia. Xellos continued his stupid singing about how life was horrible and injustice always won, with a tone that was as cheerful, if not more cheerful, than the tone Amelia had during her wonderful life and justice speeches and songs. Seeing that Filia didn't quite understand, Milgazia elaborated. "That meat was dragon cuisine, golden dragon to be specific, and Zelas hinted who those dragons used to be." 

Filia felt as if the deck below her feet had been taken away, like a carpet being pulled from under her feet without warning. She suddenly found herself feeling less balanced than Xellos and held on to the railing for support. "I just ate golden dragon meat?" She stuttered in disbelief. "I'm a cannibal!" 

"It was only an accident, you didn't know," Milgazia tried to console his fellow accidental cannibal. "Besides, I had some too before I knew what that meat was. Why don't we just pretend it was chicken." 

Filia nodded, her eyes still reflecting horror, "yes, chicken, it was chicken." 

Filia froze up, her cheeks flushing slightly when Xellos randomly stopped singing and started nibbling on her neck. "Yuu taste like chicken," he licked. 

"Stop it, I'm not edible!" Filia scolded. 

"Yer too pretty to eat, but still tasty," Xellos giggled like an idiot and tried to lick Filia again. 

"Excuse me; I need to go make some black coffee for Xellos... and for myself." With that plan in mind, Filia gave Milgazia her farewell for the time being and went off to find some caffeine in hopes of helping Xellos fight his drunken stupor and burning the taste of dragon off her tongue. Tea would be far too gentle for those purposes. Honestly, having Xellos get seasick was better than this in her opinion. 

After Filia was gone, Zelas approached along with Memphis. The elf woman looked very drunk, but Milgazia wouldn't hold it against her. He would love to drink himself stupid right now to get over his cannibalistic guilt, yet he knew he couldn't. He had to stay sober enough to make sure Zelas' wrath was not provoked, or else the losses among his kind would be far greater. "If you're quite done polluting the sea with the remains of your partially digested comrades, I would like to speak to you about some serious matters where eavesdroppers cannot hear. Let us call it a diplomatic discussion." 

Milgazia couldn't help it but to glare in what many dragons would call a very suicidal action. Thankfully, he kept his laser breath under control and did not shoot a beam of power at Zelas' face outside of his imagination. "Right, diplomacy..." Thus Milgazia, Memphis and Zelas headed off to a private cabin below deck. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Zelas, Milgazia and Memphis entered a fancy looking cabin with shiny polished wood floors and soft blue walls. Unlike the deck that was disheveled due to the effects of the earlier tidal waves, the area below the deck was free of sea water and sea creatures. The furniture had been previously tossed around in a disastrous mess, but Zelas had the place organized prior to calling forth the diplomatic meeting. The cabin had a circular table in the middle with elegantly carved brown wood chairs round about with sandy colored cushions. 

The three so called diplomats took their seats; with Memphis stumbling slightly until she managed to properly sit down. The elf was sitting next to her golden dragon trainer; with Milgazia sitting across the monster lord he dreaded the most. He would have not been happy had he heard Lina calling Zelas her favorite monster lord. Zelas broke the ice with a direct statement. "I understand that you are aware of the truth?" 

"Yes," Milgazia ascertained. He was actually thankful he still had a clear head at this point, because he felt that he was going to need it. After the diplomatic meeting was over, then he would drink all the liquor left on the ship. 

"Elaborate," Zelas prompted. "What is your interpretation?" 

"Life is fueled by chaos," Milgazia stated, the words leaving a metaphorically bitter taste in his mouth, which he wouldn't have minded as literal since his tongue still tasted like golden dragon meat. "Absolute peace would make people get stuck, so to speak. In other words, life is actually linked more closely to chaos than to peace, with chaos and destruction being two entirely different concepts." 

"I see, you're clueless, it figures, dragons are stupid." Zelas impatiently interrupted, earning an annoyed look from Milgazia. "For many years the concepts of good and evil have been seen as the ultimate opposing forces. Peace and war, life and death were sub-concepts that originated from those, but good and evil are not the two main opposing forces in the universe. The truth, albeit difficult to understand in its entirety, is related to motion and stillness. The struggle between opposing forces creates motion and the lack of an opposing force, regardless of which one reigns, is stillness. If the world was to become completely still, it would cease to exist. Take those two concepts and apply them to that legend about the purification of the Mother of all Things." 

"The legend..." Milgazia remembered it. "It claims that long ago only the Mother of all Things existed in the Sea of Chaos. She wished to become pure and expelled a part of herself that was impure. Along with it, the worlds emerged from her. The legend claims that the worlds are a part of the Mother of all Things, tainted with the piece that she separated from herself. Thus the world has both good and bad people. But that legend... it bases itself on the concepts of good and evil as the main part of its logic. With motion and stillness it would be that the Mother of all Things separated herself from stillness?" 

"Exactly, there was something that made her, let's call her Lord of Nightmares, as I'm sure we're both aware that they are truly the same being." Zelas decided, Milgazia nodded and she continued. "There was something that made the Lord of Nightmares still, constant. Who knows what happened, maybe she got bored and decided to get rid of that stillness so that she could change and evolve. From the force of that evolution, from the energy of change, the worlds came into existence. As for the Sea of Chaos, it is the final destination of all. It is chaos because we are creatures of chaos. Even the monsters who seemingly remain the same for centuries, know many changes every day, with each choice we take seeking power, seeking change. Of course, you can't go around telling people that there are other concepts above good and evil and expect them to take it well. I get the impression that the golden dragons are not generally informed, which makes me wonder why you know." 

"There have been prophecies about this among the golden dragons, but they were ambiguous and were misinterpreted. As a result, the golden dragon race wishes to help the being known as the Green Alchemist," Milgazia revealed. He knew he was saying a lot, but given the consequences that such mistaken actions could have, it was necessary to reveal the full extent of his current knowledge on the subject. "The golden dragons are trying to help people live through the crisis that assaults the planet. The Green Alchemist wishes to exterminate monsters and the dragons want to use that advantage, to later take out both sides when they're weak." 

"The Green Alchemist also wants to destroy the dragon race," Zelas pointed out. It all fits when you think about it. If the monsters and the dragons were gone, the rest of the living creatures of the world would be easy to get rid of, if the famine and harsh environmental changes don't cause them to go into extinction even before the monsters and the dragons. That Green Alchemist, the one who pretends to be Gaia, that entity is part of that stillness that the Lord of Nightmares threw away. It was fused with the remains of the one originally known as the Green Alchemist, its intentions twisted, but still present." 

"That means the mission of the monster race was misinterpreted. What they really do is keep up the battles, keep the world in motion," Milgazia mused. 

"I can say the same for you, but perhaps that mission had to be interpreted that way for monsters to fight with all their strength and force dragons, humans, elves, beastmen and all other creatures to find ways to live through it. It is like the phenomenon of the barrier in comparison to the outside world. The land within the barrier is richer and more powerful than the relatively peaceful outer world. Of course, the barrier is gone now, but the advantage is obvious." Zelas observed, once again addressing her previously stated curiosity. "What was it that made you interpret the prophecies differently from the other dragons?" 

"Dreams," Milgazia admitted. "I've been having recurring dreams that I only recently managed to even begin piecing together. So far it seems to fit with what you said." The guilt of an unwilling cannibal had been forgotten, as Milgazia went to full on diplomat mode. "May I inquire about the source of your knowledge on the subject?" 

"The Lord of Nightmares," Zelas proudly replied. Milgazia's look of surprised disbelief obviously requested more information. "It was a dream too, but I'm certain it came from the Lord of Nightmares. I have many spies and information gatherers, who erase the information after it has been properly recorded. It is really not surprising that I would figure this out before you, given my vast resources. This being, the stillness, long lost legends refer to it as the Lord of Lamentation, the Void, the End and many other such names. Just as the Lord of Nightmares is also referred to in certain legends as the Lord of Dreams and the Lord of Chaos, additionally to the Mother of All Things." 

"Both a dragon and a monster had the dreams, interesting." Milgazia mused aloud, searching for a hint of a reaction. 

Zelas ignored the comment and continued. "According to my research, the Stillness has been around since the beginning of the worlds, as stated by the recently discussed legend. The Lord of Nightmares has existed in a semi-dormant state with a projection that in rare occasions interacted with the worlds, while the rest of her consciousness remained dreaming. That dormant state generated a sort of protective shield around the worlds and the Stillness, or a portion of it, was unable to pass. When Lina Inverse used the power of the Lord of Nightmares against Fibrizo, the Lord of Nightmares was awakened long enough for the Stillness to enter our world. It fused with the remains of the Green Alchemist and stayed hidden underground, building up power." 

"It sounds as if the Lord of Nightmares is telling us that the Stillness," Lamentation, Void or End as it was also called, "is the enemy. That we should do something about it," Milgazia went on, a little more directly. 

"Agreed, however, I have no intentions of joining forces," Zelas emphasized. "I'm only sharing this information for you to become my researcher. This hint might lead you to discovering something. You don't need to tell me, I will find out." She grinned confidently with a cunning look in her eyes. 

Milgazia looked displeased, "your spies are everywhere, aren't they? May I inquire about Xellos?" 

"You may not," Zelas firmly voiced. 

Milgazia asked anyway, "his human state was no accident. You're preparing him for something. What is it?" 

Zelas' features evolved from a nasty glare to a squinty eyed grin similar to Xellos', which hinted that the serious discussion was over and there would be no more free information. "If you ask unnecessary questions you will only receive unnecessary answers." 

"Perhaps this is related to how monsters are purely astral beings," Milgazia theorized. "Will Xellos be needing a physical body for some reason?" 

Zelas clapped her hands together, her overly cheerful look still in place. "For his honeymoon, obviously, it might make things more interesting. Although I'm pretty sure he's gotten plenty of practice already, I suppose there are subjects that always merit additional study." 

Milgazia soon found himself regretting his insistence. Zelas' warning had been true, that was a very unnecessary answer. "Never mind, I take it this means that the diplomatic discussions are over." 

"Exactly, so you can go back to the party and enjoy a lovely night of cannibalism." Zelas grinned cheerfully, then faded away into the astral side. 

Milgazia glared at the empty air where Zelas had been, grumbling something about insufferable monster lords, before waking Memphis. The elf had rested her head on her arms on the table early on the discussion and fallen asleep, missing the majority of the diplomatic debate. At least she didn't say anything embarrassing and that much Milgazia could be thankful for. 

To be Continued


	36. Chapter 36

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 106: Cycle! Worse Comes To Worst

"A girl who has justice on her side..." Amelia's voice was carried all over the deck of the party cruise, with the use of a cute little wand that amplified sound waves. 

Blocking out the annoying song, Zelas looked at Celo as if silently telling him to follow her. He did, swiftly excusing himself politely from his previous conversation, and following his master below deck. Once they were away from prying eyes and ears, Zelas voiced a simple, yet meaningful request, "report." 

Celo's relaxed expression turned serious as he went over the most important aspects that he had to inform. "The research team has reported that there were indeed magical traces in the area where Onyx recovered her elf form. Thankfully, the underground structures were magically enforced so, despite suffering considerable damage due to the recent earthquake, the cave-ins were not sufficient to halt the studies. It seems there was something sealed in her, possibly the reason why her power was so great when she was initially an elf. A seal was placed on her that turned her human and locked that something even deeper, unable to manifest its power." 

Celo continued, "the thing sealed in her must have been very powerful to leave such a clear energy signature behind in the astral space near that area. The theory about the power being drained to make Onyx recover her elf form was mistaken. She recovered because the seal that made her human was broken, not only that, but also the seal that held that power inside her was also broken. We have concluded that the spell that the Lord of Nightmares placed in her was actually magic to weaken those seals. When Onyx found herself close to death, the reaction sped up the process of breaking the seals. She is a normal elf now; the thing that was previously sealed in her since birth is gone." 

"That thing is..." Zelas questioned, pointing out with her inquiring expression that she did not like the fact that the vital piece of information was still missing. 

"My apologies, lord Beast Master," Celo lowered his head apologetically. "We do not know what it was, though it was similar yet opposite to the energy of the Lord of Nightmares, perhaps related to the Stillness, possibly the Void." 

"Ah yes, the prophecy written by that dragon," Zelas recalled. A dragon had been on a journey some distance away from Milgazia's main group. That dragon was being tracked by monsters without his knowledge. He received a vision that he wrote on a scroll, but that scroll was never seen by the other dragons. Its author soon became a victim to the monsters and later the main ingredient of Zelas' delectable dragon cuisine. "The prophecy theorized that the Lord of Lamentation, the Void and the End aside from being alternate names for the Stillness that the Lord of Nightmares rejected, are also the names of the three pieces that the Stillness was broken into. The dragon saw them as entities similar to Darkstar, which was a mistaken interpretation. I'm under the impression that the one that is known as the Green Alchemist is the Lord of Lamentation. That being uses trickery manipulating people and their weaknesses, their lamentations." 

"Yes," Celo agreed with the theory. "If Onyx's emotionally toned down personality, where she only reacts to extreme situations or particular subjects, is any indication, she was being affected by what was sealed in her, the Void. If our theories are correct, Lamentation is representative of mourning, as opposed to determination. It is to accept things as they come without putting up a fight; it is inaction, a true part of Stillness, the physical part of not doing anything." 

"Most likely," Zelas agreed. "The Void would then be the mental part of Stillness, it is the second phase. After action is not taken, the next step of still indifference would be to stop thinking about things. If Lamentation weakens the body with famines and physical harm, then the Void would weaken the mind with apathy and indifference. The last part is the End, the reaper, when the body takes no action and the mind has no thoughts, there is nothing, that being has ceased to exist. Humans are fragile, but if the lowly creatures become extinct, it will be us monsters who will suffer the famine next and become trapped in the same cycle that extinguished human life. I have already decided that I stand for chaos. This world will suffer at my hand for all eternity if it's up to me. I cannot grant it the mercy of dying to become something else, very much less let it die forever." 

Celo chuckled with infinite pride and admiration for his master's determination. "Talk about being cruel to be kind." 

Zelas laughed at the irony of opposing concepts and how they needed each other to exist. "Without a little bit of kindness, no one would be able to appreciate cruelty. The more comfortable a life style is, the more tragic it would be to break it and the more delicious. Perhaps the Lord of Nightmares isn't simply telling us to stop this, maybe she's asking, are you worthy of existing? Can you defeat what I defeated within myself?" 

"The answer should be obvious," Celo smiled with admiration. "The great Beast Master shall be victorious." 

With a very wolf like expression, Zelas assured, "at any cost. Be sure to stay alert for the manifestation of the Void, it has been released and will probably not remain quiet for long." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, on top of the cruise's deck, a pure white dove landed on the railing next to Milgazia and Memphis. The bird was not a monster, as convenient as monster birds could be as couriers; golden dragons preferred not to resort to such tactics and just used normal messenger birds. Milgazia examined the message carried by the dove with growing dread that not even the gallons of alcohol that he had recently consumed could alleviate. 

"The lands previously affected by the famine have slowly become unresponsive to recovery treatments." Milgazia grimly informed Memphis, who seemed rather out of it still. "Furthermore, there are other lands that are being affected by famines and the supplies of the golden dragons are running out as well as the supplies from the countries that were trying to help. People are losing hope..." 

"Hmm..." Memphis looked at Milgazia, her eyes almost focused, almost. Then she looked back at the sea and let out a tired dazed breath with no further reaction to a situation that would certainly produce a much stronger reaction had she been in her full senses. She would be pissed off the next morning when she had a killer hangover, though she might at least find consolation in thinking that the event involving the dragon cuisine was all a bad dream. 

Milgazia knew that the plan the golden dragons had come up with would fail. He couldn't simply say that this was a common enemy of the monsters and dragons and suggest joining forces. Zelas didn't want to join forces and though Milgazia could see the bigger picture beyond all prideful stubbornness, he wasn't fond of the idea either. Besides, he had only spoken about the truth with Zelas, not the other monster lords, whom he suspected were in the dark. Suddenly, their presence at the party made a little more sense. 

Dynast and Dolphin were unsure about what was going on and wanted information from Zelas. That's why they were behaving in her party; information was what fueled their truce. Zelas would probably give them a believable lie to get them out of the way. It would be another story of a deranged human turned chimera, who tapped into more power than he could handle and tried to take over the world. They would probably believe it too; it seemed essentially less controversial then the truth. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"It's time to cut the cake!" Tiffany happily announced as several very large chocolate cakes were brought over from the astral side. 

"Cake!" Lina and Gourry blissfully exclaimed in a happy chorus of gluttony. They were first in line, hoping to each claim a cake to themselves. 

While most of the guests were distracted by the sight of the delicious cakes, Naga got a hold of the magically enhanced sound amplifying wand. Martina and Sirene stood left and right of her as the three took in deep breaths and let their laughter of doom echo. The guests, even the monsters, dropped to the floor of the deck holding their hands over their ears in agony. Coincidentally, another earthquake took place, rocking the ship violently. Most actually didn't mind, since it made the horrible laughter stop, causing several people to contemplate that drowning was probably much more pleasant than listening to that infernal laughter again triple and amplified. 

The cruise was assaulted by another onslaught of continuous tidal waves, which this time succeeded in making the large luxurious vessel capsize. Screams of panic echoed from the non-monsters as the monsters took refuge by retreating to the astral side. Thankfully, there were enough skilled magic users around to cast a sufficient force of levitation spells to get everyone to safety. Unfortunately, the cakes, which had already been ruined by the tidal waves, were lost at sea. 

"The cakes!" Lina Inverse agonized as she joined the survivors on the shore of the disaster zone that was Amor Resort. "Everything was going so well, we had such a wonderful meal. A delicious meal of the most amazing steaks I've ever tasted deserves the perfect dessert!" 

"Steaks?" Filia questioned, her face twisting in anger. "You ate that meat too?" 

"Yup, we all did," Gourry happily and truthfully replied, not knowing what he was getting into. "Zelas is an amazing cook!" 

"That was dragon cuisine!" Filia shouted in angry indignation. 

"Cuisine from your home land?" Amelia innocently inquired, hoping and wishing that was the answer. 

"No," Filia seriously confessed, her face set in displeasure. "It was dragon meat, golden dragon meat. It was Milgazia's friend." 

Amelia felt the guilt rising in her. "I'm so sorry. We didn't know." Zelgadis joined the condolences in hopes of calming Filia's rage. 

Lina on the other hand, was walking over to Milgazia, eyeing him suspiciously. He noticed the red haired human looking at him up and down with a foreboding sensation that told him she was not motivated by admiration. "Is something wrong?" He was almost afraid to ask. 

"You look delicious," Lina grinned in a wolfish way that reminded Milgazia of Zelas, and he really didn't want to be reminded of her. 

Milgazia backed away at the same time that Galathia arrived out of the astral side, just in time to catch Lina's remark. "Milgazia is a total hottie, isn't he? It's a pity he doesn't show as much skin as Phythan. If a young one like Phythan is that hot, I wonder how hot a dragon in his prime could be..." 

Zelas joined the conversation, fading out of the astral side as well. "He's not hot yet, but he might be hot soon, in my oven." She licked her lips in an odd mix between hungry, seductive, wild and predatory. Being around golden dragons that transformed right in front of her made her hungry for something meatier than misery. 

"Aw, but he's too handsome to eat!" Galathia complained. 

Turning her own argument from earlier against her, Zelas replied by pointing out, "gluttony is a sin too." 

Milgazia shuddered and backed away. Honestly, he had more than enough of crazy women who wanted to do inappropriate things to him, culinary or otherwise. Memphis would have said something about the improper comments, but she was too out of it to really notice. She would certainly be cursing alcohol in the morning. 

While people theorized about if whether or not the earthquake was caused by the massive destructive sound waves of the combined laughter of doom, it started to sink in that the party was over, mostly because the party's location had already sunk. Thus the guests, who were stranded at the resort island until ships could come pick them up to take them to their homes, gave the newly weds their last round of congratulations and went to find places to camp out among the rubble of the destroyed buildings. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

As she sat around one of the many campfires in the shattered remains of the once splendorous Amor Resort, Filia thought of many things. She had overheard people talking about their homes and how they wished the seismic activities were not too bad there. Courier monster birds were sent to gather news of the state of other lands and to request transportation off the island. Albeit earthquakes had been felt in other lands, they were not as bad as the violent shaking that assaulted the Amor Resort island. It was almost as if the island was being purposely targeted. As if someone wanted to pick a fight, or maybe show off power. It all had to be related to the same enemy. 

Reports of the land becoming dried up and infertile were becoming more frequent. When the news reached Philionel and he shared it via Jarde, Lina was very upset thinking that the promised triple banquet at Seyruun would have to be postponed again. She threw a big hissy fit about how it made the wasted cakes even more tragic. The gluttonous redhead spent the rest of the night eyeing Milgazia hungrily along with Gourry, who had taken to doing the same. Poor Milgazia didn't get a single second of sleep, not that he would dare to risk it. 

It all made Filia think that the strange tree-like magical chimera device that Narcissus had under his mansion was not the only one. Who knew how many of those there were? It would be very hard to find them all, even harder to stop them and more so to stop them on time, as the land's condition was worsening fast. The lands in other continents across the sea were not holding up any better and couldn't really afford to send much help. Even the emergency supplies of Seyruun and of the golden dragons were running out. Something had to be done or the world was doomed, plus once Milgazia went home, Filia would probably be next on Lina's menu. 

Filia was at least thankful to have been able to find a blanket, to avoid freezing in her showy dress. It was a tiny detail, but it would be that much worse to deal with deadly stress and the cold all at once. The temperatures were rapidly dropping as the winter settled in, cutting the autumn short. Filia held little Val in her arms, keeping him as warm as she could as he slept. 

Xellos was sleeping next to her, both of them leaning on Fang, who was now in his fox form, playing the part of a warm and fuzzy giant black pillow. Xellos was going to have a killer hangover in the morning and would probably complain about his honey moon being ruined, but that would be the least of their worries with the current happenings of the world. The end of the world was imminent and something had to be done to stop it. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Eventually, ships did brave the irritated ocean to pick up passengers and transport them to and from Amor Resort. Celo and Tiffany would remain behind to keep an eye on the rebuilding process. Zangulus and Martina, who had plenty of rebuilding experience from the work in progress that was the Kingdom of Zoana, were given high positions overseeing the process. Kally, Kalio, Medusa and Sylphiel were assigned to help with the process as well. Sylphiel surprised everyone with her architectural talent, designing the blueprints of the new and improved resort. Pokota, Wizer and all the other guests returned home. As for Onyx, Phythan and Fang, they were sent on a journey to travel the world and report their findings to Beast Master; a monster lord could never have enough spies. 

Despite the resort being in shambles, after some further consideration, it was opened to the public, advertising a new theme: 'Love at the World's End.' Apparently the tourists thought it was romantic to pretend the world was ending, assuring that even if it did their love wouldn't end. Couples claimed that this was a lovely idea that would bring them together without the distraction of worldly things such as rides and souvenir shops. Many were even tricked into performing free labor, because constructing something together was such a wonderful bonding experience. Of course, they only thought the end of the world was romantic because it was play pretend. If they knew that the end of the world was actually happening, a gigantic world wide panic would ensue. 

After many goodbyes and well wishes, Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis joined Philionel on his journey back to Seyruun. Naga went back to roaming the world, while Gravos and Jillas returned to the Maces and Vases shop. Naturally, Elena and Palou also went. Filia wanted to check on her shop thus she, Xellos and Val also returned to town. She intended to catch up to Phil's group later and look into the happenings of Seyruun. Apparently, the prince was being requested to return in a hurry, despite the kingdom not being significantly damaged by the relatively gentle earthquakes that were felt in that area. The problem was that the citizens had become terribly unmotivated and a massive depression was overtaking the whole kingdom, rendering it unable to function. 

Filia wanted to do something to help, but she didn't want to place Val in such a depressing setting, thus she knew it was best for him to stay in her town with Jillas and Gravos, assuming that her home there was still standing. When they did arrive in town, they found that the damage wasn't as bad as they feared. There were cracks all over the walls of Filia's shop, as well as every other structure in town, including Elena's house. Many of the vases were thrown to the floor and broken, though no more than the amount Filia had thrown at Xellos' face when he visited her one day some time before he was cursed and his life was turned upside-down. 

After the damage report was done, Filia gave her farewells, hugging little Val and telling him to be good. Xellos being Xellos, advised Val to keep things lively by getting into mischief. Thus with their son in the care of his trusted uncles, Filia and Xellos headed off to Seyruun to see just how bad the situation there was. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After a relatively uneventful journey with only a few minor earthquakes here and there, Filia and Xellos arrived at Seyruun. The city had an aura of depression around it. It was so strong that one did not need to be an empath to perceive it. Even so, the strangest thing was that it was decorated with bright festive colors, though the zombie-faced, barely alive, people on the streets didn't seem to notice or care. Maybe the decorations were all part of Amelia's efforts to cheer people up, though it didn't appear to be working very well. 

Xellos was thankfully long since over his horrible hangover, with its constant nauseous feeling and awful headache finally gone. He passed the time as he and Filia walked to Seyruun castle by throwing around hints about how she still owed him a honey moon, which Filia, with a rosy face, promised she'd give him when they had some time to relax. For the time being however, they would be far too busy getting caught up in Amelia's latest scheme... 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 107: Celebrations! Holiday Cheer

Upon their arrival at Seyruun castle, Xellos and Filia were greeted by an orchestra that seemed to be composed of the royal guards. They were skilled in swords and magic, some even in both, but few were actually skilled in music. The fact that they were attempting to play a seemingly cheerful song, judging by the reoccurrence of the phrase 'life is wonderful' in its lyrics, in such a terribly gloomy tone, made it all the more depressing. "Make them stop before I Dragon Slave them!" Xellos shouted in agony. 

Noticing the arrival of her friends, Amelia rushed over wearing a festive colorful dress, with more colors on it than a rainbow. "This is no time to go back to your monster ways, Mr. Xellos. You should just give into the human optimism and admit that life is wonderful!" 

"Who could be optimistic with all this noise?" Xellos argued, holding his hands over his ears, a motion that was mimicked by Filia. 

Amelia waved her hand at the rehearsing orchestra in a merciful signal for them to stop. "Take a five minute break everyone, then continue rehearsing out in the garden. Maybe the warm and friendly rays of the cheerful sun will make you feel better!" Dragging their feet and their instruments, the members of the improvised orchestra of doom walked off. 

After taking a moment to bask in the blissful silence, Filia inquired. "What in the world is going on?" 

"It seems a terrible depression has overtaken the kingdom," Amelia's face was full of cheerful determination as she spoke. "We can't allow our spirits to fall. We must be strong as the world faces its trials and remember that justice will always triumph! To cheer up the people of Seyruun I have made an official decree that was approved by my father. What better way to spread joy then with holidays? The plan is to celebrate a couple of major holidays one after another to fill people with wonderful cheer! First up is Valentine's Day, then Easter. That way people will find friends and even love to share the next upcoming holidays with. We hope to get through many celebrations before Thanksgiving, which is the only one that will fall on its usual date." 

Amelia's explanation left Xellos and Filia staring at her in surprise. Holidays were enjoyable indeed but they were also busy and hectic. Leave it to Amelia and only Amelia to so bravely face them one after another with her infinite supply of positive energy. "You are the bane of any monster's existence," Xellos half criticized and half acknowledged her 'power'. 

Since Amelia was in such a positive mood, she took his words as a compliment and smiled in cheerful gratitude, "thank you. Everyone else is helping with the festivities, I hope you will too." 

"Amelia!" Lina Inverse, sorceress extraordinaire, famed dragon spooker and bandit killer, entered the main reception hall of Seyruun castle in a most comical outfit. Her costume was shaped as a red heart, encompassing her petite body with her arms, legs and head sticking out of the red fabric. "Where's the chocolate to go with my costume? I'm a box of Valentine chocolates, aren't I?" 

"Oh no Miss Lina, you're not a heart shaped box, you are the metaphorical representation of love!" Amelia cheered. 

Xellos and Filia stared at Lina while she grumbled about how she would much rather be a box of chocolates with lots of chocolates inside, meaning inside her stomach. Before her hungry hissy fit was even half way done, Xellos and Filia burst out in a fit of laughter. Lina was not happy about it, she was already disappointed by the lack of chocolates and her patience was all dried up. "Who are you laughing at?" She roared dangerously, "darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows..." 

"No, Miss Lina!" Amelia exclaimed. "Love is gentle! Mr. Gourry, please calm Miss Lina!" 

Gourry ran over in an arrow costume. The tube-like clothing encompassed his torso with an upside down heart shaped arrow point on his hat to complete the arrow look. "Um... Lina?" 

"Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows," Lina continued chanting her destructive spell. 

"I don't think she's going to listen to me..." Gourry frowned. 

"I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hands..." Lina dangerously progressed. 

"Amelia..." Zelgadis, who was dressed as the sun, joined them. His costume was similar to Lina's, but it was round and yellow with orange triangles all around it to represent the sun's rays. The chimera was trying to make an effort not to acknowledge how silly he looked as he approached Amelia with a small pink heart shaped box. "This is for you..." He shyly handed it to her. 

"Aw, thank you!" Amelia accepted the gift and rewarded Zelgadis with a kiss. After they parted, she looked at her hands, which were now mysteriously empty. "Huh?" She was holding the pink heart shaped box Zelgadis gave her a second ago and now it was mysteriously gone. Her eyes traveled to Lina, who was hungrily opening the box. 

"Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!" The gluttonous redhead had at least been distracted into stopping her spell, but she was very disappointed. The box was not filled with chocolates; instead it had some kind of headbands inside. "This isn't edible!" 

"It's mine!" Amelia protectively snatched away the gift. 

"Valentine chocolates are out of season in most places, and there's the famine going on, so treats like that are hard to find." Zelgadis apologetically explained. 

Amelia didn't really mind, she was beaming with happiness at the gift she got. "These are genuine replicas of the headbands of justice Fluffy and Ice-cream wear in the comics!" There was a pink one and a blue one, both with golden stripes that came at an angle from the purple J in the middle, as if the J of justice shone like the sun. "They're beautiful!" Of course Amelia wanted to wear the Fluffy headband replica immediately and Zelgadis guessed that she would want him to join her by wearing the Ice-cream head band. She happily fastened the pink headband around her head, seeming to gain even more energy from the action. Then, quoting her favorite issue of the comics she had been recently getting into more and more, despite them having been around for a while, she extended her hand holding the blue head band. "Join me in another crusade of justice, my eternal adventuring partner!" 

Zelgadis saw this coming from a mile away and was ready to play along, wearing the blue and gold justice headband that couldn't make him look any sillier than his sun costume already did. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After hearing some knocking on his door, Milgazia opened the entrance to the cabin where he resided in the mountains. The water clan often remained in their dragon forms and slept out in the open, but they had a village to keep their possessions and rest when they felt the need to sleep on a bed. After all the happenings during his excursion to Amor Resort, Milgazia definitely felt like resting his aching head on a nice soft pillow. 

Opening the door revealed the arrival of someone dressed in green holding a clipboard and pen. The young man, looked like he was an experience traveler, thus he was able to overtake the journey to the mountains. He had a horse with him, the brown animal standing not too far away from its master. The mare was occupied in carrying many packages and by the looks of it had not been able to carry the man too. "Mr. Milgazia?" The blond young man inquired. 

"Yes," Milgazia confirmed, curious as to who could be writing to him. If it was another dragon, he would expect the message to be brought by a courier dove and not a delivery boy. 

"Please sign here," the man handed the clipboard and pen to Milgazia. Being the cautious dragon he was, Milgazia read the document before signing it. There was nothing suspicious about it. It only ascertained that a package was delivered and handed to its owner. Milgazia was about to return the clipboard, but the man was already busy guiding his horse closer to the entrance of Milgazia's mountain cabin. "You need to sign the others too, all the papers on that clipboard." The man spoke in a quiet voice, his blue eyes focused and perceptive, yet also pure. 

Surprised at how many packages were being delivered to him, Milgazia went over each document, reading the same lines quickly, but accurately. By the time he was done providing all his required signatures, the man wearing green had already relieved his horse of her burdens and set the packages in a pile next to Milgazia. He accepted the clipboard with a nod and placed it on the bag attached to the horse side, then went on his way, walking next to her rather than riding, to give her a break from supporting extra weight. "Wait, who are these deliveries from?" Milgazia called after the young man. At a closer glance at his ears he noticed their long elf-like shape. 

"They are all from different girls," the young man revealed. He had a look of understanding in his eyes, as if he could relate to Milgazia's situation, even before Milgazia himself knew what that situation was. 

"I see..." Confused with this information, Milgazia politely thanked the young man for the delivery and turned his attention to curiously examine the mountain of packages. He took them all inside the cabin and set them on the table, preparing to open them one by one and hopefully understand what this was about. 

The mountain cabin had a simple yet elegant decor with carved wooden furniture complimented with fluffy cushions. Shades of brown, gold and white predominated, giving the place a gentle and warm atmosphere. A fireplace contained a small flame. The chill of the winter had arrived early all across the land and the weather up in the mountains was especially cold. Milgazia's resistance to it was reduced in his elf form, but there was something especially comfortable about drinking tea wrapped in a warm blanket in front of the fire when it was cold outside. 

A framed color drawing of medium size hung on the wall, depicting a skilled artistic impression of a slightly younger Milgazia standing next to a human woman who carried a special sword. The painting was reinforced with magic so as to not loose its rich colors with the passing of the many years. The lady warrior's smiling face, pretty cheerful features and long flowing hair were still captured perfectly in the canvas. The author was a young human girl of exceptional artistic skill by the name of Relm. She was no longer among the living, as it had been far too long since the time when she painted that picture. 

The world was certainly an ever changing place and that was why it continued to exist. For a fleeting moment, Milgazia wondered what it would have been like if he had interpreted his feelings for that human lady as something other than a deep friendship and admiration. He pushed the thoughts away without bitterness. He shared some good times traveling with her and those were precious memories that he would forever treasure. As for her, she eventually retired from her travels and settled down with a human man. Her descendant was alive and well, keeping up the family tradition of practicing with the sword and traveling across the land. 

Milgazia had never thought of mentioning he had known his ancestor and simply let things be the way they were, but he knew it had to be him, Gourry Gabriev. That time when Lina, Xellos and the others came seeking the Claire Bible, it was Gourry who dispelled the tension between the group with his comment on how young Xellos looked despite being over a thousand years old. Milgazia had commented on what a strange group they were and felt assured that there was nothing to fear even though Beast Master's general was there. It was that same optimistic feeling that she had around her. Though Gourry seemed more naive, they both had the same kind heroic heart. Remembering her made Milgazia think of their travels together and about how she would always be ready to courageously face any challenge with determination and optimism. 

Milgazia discovered a box of chocolates within one of the packages he received. He opened up the pink card with red hearts all over that was attached to it and curiously read the message inside. "Dear Mr. Dragon, I want to be your damsel in distress, please steal me away. With love, Momoka." He blinked, doing a double take on the card. Some humans had a very peculiar view of dragons as being prone to kidnapping young ladies, especially princesses, but this was the first time a lady asked him to steal her away. 

Setting the card aside, Milgazia examined another of the packages and found a chocolate cake. The card accompanying the gift was red, with the word love written on its cover with pink glitters. He opened it and read. "Hi sexy dragon! Take me to your lair and devour me, rawr! I'll be waiting for you, Laiki" Setting that card aside too, Milgazia examined one package after another finding chocolates, cakes, cookies, candy and all sorts of chocolaty and sugary treats. All of them were Valentine themed, even though February was a good way away, as it was still early November. 

The cards' messages were varied, yet they all had the same flirty theme to them. Some were sweet, others were funny and others were so direct, lustful and graphic that they made Milgazia's face turn red. Where did these girls get off sending him all those flirtatious messages when he was sure he had never even met them? The next message he checked was from someone he had met before, not that the detail was comforting at all. The envelope attached to the gift held a lengthy high rated letter from Galathia detailing all the activities she was willing to partake in with him. Needless to say, Milgazia was most certainly not willing to do anything of the sort. 

Then finally the answer to the mystery of the Valentine gifts flood came along with yet another gift. The box contained an assortment of beautifully decorated chocolate cupcakes that seemed to stand out from the others because of their perfect shape, extra alluring chocolaty scent and gorgeous shiny frosting decorations. They were also set apart from the other gifts because there were no hearts among the sugary depictions on them. There were pretty stars, dots, lines and even a detailed picture of a frosting wolf, but nothing particularly mushy. The card was shaped in the silhouette of a winged wolf; it was black with red ink, scented in an exquisite perfume with a hint of something else as if an elegant queen just came home from a bloody assassination. 

Upon closer inspection, Milgazia realized that the ink was not really ink. It was blood, dragon blood to be specific, golden dragon blood. "Dear Mr. Cannibal, I wish to thank you for your contribution to the 'Stupid Dragon Fangirl' project. All the funds gathered by the delivery service of gifts from the eligible, though very idiotic, bachelorettes will be put towards the restoration of Amor Resort. Please accept these delicious treats as a symbol of my gratitude. With appreciation (in a purely culinary sense), Beast Master Zelas Metallium. PS: Put some meat on your bones, I'm looking forward to having you for the dinner of ingratitude!" 

Ah yes, the dinner of ingratitude, it was a monster celebration that took place on the same day as Thanksgiving. However, instead of giving thanks and being grateful, the monsters would gather together to pig out, whine and complain about all the things they wanted that they did not have. It was a bit late to get started on most dragon cuisine dishes, but if this was a monster only party, then Zelas wouldn't have to worry about completely de-poisoning the dragon meat, since the poisonous properties wouldn't really affect the monsters anyway. 

Milgazia was very tempted to rip the card apart, but he remembered that Zelas mentioned she would be spying on him. He would not dignify her with a hissy fit, he was above such behavior. Thus forcing himself to appear to be cool calm and collected, he set the card aside with the others in a pile of annoying correspondence. He hated being used in Zelas' schemes, but knew there was little he could do about it. He wasn't surprised that she managed to get her hands on so much food to sell though; Lady Metallium did have many connections in the business world. 

At least Milgazia could share the chocolates with his clan; he just wouldn't tell them where they came from. Besides, poisoning really wasn't Zelas' style, more so if she wanted his meat to stay fresh and healthy for whatever recipe she had in mind for him. He picked up a cupcake and ate it, at least the rich chocolaty taste could help somewhat reduce his stress. The taste was outstanding, though something about the center of the cupcake was off. It wasn't a creamy center, it was more like... meat, dragon meat, golden dragon meat. 

Milgazia examined the center of the cupcake and realized that apparently Zelas had some left over dragon cuisine after all. His face started to gain a slightly green tint and he felt his stomach turn, but he refused to get sick and make a mad dash to the bathroom to spit out what he just ate. Oh no, he would be cool, calm, collected and dignified. He had to show that he wasn't going to allow himself to be tortured. He didn't eat another cupcake though; he didn't want to be even more of a cannibal again. 

It was kind of annoying that the meat filling aside, the cupcake itself was so good when it was made by someone so evil. Whoever said food tasted better when cooked with love was a big fat liar. Speaking of fat, though Milgazia certainly wasn't, the thought of a monster lord wanting to cook him made him want to start an intense exercise regimen. Maybe if he lost some weight, Beast Master would leave him alone. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At Seyruun castle, everyone was practicing their assigned roles. "I'm the sun, I'm cheerful and happy," Zelgadis' tone didn't match his lines at all. 

"I'm a rainbow of bright colorful joy!" Amelia cheered, with enough bliss to make up for the others' collective lack of enthusiasm. 

"G-go C-cu-ppid Aa-rrr-ow..." Xellos shivered in the cold. 

"The cupid's bow shoots the arrow to the heart!" Filia was dressed as a giant bow, with her tail housed inside the lower curve of the bow and her limbs sticking out much like with Gourry's arrow costume. She tried to play along, but she was more distracted than enthusiastic. 

"Here I go, full of love!" Gourry was totally into his role, though certainly not as much as Amelia, he came in a close second. He picked up love, which was Lina's role, and ran forward, then placed her on her feet. 

"I'm the love that blossom's in everyone's hearts!" Her stomach growled. "Arg! I can't act on an empty stomach!" 

"It's too cold for this," Filia argued. "Xellos is turning into an icicle!" 

"No-not aat all... I'm ff-fi-ne..." Leave it to Xellos to pretend he was strong when he was obviously freezing. He was the cupid, thus his costume consisted of a short white cloth tied a little below the waist, covering only what vitally needed to be covered and little fake angel wings on his back, which took a while to convince him to put on. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 108: Memories! Regretful Nostalgia

"Cheer up everyone!" Amelia declared at the top of her lungs. "We need to finish getting into character and practice our song and dance so we could put on a show at the public plaza!" 

"What?" Filia snapped. "Are you really expecting us to do all this in public, in song form?" Wearing a ridiculous costume in front of her friends was one thing, they were all like family. But Filia did not approve of her husband prancing around in a tiny white cloth outside in the freezing cold of an unusually early winter that felt like mid winter. He would get pneumonia, or be assaulted by insane obsessive fan girls, or both! 

"We have to; we're the opening act for the fashion show!" Amelia continued trying to talk her unwilling band of actors into acting. "Naga joined in helping with the situation. She convinced Miss Marty to bring her fashion show to Seyruun. Since Amor Resort is so deeply involved in the copyright I had to ask Miss Tiffany to help us with that. In the end it was all arranged and the fashion show will take place this evening at the plaza for the whole kingdom to see!" 

Lina let out a tired breath, "I really don't think Marty's designs are winter functional." 

Before any counter arguments could be produced, a familiar loud laugh invaded the castle. "Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" Naga approached in her usual attire, laughing constantly. 

"Are you alright, sister?" Amelia wondered with concern, Naga was laughing much more than usual, it went on none stop. 

"Of course, I'm just fine. I just need to keep laughing to stay warm!" Naga proudly declared, with another bout of obnoxious laughter. "Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" 

"Or you could just wear a coat," Zelgadis usefully suggested, his advice falling on metaphorically deaf ears. Albeit very soon the whole kingdom would be left deaf for real if Naga wasn't stopped. 

Fortunately, Amelia had a secret weapon for just such an emergency occasion. "Sister, please cosplay as the rainbow with me! Let's wear pretty matching dresses, please!" Her eyes were shiny and looked larger than before, as Amelia used her little sister charm. 

"Aw!" Naga patted her younger sibling on the head. "Alright, I'll cosplay with you. Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" With Naga in a matching dress like Amelia's she would no longer be cold. Thus she would not have the constant need to warm up by laughing. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Unfortunately for those who were looking forward to a genuine Marty fashion show, the designer caught a bad cold and was no longer in any conditions to direct it. The show had to go on though, thus Naga was assigned the task of directing, which, if anything, made things much worse. She paced around Amelia's crew of Valentine cheer in her rainbow dress that matched her sister's. Additionally, the models from Marty's show that didn't catch colds because of her winter dysfunctional designs had joined them, though the additions were only two, Phythan and Fang. "Now all together, take a deep breath and... Ah! ha ha ho ha ha!" 

"I've had enough of this!" Lina yelled at the top of her lungs. 

Naga ignored her and shook her head. "You three," she pointed at Fang, Phythan and Xellos. Xellos, being human, was the one who was worse off. Fang was part monster, but he was a chimera and his fox part longed for its natural fur coat. As for Phythan, he wanted to transform, as his golden scales were much more resistant to the cold than his human skin. Fang and Phythan were wearing the showy outfits Marty had recommended for them, the Wild Feline Trio for Phythan and the Wild Beast Tamer for Fang. "Stop shivering!" Naga ordered. "If you would just laugh with all your heart, you would warm up in no time!" 

"Do I have to blow something up just to get people to listen to me?" Lina shouted exasperated. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows..." 

"Alright, alright!" Amelia interfered. "Maybe it is a little too cold for a fashion show like this. Maybe our hastily," and poorly, "planned shows are not working out how they should." 

"O-on-ly M-ma-y-be?" Xellos snapped sarcastically, though his sarcasm just wasn't the same when he was shivering so much that he couldn't even speak properly. 

"That's okay, because we can come up with something else!" Amelia cheered, trying to keep everyone's spirits high. 

"Hmm..." Naga looked like she was plotting and everyone instantly started to worry. "Amelia..." She leaned over close to her younger sister's ear and whispered something to her. 

Amelia's face immediately lit up, "really? Do you think we could do that?" 

"I think we can manage," Naga nodded. "I'm sure Zelas has a lot of supplies in secret warehouses." 

"Alright!" Amelia cheered, then paused to ask, "when did you get acquainted with Miss Zelas?" 

"During the wedding party," Naga replied with admiration. "I talked her into popping over to the astral side for a moment and showing me her laugh. I must say, that roaring laughter of hers is really something. It's too bad she doesn't show it to just anyone. It would have been an honor for the other guests to hear it." Xellos was pretty surprised that a mere human listened to that and lived, but then again, Naga was certainly not an ordinary person. 

"What's the new plan?" Filia inquired suspiciously. If the scheme somehow involved Zelas, that was a good reason for her to worry. 

"That is a secret," Amelia chirped cheerfully. If Xellos wasn't about to fall over with hypothermia, he would have said something about his line being stolen. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Several hours later, Naga, Amelia, Zelgadis, Lina, Gourry, Filia, Xellos, Fang, Phythan, Onyx and Philionel were all over the city, handing out hot chocolate and chocolaty heart shaped cookies. Well, Lina and Gourry were eating most of the supplies, while the others were actually doing their job. The cookie recipe was custom made by the late queen of Seyruun. She used to bake with her daughters years ago. It filled Philionel with nostalgia and fatherly pride to see his daughters make the special cookies that the queen use to make and share them with the citizens of their fair kingdom. The prince was in fact so filled with emotion that he didn't even mind that he was now indebt to a monster lord, as the prices for the ingredients were stiff according to the situation of supply and demand. 

It had been years since the citizens tasted those special cookies that the queen use to share with them. Many were filled with nostalgia and became more open to Amelia's speeches about hope, friendship and love. The fashion show didn't go through, albeit maybe that was for the best. Thus the costumes were replaced with much more comfortable and functional coats and winter clothes. Yet the atmosphere around the group was just as cheerful as Amelia wanted it to be with their brightly colored coats. Xellos' fuzzy purple coat even had a hood with adorable little weasel ears on top. He would never admit it, but he was really glad to finally be able to warm up. 

At the end of the day, the Valentine celebrations were declared a success. The festivities went on for a while and it all turned out so nice that Filia had Fang go to her town to get Jillas, Gravos, Val, Elena, Palou and Fili so they could join in. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A few days later, the time came for the celebration of the next holiday on the list, Easter. While the group occupied themselves painting eggs and making paper bunnies to decorate every surface, a gloomy presence watched it all, hidden in the shadows. The being scoffed, unheard from her place in the astral side. "All this cheer must be extinguished..." 

Encouraged by the royal family and their friends, the citizens of Seyruun were running around all over the kingdom, searching for Easter eggs. Amelia's not so willing, merry band of cheer givers were dressed up as Easter bunnies with some being more enthusiastic than others. The city was finally starting to recover its characteristic cheer, with the streets being flooded with smiles and laughter. Fili, the wolf cub, was with Xellos, Filia and Val. One moment she was happily enjoying the festivities, following them wagging her tail and the next she was howling in alarm for no apparent reason. 

The happy atmosphere was interrupted by a blast of dark energy thrown at the crowds roaming the streets. Strangely, the energy did not cause any physical damage, but many people collapsed in depressed agony. "Who did that?" Amelia, who played the role of an Easter bunny, demanded to know. 

"I did," a being Amelia had not seen before was floating above the panicking crowds. Her robes were ragged like what one would picture the grim reaper wearing, but the fabric was somehow elegant. The torn material reflected a beautiful starry night sky of pure black with glittering silver points of light more majestic than diamonds as if the cloak was made from the sky itself. Her face was slightly reminiscent of Onyx, though her messy wavy hair was longer in a dark navy tone rather than black. Her eyes were a blood red tone and her pointy ears had small patches of navy fur at the ends. "Your attitude, little princess, is not appreciated by the bringers of the end. Lamentation was tainted with the remains of the Green Alchemist, but I am not a chimera, I am a pure fragment of the Stillness. Let your mind surrender to the Void!" 

A beam of dark energy emerged from Void's outstretched hand, hitting Amelia square on the chest. The princess stumbled, no physical damage was evident, but her mind was a whirlwind of pain. Amelia saw herself no longer standing in the street. Instead she was running through the halls of the castle. There were screams; she pushed her legs to carry her faster, her heart beating wildly as if wanting to burst with the pain of a coming tragedy, her lungs thirsty for air as if she was breathing in fire rather than oxygen. She stopped, there was blood everywhere, there were sharp blades covered in red, her mother lay motionless as her sister tried desperately to bring her back to life with healing spells that would not work. The assassin was dead too, the cruel angry face something that could inspire nightmares. 

Her sister was crying, she was crying too and she knelt next to her and placed her hands atop Gracia's on the lifeless queen's chest. The blood of their mother seeped through Gracia's fingers into Amelia's smaller hands as they both called forth every ounce of white magic they knew to no avail. Heavy footsteps were approaching, Amelia had heard them in tune with her own, but they stopped a while ago, Amelia didn't know for how long her father stood still in agony. A loud noise was heard, the prince had fallen to his knees, the royal guards in shock behind him, not knowing how to face this tragedy. Abundant tears were running down Philionel's face. He knew that his daughters' efforts were in vain; his beloved queen had already perished. 

Philionel crawled to Gracia and Amelia, unable to find the strength to get on his feet. He took their delicate blood stained hands in his large trembling hands, the blood of his beloved sticking to his fingers as it was in theirs. No matter how much he washed his hands later, he would always feel her blood on his hands, because he wasn't there to protect her. He wrapped his arms around his daughters and together they mourned for a time period unknown, as even the passing of time felt as if it had stopped. 

"Where was your precious justice then?" A monotonous yet cruel and haunting voice mocked, echoing in Amelia's mind. "What did taking justice into her own hands do for your sister? What did your kind mother do to deserve such a painful death? How was that just? Do you remember the expression of fear embedded in your mother's face? She could not even close her eyes as she fell to the floor lifeless and covered in blood." The images kept running through Amelia's head over and over. "She died in agony, she saw her eldest daughter running to her in a panic right before she died. She passed away thinking that her first child would surely be next. Her last second of life was spent in unbearable sorrow; she knew no closure, no peace." 

"Amelia!" Zelgadis was holding Amelia, her body limp in his arms. He called her name more urgently each time until he was shouting desperately for her to respond. "What did you do to her? What did you do, monster!?" 

The Void looked indifferent. "I only showed her the truth that she kept locked away deep inside. Isn't it better if you simply do not feel? Then you wouldn't feel the pain of losing her. You call me a monster, yet you are one yourself. She's the only one who could truly see past that. She was so selfless in loving a creature like you, and you couldn't even protect her. You were never good enough for her. She gave you so much and you didn't even keep her safe even if you were right there next to her. You're such an ingrate, such a cruel heartless monster!" 

The others, who had been spread across the area, were running towards Amelia and Zelgadis from different directions. Philionel was the first to get close to the pair. Void looked at him with her pupil-less blood red eyes. "Her blood is in your hands," her final words were directed at both Zelgadis and Philionel. The prince stopped cold, as if a deep sorrow he kept hidden in his heart had reemerged. Naga caught up to him, shaking her father out of his sorrowful daze, then the two continued running towards Amelia and Zelgadis. 

The Void faded into a shadowy black light and flew away like a wind of darkness. Filia and Xellos were running over, with Val riding on Xellos' basket of Easter chocolates, previously enjoying the treats. The Void, in her semi-transparent state, headed towards them. Filia picked up Val automatically and hugged him. In an instant, the Void passed between Filia and Xellos before fading into nothingness. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Later... "Is she going to be okay? Is she going to wake up? What's wrong with her!?" Zelgadis shouted, his upset demanding voice resonating all over Amelia's room at the castle where the group was gathered. It was causing the castle head physician to back away in worry. Zelgadis hated that look of fear in his eyes; he looked at him like a monster. 

"Calm down, Zel!" It was Lina who stepped forward to take hold of the situation while Gourry, Filia, Xellos, Sylphiel, Gravos, Naga and Philionel remained quiet. Jillas was with Elena, Palou and Val, trying to help the kids cheer up after the frightening event. Phythan, Onyx and Fang had left to report back to Beast Master. "Everyone will do the best they can. We're all worried about Amelia, but you need to calm down. Having a nervous break down won't make things any better." 

Zelgadis moved his glaring frustrated and pained gaze away from the doctor in front of him and to the floor under his feet. His teeth were clenched, his fists tightly trembling at his sides. He must have terrified the doctor with his anger. If Lina Inverse of all people was advising self control, then he must badly be in need of it. "I know... I know... I'm sorry, I just... I just want Amelia to be okay." 

With Zelgadis backing away to give him some room the doctor got to work. The physician went through a standard routine of taking the princess' vital signs, her heart rate and breathing rhythm. He examined her head and gently pried open her eyes. Her gaze was sorrowful, but otherwise presented no signs of major physical consequences. The physician took a deep breath, as he placed his instruments back into the bag. His raspy elderly voice encompassed everyone's attention instantly. "The princess has no physical wounds or abnormal conditions that I could detect. Her vital signs are all normal." No wounds meant that a Recovery spell wouldn't do anything and there was no illness for medicine to cure. 

"I see," Philionel voiced. He looked at Sylphiel, who had taken a break from her architect job at the resort and come over for the festivities, only to find they had been cut terribly short. "Miss Sylphiel, could you try?" 

"I'll do my best," Sylphiel stood next to Amelia's bed. "Please give me some room." Everyone stood back to allow her to concentrate. She began to chant a prayer, both Sylphiel and Amelia surrounded by a gentle glow. A long moment of suspenseful silence that felt eternal passed. "Miss Amelia shows no signs of possession, curses or similar magic based conditions. Her energy waves were disturbed though. I could call it mental exhaustion, but that's not entirely accurate. It's..." Sylphiel paused, searching for the right words. 

"It's sorrow, isn't it?" Filia filled in. "That thing depresses people. She's making the citizens of Seyruun terribly sad. I felt it when she passed close to us. I saw terrible visions. Val was alright, frightened, yet otherwise unaffected, but I saw the vision meant for him in addition to mine. I saw the ancient dragons in their last moment. The attack wasn't as harsh as it was with Amelia, she must have seen something terrible." 

A thick silence hung in the air for a moment longer until Naga spoke in an uncharacteristically serious tone. "Mother's death... That is what she saw. Her blood in our hands... in all our hands... We couldn't save her even if she was so kind to us. Being here brought back bitter memories, that's why I left..." 

"Wow... I never knew your past was like that." To say Lina was in shock was an understatement. She always thought of Naga as a stupidly cheerful showoff who couldn't take anything seriously. She never would have imagined her journey around the world had such a tragic beginning. 

Gravos quietly hugged Naga, which seemed to instantly change her back to normal. "Thanks Gravy, having your support makes me feel better. Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha! My little sister is a fighter; she won't lose to sadness. Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" Lina wasn't sure if she should commend Gravos for getting Naga back to normal, or find a blunt object to throw at his head as punishment for the same reason. 

"That's right..." Philionel agreed quietly at first, then he continued with more energy and true hope. "Amelia has the fighting spirit of justice in her heart, she will not give up. She will defeat all sorrow and continue bringing happiness to all those around her!" 

"What exactly was that monster anyway?" Zelgadis looked at Xellos, the usual source of answers that had not been very informed recently. Not that he was helpful in the past when he kept his information to himself. 

"It definitely wasn't one of Lord Beast Master's monsters or any monster I've seen before," Xellos revealed in a surprisingly cooperative mood, despite not having too much to offer in the information department. "I don't think it was even a monster in the usual sense. It's probably related to the whole Green Alchemist thing." 

"I thought so..." Zelgadis admitted. "Amelia," Zelgadis sat beside her bed, holding her hand, it was so cold. "Why is she so cold?" 

"Her mind is exhausted. Miss Amelia needs to conquer this sadness or else her energy will escape her," Sylphiel gently explained. She didn't need to be direct or elaborate for everyone to understand what that meant. 

To be Continued


	37. Chapter 37

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 109: Strain! Worries and Concerns

A dreadful silence hung in the air of Amelia's room at Seyruun castle as Sylphiel revealed her diagnosis. If Amelia didn't get over the terrible sorrow that had taken over her heart, she would die. The gentle Sylphiel dared not speak such words so directly, but everyone knew what she meant by saying that Amelia's energy was escaping her. 

"That means Amelia is going to..." Xellos was about to deliver a more direct rephrasing of Sylphiel's verdict in his usual mockingly cheerful tone that he used to speak of bad news, but a warning glare from Filia was enough to make him reevaluate his words. It was not in his best interest right now to seriously offend Zelgadis, Philionel, Naga or any combination of them and the others present. Xellos had a feeling that in their full wrath he would be overpowered in his human state and this time Filia wouldn't step in to save him from their punishment. 

Yet he had already opened his mouth and let a few words escape. As a result, everyone was looking at him, or rather glaring murderously at him. Xellos knew they were waiting for him to say something inconsiderate so they could hurl the nearest blunt object at his face, or a spell, or a not very pacifistic pacifist crush. "Be okay because she's an overly cheerful justice freak who's the bane of any monster's existence?" Xellos finished unsure. 

Unanimously, all those present nodded, save for the unconscious Amelia of course, releasing Xellos from their deadly glares. They might have to put up with his mocking sarcasm when he was a monster, but until he recovered his power, they wouldn't allow him to misbehave too much. The unwilling hopeful encouragement gave way to a justice speech from Philionel, with Naga adding her own twisted version of justice to it and it all spiraled into randomness from there. Thus all those who witnessed the event were further convinced that the Seyruun royal family was a little bit insane... or maybe more than just a bit. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Far from Seyruun, in the mountains where Milgazia's group of golden dragons lived, he had just finished sharing the abundant chocolaty treats with his friends, not revealing where they came from. He just told them someone sent them as a gift, but didn't specify what kind of gift. The chocolates were safe, so it was okay to share them, all except Zelas' special cannibalistic treats of course. "Justice, no!" Milgazia pulled the box of chocolates away from the canine that was trying to eat them. "Chocolate is bad for dogs, I'll give you some food that's good for you." 

Milgazia didn't really keep the pale yellow husky as much as the dog stayed on his own. He showed up one day in front of the mountain cabin, surprisingly unafraid of the many fully transformed dragons in the area. Milgazia felt sorry for him and fed him, from that point on, the dog would hang around and follow him as much as he could. When Milgazia flew to places that the dog could not reach, he would simply return to the cabin and wait there. Since he kept staying, Milgazia kept feeding him and before he knew it, he had a pet. He named the pale yellow husky 'Justice' after a dog that appeared in the Fluffy and Ice-cream comics that resembled him. 

Milgazia placed a dish of food on the floor for his pet. It was true that food was scarce, but he couldn't let his little friend starve, he felt responsible for his well being. Besides, while Justice could not eat the chocolate, Milgazia could, so Justice could consume the food Milgazia would have otherwise had. Then again, Milgazia was on a diet anyway, so as to not appear appetizing to the murderous culinary inclinations of a certain monster lord. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Jillas, Elena, Palou and Val had returned to the town of the Vases and Maces shop. Filia thought it was best that way, so that they wouldn't be so close to that dangerous being known as the Void. Amelia was still unconscious. Philionel was called over by the royal council to address the threat upon their kingdom and had to take care of his royal duties. Naga claimed she had a plan and occupied herself searching for something in the castle vaults with some help from Gravos. No one really knew what her plan was. 

In the mean time, Zelgadis remained at Amelia's bed side, watching her and giving her words of encouragement, hoping that she would wake up soon. Lina was restlessly assaulting the castle's food supplies with Gourry, continuously stating her frustration with the situation. The enemy had taken way longer to beat than any past one and she was at the end of her patience, especially with the whole famine situation to pressure her. 

Filia and Xellos were in their new shared room at the castle. It was a mix of purple and pink, as some of the furniture from Filia's old room at Seyruun was moved to a larger room for them to share. The worried golden dragon paced around impatiently, while her husband watched her walk and rant, from his position on the purple couch among the pink heart shaped cushions. Xellos made a mental note to get rid of those ridiculous cushions later, when Filia wasn't looking. "Are you even listening to me, Xellos?" Filia stopped her pacing abruptly and Fili walked into her, as the cub had been following her, walking in circles. 

Fili shook her head to clear it, then walked over to Xellos, standing on her hind legs, her front paws on his legs in an obvious indication of wanting to be picked up. "You worry too much, stupid dragon. It's obvious Beast Master has a plan." Xellos picked up Fili, letting her sit on his lap. Her reaction before the Void showed up was interesting; she somehow sensed that being was coming even if no one else did. Maybe it was a beast's instincts, Zelas must have that too and so would Xellos if he wasn't stuck as a human. 

"You may be able to trust her without knowing what you're getting into, but I can't." Filia sat down next to Xellos, joining him in the activity of petting Fili's soft pale yellow fur. 

"We don't have a choice," Xellos reminded with his characteristic mocking grin. 

Filia huffed, "I know." She leaned back on the couch and looked at the wolf cub, that didn't look entirely like a wolf. "Fili's pretty dog-like for a wolf, isn't she?" 

"That's because she's a mix breed mutt, she doesn't even look like her mother, though most of her siblings do. She was the ugly runt of the litter. I guess she reminded me of you because she's a pitiful, pathetic and hideous creature." Xellos smiled with the same cheer he always used to insult Filia. Little Fili whimpered, licked Xellos and wagged her tail. "See what I mean? She's hideous and pathetic." 

"Don't listen to him Fili, come here." Filia picked up the little cub and cuddled her. "You're the cutest puppy I've ever seen." 

"You have terrible taste." Xellos shook his head in mocking disapproval. "I'm not surprised though, you are a golden dragon and Fili looks a lot like Milgazia's ugly pet dog. All golden dragons have terrible taste." 

"Really? In that case, I'm sure Milgazia's pet is adorable!" Filia adamantly assured. She paused going over the notion in her head again. "Wait, how do you even know Milgazia has a pet dog?" 

"A yellow husky with blue eyes named Justice, nothing like Zelas black wolf with golden eyes, Chaos," Xellos revealed. "It shouldn't surprise you that I know this, Beast Master has monsters keeping an eye on all the happenings of the world, especially lately. It's only a matter of time before she sees it fit to share some information. Whenever the time comes for my true mission, she'll give me all the detailed specifics then." Going back to the topic of Fili, Xellos remembered just why he decided to keep her as a pet. Sure she looked harmless, but she had a highly volatile fighting spirit that violently came out when she was provoked, even if she was a total sweetie the rest of the time. "Her siblings don't really like Fili very much. It was kind of funny watching them gang up and pick on her, but then she fought back and gave them worse bites and scratches than they did to her. She can be such a temperamental sadistic little mutt." 

"Fili's a sweetheart, I'm sure she only fought back in self defense, didn't you, honey?" Filia hugged the puppy that was named after her, then a thought finally clicked in her head. "Is Fili the daughter of Chaos and Justice?" 

"It took you that long to figure it out?" Xellos mocked. 

"I never would have guessed Milgazia and Zelas' pets knew each other." Filia defended, still in deep surprise over the revelation. 

"A monster who was walking Chaos lost track of her while trying to get two chores done at once, walking her and spying on the golden dragons. She was eventually found, but she had already gotten into mischief by then. Milgazia's dog is the only one in that area, plus the color and mix of races fits the description, so they must be his cubs. I don't think Milgazia even knows and Zelas isn't about to tell him. Even if they're mutts she said she was keeping all the cubs to herself. Fili's the only really ugly one that looks like Justice, the others look mostly like Chaos," Xellos explained. 

"That's not fair," Filia pouted. "They're Milgazia's puppies too, they're his dog's children after all. He should get to keep some." 

"Nah, Milgazia would train them to be wimpy. Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde are better off growing up with Zelas' other wolves," Xellos reasoned. "Then they can learn to terrorize humans like proper wolves should." 

Filia pouted, but knew any further arguments would be in vain. Even so, she at least had to express her surprise at the names. "Clyde I can understand, but Blinky, Pinky and Inky don't exactly sound like ferocious names." 

"When you have thousands of pets, you start running out of name ideas," Xellos defended. "Besides, you have to give Beast Master credit for actually remembering them all." 

"I'll admit to that much; it's quite a feat if she actually remembers all their names." Filia cuddled closer to Xellos. She couldn't precise when during their peculiar conversation she shifted positions, but she was cuddling close to him now, resting her head on his shoulder while Fili napped on her lap. Now that Filia's head was a little clearer, she brought up the previous subject again. "What kind of vision did you get from the Void?" 

"That was random," Xellos teased. "I thought you had forgotten what we were talking about before. It's quite unexpected for your tiny brain to be working overtime like this. Be careful, that single brain cell of yours might overheat and cause you to combust." 

"Xellos," Filia insisted for her question to be answered. She was going somewhere important with all of this. It was something that she needed to discuss with Xellos sooner or later, so it might as well be now. 

"It was nothing important," he nibbled on her neck, creating a momentary distraction. Though Xellos no longer had his empathic abilities, he still knew by the tone of her voice and the look in her eyes when Filia was going to jump into a serious topic that made her worried and emotional. 

"Don't distract me," Filia's tone and actions didn't match her words as she gently placed the sleeping puppy on a cushion on the couch next to her and shifted to face Xellos, already half on his lap. "I relived the whole Darkstar incident and the most difficult parts of our recent journey. I saw it all in my memories and I also saw memories that weren't mine, a vision meant for Val that I'm glad didn't reach him. What did you see?" 

"The destruction of the golden dragons, the plot to turn them against the ancient dragons and what happened when we met Beast Master at the spa... All of that in a short instant," Xellos confessed, seeing that Filia wasn't simply going to drop the subject. "I could tell the visions were altered though, a series of what ifs that would have significantly changed the present if they had occurred that way." Filia didn't press the matter further, but nodded in understanding. "What's eating you, stupid dragon?" 

Though the question had nothing to do with it, the phrasing reminded Filia of the dragon cuisine from her wedding party and she shuddered involuntarily. Focusing on the matter at hand again she shared the worries that had been floating in the back of her mind since she saw the vision from the Void. "Val was reborn and he's an innocent child without any bitterness or malice right now. Even so, who is to say his past memories are not locked deep inside him? What if those memories surface when he's all grown up? Even if we try our best to raise him properly," she paused and rephrased. "Even if I try my best to raise him properly while you teach him to get into mischief, he might be upset that his past was hidden. But then, if we do sit down to talk about it when he's old enough to understand, before his memories resurface, it might bring unnecessary bitterness if his memories turn out to be forever gone." 

"Then don't tell him," Xellos simply suggested. 

"What if his memories do come out and take him by surprise?" Filia questioned urgently. "Worse yet," she shared one of her deepest worries concerning Val. "What if his memories partially come out while he's still a child, he'll be confused and in pain. Then if his memories come out completely when he's still young, the progress that he's made living a peaceful life might be too little." 

"You do realize that you're stressing out over something that's not even happened and might not happen, don't you, stupid dragon?" Xellos disregarded the worries, or at least he tried to, but it didn't quite work on Filia. 

Filia wasn't about to drop the subject so easily. "This is important! Val is my son and I love him. If he's sad I'll be sad too." 

"You certainly get attached fast, not that I'm surprised," Xellos mocked, much to Filia's annoyance. "There's nothing that can be done about such things. What happens, happens and that's all there is to it. You've already thought about the possibilities, so in a sense you've already mentally prepared. That's all that can be done." 

Filia searched for something to say, a counter argument to throw out that would make Xellos understand, but she came up empty. Of course, this was Xellos, carefree detached tricky Xellos. He cared about her, she knew, and she dared to think he was quite fond of Val too, but he knew that worrying didn't help any situation and was quite capable of taking each day as it came when that was the choice placed before him. He was tricky and plotting, but he didn't overanalyze things. Her face was red with frustrated anger, her eyes glaring fiercely. "You're very inconsiderate sometimes, you know that?" 

Xellos smiled proudly as if he had just been complimented. "I do hope you're not expecting me to console you and say that everything will be okay. As odd as it may sound coming from a monster," because he originally was and fully expected to recover that status when the time was right. "I prefer not to lie if it can be helped. Things might turn out well, or horrible, who knows." He smiled cheerfully as if the uncertainty was a good thing. 

Filia huffed at his response, she would probably die of shock if he suddenly started acting all fluffy, it didn't fit him and that was okay really... She was probably really weird for admitting this even in the privacy of her own mind, but his vexation was sort of charming in a very annoying way, an oddly endearing annoying way. "I'm going to keep my hopes up no matter what you say. I'll raise Val well and give him a good childhood, so that even if his past memories still exist and eventually come out, he'll be able to let go of past bitterness." 

Any further conversation, or other non-conversational activities between Xellos and Filia, had to be postponed due to the insistent knocking on the door. Filia, who was concerned that it might be an emergency, hurried to open the door to find Fang in his almost human form with the fox ears and tail. "Did something happen?" Filia urgently inquired. 

"Lots of things happened," Fang happily informed. "I'm here to get Xellos; Lord Beast Master wants to talk to him!" 

It didn't take more than a split second for Xellos to curiously appear at the door. "Let's not keep her waiting then." He stepped around Filia, standing next to Fang. Before they faded into the astral side, Xellos gave Filia one last glance and reminded her, "don't forget you still owe me." The last thing he saw as he was transported away from Seyruun castle was the blush that began to form on her face, replacing the puzzled look that momentarily crossed her features, when she realized he was referring to the promised honeymoon she still owed him. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Fang transported Xellos back to Wolf Pack Island where he headed over to the throne room where Zelas liked to sit to receive reports. The fox monster chimera left him when they reached the location, thus the monster general priest turned human and the monster lord found themselves alone like in those many occasions when Xellos came to give her confidential reports. This time the tables were turned in the informative sense. Xellos was not there to give Beast Master any vital piece of information, but rather, he was there to receive information. 

"The second phase has clearly begun, it is time that you understood the whole story," Zelas spoke in a serious tone that pierced the sound waves around her. Xellos nodded quietly and paid attention as Zelas continued. "The interpretation of the situation has been vague from the beginning. Continuous studies have been taking place while at the same time you underwent this training, which is indeed vital. To give you the summary from the beginning, the Lord of Nightmares expelled something from herself that kept her as an unchanging eternal being. That something was known as the Stillness. As a result of the Lord of Nightmares turning into a dynamic being capable of changing, she thus became the Mother of All Things and the worlds emerged from her." 

With the introduction out of the way, Zelas moved on to more closely address the problem. "The Stillness was broken into three parts that compose a cycle with an order that should not be altered. The first part, Lamentation, affects the physical body. That part was kept out of the world by the semi-dormant presence of the Lord of Nightmares that formed a sort of shield around the world, while a portion of the Lord of Nightmares was able to, though rarely did, interact with the world. When Lina Inverse called upon the power of the Lord of Nightmares against Fibrizo, the Lord of Nightmares momentarily awoke fully and came close to reabsorbing the worlds. That possibility, as proven by the fact that we are still here, did not happen as the Lord of Nightmares released Lina instead. Even so, that event was not without consequences." 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 110: Information! Theories and Alternatives

At Wolf Pack Island, Zelas continued her explanation for Xellos. "When Lina fought Fibrizo, the shield from the Lord of Nightmares around the world was momentarily brought down and Lamentation entered the world. It fused itself with the remains of the Green Alchemist and set a series of events in motion, which are as you witnessed. As for the other remaining pieces of the Stillness, they are the Void and the End. Where is the End and what exactly is the End still remains unknown to me, but it is likely that Lamentation was the only fragment that was kept out of the world until recently. The others most likely entered the world during its creation and remained dormant in their hosts, waiting for the missing piece. As for the Void, it was dormant inside an elf girl, the nature of her condition unknown to those around her. We misunderstood her too, but it has all been revealed. The Void was inside Yuuyami, or Onyx as she is now called." 

"That Void is the same being that attacked at Seyruun?" Xellos concluded. 

"Yes," Zelas confirmed. "Lamentation comes first to weaken the body, then the Void to weaken the mind. This problem is worse than I expected, even us monsters will suffer losses if this goes too far. We are relatively unaffected by the famine of Lamentation, if anything we benefit from the despair. Enough negative energy has been accumulated faster than monsters can consume it. In a sense we delayed this without knowing it, but the Void is free now, thanks in part to the cycle of despair and in part to the Lord of Nightmares herself. That was the purpose of the spell casted on Onyx, to weaken the seal." 

"All of this happened because of Lina going overboard with the Giga Slave. It's just as it has been forewarned," Xellos recalled with a strangely amused grin. 

"Maybe even in larger proportions, hearing about the end of the world is always different from witnessing it." There was no worry in Zelas' voice, instead there was excitement. Even if she did choose to torture the world in eternal chaos and not to let it end, she still enjoyed the despair. She just had to make sure the world didn't break to pieces completely or the despair would cease to exist along with everything else. "This is the second phase; the Void will try to push people into such a deep depression that they'll denounce their emotions in apathy and hopelessness." 

"From negative emotions to a lack of emotions," this was the dangerous part, Xellos realized. "Monsters would have nothing to feed on." 

"Worse yet, even monsters will begin to question their existence after being surrounded with such emptiness. Emotions play an important role for a monster, as does identity and a sense of self. Monsters are astral beings, thus cannot be affected by Lamentation, but the Void can seriously affect monsters," Zelas warned. "That means we'll lose our precious fun and chaos and we can't allow that." 

"This really is the end of the world. The Stillness wipes out the physical part and even the mental part leaving nothing. Not even chaos, especially not chaos. So it's my mission to stop all this and ensure that the world continues to exist in chaos." Even so, Xellos still had a very important question that he needed to clarify. Since Zelas was feeling so generous in sharing information, he thought he might as well get the full story now. "Why was it really necessary for me to become human?" 

"So that you may have a shield," Zelas explained. "Though Lamentation is tainted with the remains of the Green Alchemist, the Void is almost pure and will most likely eventually unite with Lamentation. The being that comes of that fusion will be much more powerful, especially in the astral sense, as that is the original nature of the Stillness. A purely astral being, such as a monster, would be in terrible danger getting too close to the main components of the Stillness. So far you've fought minions, but have not faced the boss. Attempting to fight as a pure astral being would only place you in danger of being absorbed. Your physical body will serve as a shield to guard your astral body, keeping it anchored to the material world. This is not without consequence, as your human body is mortal, however, this is a needed danger given the situation. In the end, it is the only effective strategy." 

That clarified a lot for Xellos. By those terms, it meant that Zelas would not be personally joining the fight. "Am I to go to battle now?" 

"That is not possible at the moment. Our research indicates that one part of the Stillness can restore the others. Right now, the End is hidden, thus there is no known method of winning. Furthermore, Lamentation is hiding deep underground behind a shield of astral energy that my monster chimeras could not enter. I have a plan to get through that shield that will be set in motion soon." Zelas left it at that, not specifying what exactly her plan was. "In the mean time, your mission is to fight the Void and weaken it as much as possible. It is likely that it will retreat and unite with Lamentation if it is weakened. That is alright; let the Stillness further become impure with the remains of the Green Alchemist; perhaps that is the true meaning of the Gaia prophecy." 

"Another prophecy about Gaia? The one where Gaia saves the world from an invader from beyond the stars?" Xellos inquired. 

"Yes, though the Gaia theory is flawed, if we place the Green Alchemist in its position, then the fact that the Stillness fused with the remains of a once dynamic being will weaken it. It will connect with the planet and try to use that in its advantage, stealing the planet's energy for power, but it will also become further impure, being exposed to a thing of change. The Stillness is nothing, in its pure form, it is possible that it cannot exist for long." Zelas revealed. "Even the so called pure fragments such as the Void are also slightly tainted to a lesser extent, due to the time spent sealed away inside a living being of change, of chaos. Maybe they kept Lamentation in existence in the place we call Sea of Chaos from a distance after slipping into the Lord of Nightmare's shield before it completely surrounded the world, appearing sealed in different people through the generations." 

"It's all very complicated, like some sort of legendary mythology," and Xellos didn't really like to make things overly complicated, he liked to make them fun. 

"These are all different theories, but maybe in an alternate timeline somewhere, if such a thing exists, the Stillness remained whole and pure. It disintegrated soon after it came out of the Lord of Nightmares, to be forever forgotten, or rather, never known," Zelas mused aloud. "In such a place, none of these events would have happened. Yet I would imagine that certain key things would sooner or later fall into place in their own way, even if it is with different specifics and different timing." Tired of too much seriousness she added. "Maybe in a place like that I actually have time to dedicate myself to sports and become a world class brass rackets player, without any unfair aid from my monster power, as that would make it far too easy. I suppose it is up to me as the future brass rackets champion of the world to make sure there is still a world, unlike those incompetent golden dragons." 

"That sounds like a fun timeline," Xellos considered the possibility. He wouldn't be cursed, he wouldn't be temporarily human and he wouldn't have to suffer from all the hardships of that condition. But he knew that he would still pop over to the Vases and Maces shop on occasion to annoy Filia. Those visits would amuse him and he would end up making them more frequent, until one way or another he and Filia would stand in a similar situation to how they were now, even if it took some time longer. Xellos surprised himself in thinking that, because he never would have guessed when this all started. He didn't expect it to become so long term, so close, but now somehow he knew that it was simply who they were, regardless of if there was a situation to give them a push or not. "What about the golden dragons' incompetence? Wasn't that already a well known fact?" Xellos joked, the serious discussions were over and now they were just chatting. 

"I have received reports that the golden dragons have been playing brass rackets a lot lately, well, that was mostly just Milgazia," Zelas explained. "He's on a diet and exercise plan or something, it's a pity since I was hoping to cook him, but even with all the food I've so kindly sent him, he'll never be meaty enough on time for the dinner of ingratitude. As for the golden dragons in general, they're overseeing the gathering of supplies, they've decided to cut all ties with the Green Alchemist and they've reevaluated their previous plans to allow the Green Alchemist to take out as many monsters as possible before doing something about it. It seems they finally became sufficiently concerned with the famine. When the Stillness is defeated, the monster race will have such a feast during the harsh recovery process the world will have to go through. Speaking of brass rackets and golden dragons, I want to play brass rackets with your pet dragon again, for real this time. I held back and humored some silly rules last time, but when this is all over, I want a real brass rackets match." 

"If you're going with the classic brass rackets rules all the way, then you can't make the match one on one," Xellos reminded. "My master or my pet, who shall I partner up with?" 

Zelas chuckled, truly amused by her general. "Partner up with your pet and I'll take you both on. Unless I find an amusing partner, which I doubt." 

"If you don't eat Milgazia, you could invite him to play," Xellos suggested as a joke. "I didn't have the chance to properly annoy him last time I saw him and would like to make up for that." 

Zelas rolled her eyes at the idea of Milgazia as her brass rackets partner. "I don't play with my food." 

Soft knocking was heard on the throne room door. First Fang peeked in, unsure of if he should be interrupting or not. "Um... Lord Beast Master, Tiffany says she needs to talk to you." 

Celo soon peeked in as well from the opposite site in the middle of the two doors. "If you're not too busy that is." He excused his wife, the look on his face hinting that she had been driving him crazy with her insistence to speak with his very busy boss. 

"Let me through," Tiffany squeezed in through the small opening between the door in the middle of Fang and Celo. 

"Golden dragons are so rude," Zelas criticized, which unlike how it sounded was actually a good sign, since she was throwing taunts at the golden dragon race rather than throwing an attack at Tiffany for the interruption. "You may go now, Xellos. I will contact you with further details as they become available." 

"As you wish, Lord Beast Master," Xellos left, along with Fang, back to Seyruun castle via the astral side. The general priest was pleased with the progress despite the seriousness of the situation. At least he found some comforting familiarity in being given a mission by Beast Master and discussing information with her, though this time she was the one providing the news. 

After Fang and Xellos had left, Zelas gave Tiffany a serious look. The golden dragon had been joined by Celo standing before the monster lord, the throne room doors closed behind them. "I do hope you have a good reason for your insistence," Zelas warned. 

"I do," Tiffany assured with a conflicted and somewhat sorrowful look upon her face. "Celo, darling, please leave me alone with Lord Beast Master now." Celo looked utterly surprised. He had no idea what Tiffany could possibly need to talk to Zelas about that she couldn't share with him. Zelas raised a curious eyebrow as Celo opened his mouth to speak. With the most reassuring expression she could muster, Tiffany cut him off, speaking first. "Go on now, honey, Zelas and I can't have ourselves some girl talk if there's a man present." 

"Right..." Girl talk? That was obviously an attempt to lighten the situation. Whether the coming conversation could be classified as girl talk was doubtful. Celo would guess it would be closer to fitting into the category of serious secretive talk that he would rather be informed about. But alas, Tiffany refused to tell him. He wondered if this was her way of getting back at him for not sharing certain aspects of his job despite their marriage. He had thought, and she had assured, that she understood that there were things a monster simply could not talk about to anyone, things that had to remain between master and minion. "I'll wait outside then..." Dejected and worried, yet still putting up a commendably believable respectful and calm front, Celo exited the throne room. 

As soon as the doors were shut and Beast Master nodded, indicating that they were indeed in the liberty to speak in full privacy, Tiffany began her seemingly unrelated, but vastly significant story. "A long time ago when I still lived with the golden dragons, I had odd dreams like prophecies that frightened me, thus I did not share them with anyone. I would spend my seemingly peaceful days building rock dolls with Filia and having little tea parties. Then one day what I was, what was sealed in me became evident. I thought that if I died the end of the world would be adverted. I ran away and foolishly tried to take my own life, that day I will always remember..." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A young golden dragon maiden ran through a field of flowers a considerable distance away from the Fire Temple. She stopped, out of breath, and took a dagger in her hands. The sheath and handle were adorned with jewels indicating that the blade was meant as a decoration rather than a real weapon. Nonetheless, it was sharp enough to serve its purpose. She should be fragile enough in elf form so that piercing her heart would bring forth her death; or at least her eventual death by leaving the wound untreated. She would twist the dagger in her chest and make certain that the crimson liquid kept on flowing out continuously until her life faded away. 

She put her plan into action, plunging the dagger into her heart and allowing herself to fall to the ground covered in flowers. Blood flowed as her heart continued to beat against the metal blade, showing the hidden strength of a dragon despite being in her most vulnerable form. She gripped the handle, intent on twisting the blade until her heart became so torn that it stopped beating. 

A shadow obstructed her view of the peaceful clear skies of a beautiful sunny day. "I thought the golden dragons discouraged suicide." The shadow that obstructed her view was a man with amethyst eyes and black hair. He was smiling at her with a meticulously respectful tone of voice, slightly elongated fangs visible in his current expression. 

Tiffany loosened her grip on the dagger, instead merely holding it in place, her heart still fighting to keep beating. "What manner of creature are you? A human who has made a pact with a monster? I have no interest in associating with a being such as you before my death." 

"Would you associate with a being such as me in life then?" The man respectfully inquired, his question seemingly ignored. "Forgive my rudeness, miss. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Celo Metallium, a monster who has been united with a human to become a chimera. My human side was a scientist, a mad scientist according to some. I have been driven to build trinkets and machines by the instinct to create that came from him. May I show them to you and have your opinion, miss?" 

"Be gone, wretched creature!" Tiffany weakly scolded, her senses fading from the lack of blood, as her heart became weaker against its wound that could not be closed. 

"To be called a wretched creature by one who throws her life away does not feel fitting." Celo gently removed Tiffany's hand from the dagger, the blood being absorbed by his white gloves, staining them red. He pulled out the dagger slowly, her pulsating heart seemingly thankful for the release. Her head felt light as he casted a Resurrection spell on her wound. It was healing magic that she did not expect a monster chimera or any being related to the monster race to know, let alone be willing to use. 

"To be saved by one who claims to be a part of the monster race is not fitting." Tiffany argued, though she did so without much energy, still laying in a pool of blood that was being absorbed into the ground among the white and yellow flowers that had been stained in red. 

"This chimera state is a troublesome and interesting thing," Celo admitted. "Although, truthfully I admit it is not as simple or insignificant as compassion. It is not something so short and passing. What I find in you is something deeper, it is puzzling curiosity." He sat on the ground next to her, watching as she rested among the blood tainted flowers. It would take her body a while to regenerate all the lost blood as she came dangerously close to dying. "What is it that you wish to run away from?" 

Tiffany remained silent. Her sacrifice was not guaranteed to help anyone. Her fright at realizing what she carried had made her act rash and foolish. If anything, the thing sealed in her would be passed on to someone else. Perhaps it would turn out to be someone who misused it and caused pain to those who were dear to her. At least this way she knew where it was. She had figured out the truth beyond vague dreams and feelings, the truth within her secret fascination with death. "Myself..." she finally replied in a quiet whisper. 

"I do apologize for being so blunt, but is that not foolishly over emotional? Even I who has little experience in handling such matters would find a better reasoning than this. Or is it because I am inexperienced that my resistance has not yet been consumed as yours has?" Celo inquired. "I cannot picture myself wanting death, even after a long time of living with the vexing hardships of not being a pure monster." 

Tiffany slowly sat up next to him, her pale peach dress ruined with blood. She couldn't go back home like that. "I've changed my mind." She glared at Celo with challenging eyes. "For you to be so open and so smug with false respect, you think you're in no danger, you think I'm very weak." She chuckled mockingly as she got on her feet. "Wretched being, I'll kill you!" If she fought a monster, or something that was close enough to a monster, she would have a good excuse for her bloodied state. Besides, she couldn't let him go spreading rumors about her attempted suicide. Plus slaying a monster was by most dragon standards a noble cause. 

Celo got on his feet, jumping back to put some distance between himself and his foe, taking a defensive stance. "Pardon me if I have offended you miss, but I'm afraid I must offend again and point out that you are quite ungrateful." It was ironic how he could maintain such a respectful tone all through the exchange. "I must inquire again, even if I admit it is not my place or business. What was it that drove you to this? What kind of tragedy could make a golden dragon wish to exterminate herself?" 

"The kind of burden that you could not reproduce for other golden dragons to bear, even if I told you exactly what it is." Tiffany bitterly challenged. She said nothing more before triggering a transformation that turned out to be a fatal mistake. She had lost too much blood. Her body had not finished becoming a dragon before it reverted back to her elf form and she fell unconscious. 

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Slayers: Alive - Episode 111: Survive! Hope Is Hard To Kill

It was night time in the kingdom of Seyruun and all was quiet. Zelgadis looked at Amelia's still sleeping form. "Amelia..." He gently caressed her face. "Naga said that you were sad because of your mother. You can tell me about what happened if that will help, but of course you need to be awake for that. I'm sure your mother was a very kind person. I know you must have heard this a lot, but I'm sure she would have wanted you to be happy. I wonder if I should really be encouraging you to tell me, if I deserve that trust. I haven't told you much about my family and past. I do trust you; I guess it's about time I told you..." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Rise and shine! It's a new day and life is wonderful!" Philionel's loud voice echoed all over Seyruun castle as he made his way to Amelia's room. 

Zelgadis jumped awake and fell out of the chair he occupied next to Amelia's bed. He picked himself off the floor and yawned as Philionel led a parade of people into Amelia's room. The prince was carrying a large box full of things that had been stored for years, following him was Naga, who was carrying another box while laughing loudly. After Naga came in Gravos, Lina, Gourry, Filia and Xellos, all of them looking quite sleepy. Phil stopped, as did Naga, with Lina continuing with her automatic zombie march along with the rest of the parade behind her. Xellos bumped into Filia, who bumped into Gourry, who bumped into Lina, who bumped into Gravos, who bumped into Naga. The eldest Seyruun princess lost her grip on the box she was holding, spilling its contents all over Phil, who in turn dropped his box and spilled its contents all over Zelgadis. 

Thankfully, the contents of the boxes were not particularly heavy, save for a few of the books, other than that the collection of scarves and hats were light. "What is this about?" Zelgadis inquired as he tried to untangle himself from a peculiarly long shiny pink scarf, seeking to free up his hands enough from the entrapment of fabric so that he would be able to remove the large aquamarine hat with purple feathers from his head. 

"Amelia and I would play dress up with mom's clothes when we were little and pretend we were all grown up as princesses who would soon be visited by our princes," Naga explained. "It was all such good fun, ah, ha ha ho ha ha! Mom wouldn't want Amelia to be sad, so we'll remind her of that. Then when she wakes up, we can work on some more of mom's special sweets recipes." 

The mention of sweets made Lina and Gourry wake up instantly. "Hurry up and wake up Amelia, we have sweets to make and eat!" The gluttonous redhead loudly declared. 

"Five more minutes, stupid dragon," Xellos muttered. He was between awake and asleep, slightly waking up whenever someone was particularly loud and starting to fall asleep on his feet again soon after. 

Naga dug around the mountain of things they brought over and pulled out a feathery pink scarf and a big red hat with a golden bow. "I remember that you really liked these." Naga placed the items on Amelia who was... staring right back at her. 

"She's awake!" Naga, Phil, Lina, Gourry, Gravos and Filia chorused. Xellos woke up momentarily again at the loudness of the combined exclamations. He soon fell asleep again seconds later, leaning on Filia. 

"My little Amelia, I'm so happy you're awake!" Phil exclaimed with fatherly pride. "I've cleared my schedule for the whole day to spend time with my lovely daughters and wonderful friends. Join us in making all sorts of delicious treats, just like your mother used to make. She would not want you to be sad. We'll honor the memory of her cheerful light that always brought a smile to us all!" 

"Amelia, when did you wake up?" Zelgadis stared at her in relief and surprise. 

"It was sometime last night," Amelia confessed. "I was... I guess the best way to describe it was to say I was trapped in a nightmare. Zelgadis opened up to me and gave me encouragement. I remembered that mom used to say that one day I would meet my prince and he would make me very happy, so I should try to give him that happiness too. Mom was brave and kind; she wouldn't want me to live in regret and sorrow. After I realized that, I woke up. It was very late and Zelgadis fell asleep before I could say anything, so I let him rest." Amelia's eyes held the silent promise of a long personal conversation with Zelgadis later. "Sorry I didn't say something sooner, with all this I could only stare." Amelia jumped off her bed with the endless energy she was known for. "Let's spend the whole day playing dress up and making delicious treats to enjoy!" 

"I second that motion!" Lina cheered. 

"And I third it!" Gourry added. 

Among cheers and chatter, the group went off to the kitchen to work on the recipes that were the late queen's legacy. Filia paused on her way and tried to wake Xellos, who didn't look like he would be done sleeping any time soon, it was very early in the morning. She hugged him close and whispered in his ear, "chocolate ice-cream pie." 

Xellos jumped awake, looking in every direction, "chocolate ice-cream pie? Where is it?" Seeing Filia giggling in amusement, he pouted. "You're a terrible person, I mean a terrible dragon, lying about sweets." 

"Oh come on, there will be plenty of sweets soon, if Lina doesn't eat them all," Filia smiled. "I want to learn some of those recipes the queen left too." 

Now that he was awake, Xellos was once again back to his mocking and teasing self. "With your poor cooking skills, it would be an offense to Seyruun." 

"Look who's talking," Filia argued back as they hurried to catch up to the group at the Seyruun castle kitchen. "You shouldn't even be allowed in kitchens, you ruin any meal you try to prepare. You even managed to mess up preparing a bowl of cereal. Remember when you put salt in it instead of sugar? You're a disaster as a chef, raw garbage!" 

"That was you and your sabotage, stupid dragon!" Xellos argued. Their bickering continued as it was usual for them, strangely contributing to the sense of normalcy and the fragile notion that everything would be okay that the group was trying so hard to hold on to. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Zelas Metallium, known by the title of Lord Beast Master, faded into existence out of the astral side in the mountains where she expected to find a lively gathering of healthy dragons waiting for her to hunt them down. Instead she found that the skies were clear, devoid of any large golden flying reptiles, and boy did they hate being called reptiles. With growing disappointment, Zelas slowly walked deeper into the mountainous valley and turned the corner behind a tall rock formation. She made no effort to hide her arrival since the dragons were no match for her power. Her multiple golden bangles and anklets jiggled together clashing against each other as she proceeded with her rather noisy, but none the less very elegant, model walk. She was wearing a sleeveless white dress, with a long skirt slit up to the thighs on both sides, the pale fabric contrasting with her bronze skin. 

Lying on the ground there was a dragon in elf form, wearing sports attire. Not too far from that one, there was another similarly dressed dragon also laying on the ground motionless, but still alive. As she gazed, forward she found another dragon in the same state as the others, and another and another. There was also an elf girl among them, who she recognized as being Milgazia's friend from the wedding party. She was on the ground in exhaustion just as the others were. "I must admit that for the longest time I've been wishing that the dragon race would just fall over and die, but I never thought my wish would actually be granted, especially so suddenly and for no apparent reason." That was a sarcastic lie as Zelas would very much prefer to hunt the dragons herself. She didn't want them to become extinct though, not if that meant not being able to prepare her favorite dragon cuisine dishes ever again. 

Footsteps were heard approaching the area in a hurry. Milgazia arrived on the scene, though instead of his usual formal dragon robes, he was wearing shorts, a shirt and sneakers that, similar to his comrades attires, looked like something worn by people while playing sports. "Beast Master," he would have sounded confident and challenging, ready to defend his comrades any way he could, yet at the same time calm and diplomatic, if not for the fact that he was so terribly out of breath, so he could only manage to sound very tired. 

"Who nearly exterminated your clan without inviting me to join the party?" Zelas tried to look appalled that someone had done something so terrible and it wasn't her. 

"No one," Milgazia made a valiant effort not to look exhausted, but it was simply impossible at the moment. "They are only resting after the tournament." 

"Ow, uncle... It's going to be your fault..." Memphis seemed to finally muster the strength to speak. "It'll be your fault if Beast Master kills us all because we don't have the strength to fight after what you put us through." The elf growled tiredly, followed by the groans and whines of agreement from the fallen golden dragons around her. 

"Betraying your clan and torturing them to death?" Zelas gasped in exaggerated surprise. "How shocking, I never would have guessed. Allow me to congratulate you on losing your status as a goody-goody. I would give you a congratulatory pat on the back, but you're all sweaty and icky, so I really don't want to touch you." 

"I didn't kill or torture anyone, we just played brass rackets," Milgazia quickly explained, not that it was any of Zelas' business anyway. "Why have you come here?" A part of him already knew the reason. Zelas might be there to fight him to the death in hopes of turning him into the main ingredient of her next batch of dragon cuisine. 

"I'm grocery shopping, or maybe I should say grocery hunting," Zelas gave him a wolf-like grin. She walked in a circle around Milgazia, shaking her head in disapproval. By the looks of it he went for a jog after his stream of brass rackets victories and it didn't look like this exercise regiment was something he had only started today. "You've lost weight, how unappetizing. What ever happened to those lovely calorie-filled gifts I know were delivered to you? Didn't you eat them? You're a terribly ungrateful dragon!" 

Milgazia held a small victory in Zelas' disapproval, which was interrupted by the growling of his stomach. That in turn made him pause in awkward silence before he could voice any sort of comeback. 

Zelas put on an expression of obviously fake concern, with no intentions of even pretending it was real. "Listen Milgazia, I know you're hideous, but starving yourself won't fix it. All golden dragons are terribly ugly and there's nothing they can do about it. That's just the cruelty of nature. Nonetheless, a chubby dragon can be kind of cute from a chef's perspective. If you want to look better, you need to stuff your face until you weight at least twenty tons." That was saying plenty since his normal weight in dragon form was around seven tons. 

"I would prefer to stay as I am," that was a lie. Milgazia would very much prefer to change a certain detail about his current state, he wanted a full stomach instead of a starving one. Alas, this painful diet was all for the necessary cause of not becoming part of the monster lords' diet. 

"Nonsense, you're too thin." Zelas argued with an annoying amount of politeness, as if she was simply too superior to get angry and argue on equal terms. "That aside, I am curious about your mention of the fine sport of brass rackets. Have you truly played against your whole clan, not that Xellos left all that many alive, until they became this exhausted?" Of course, Beast Master wouldn't be Beast Master if she didn't add some sort of cruel remark to the mix, accentuating it with a cheerful tone. 

Milgazia decided not to fuel Zelas' mocking victorious moment by acknowledging her comment about his clan and instead simply answered her question. "We played brass rackets one on one and I won all the matches. Though I don't see why any of that would be of any consequence to you." 

"Of course you don't," Zelas mocked, "golden dragons have such little insight after all. For your information, I happen to like brass rackets. I can't cook you in your current state, you don't have enough meat in you and none of the other dragons here seem high quality enough for my level of culinary genius. Nonetheless, I do want to kill you for ruining the amazing dish I planned to turn you into. However, I'll give you a chance to live. I don't expect you to win, as that would be far too much to ask for. Albeit if you actually managed to put up a fight in the brass rackets court, I'll let you live as a potential sports rival, not that anyone could ever be worthy of being my true brass rackets rival." 

That was certainly a very unexpected turn of events. Milgazia knew that he had no choice but to agree, but that wasn't such a bad thing, he was confident in brass rackets. "I accept your challenge." 

"Then let's go," Zelas faded into the astral side, reappearing moments later in a brass rackets outfit with her alternate sporty look that she used when playing her favorite game. She carried an official brass racket as she made her way deeper into the valley, following Milgazia to the court that had been set up earlier. "One on one, other than that the classic brass rackets rules apply. Broken rackets mean we get a new one. The ball going out of bounds won't stop the game either. Our duel will end when you fall." 

"Or you," Milgazia added as he took his position on the court opposite to Zelas. 

"Keep up those impossible dreams, they might give your attitude the illusion of confidence and make you last a little longer in brass rackets combat!" Zelas mocked with more energy and enthusiasm than anyone would imagine her to have over a brass rackets match. This was different from her playtime with Filia; this would be a real duel. 

The tired dragons and Memphis made their way to the area around the court and sat at a hopefully safe distance from it to watch the match unfold. "Are you sure about this?" Memphis called out with distrust from the sidelines. 

Milgazia took a moment to examine his opponent as if trying to read something in her eyes. "Yes, this fight will be fair." He would most certainly expect a monster, more so a monster lord, especially one with a trickster reputation, to use all sorts of dirty tactics to get what she wanted. But he could tell that brass rackets was a special exception for Zelas, it was something, possibly the only thing, in which she would fight fair. Besides, if Zelas really wanted to commit mass murder and eat all the dragons in his clan, she could do so without granting him this opportunity. Milgazia could already sense her suppressing her own monster super strength and regulating her physical prowess so that it would not interfere with the real essence of brass rackets, the power of the attitude, the very soul. "I am curious, tell me Zelas, what makes you respect this fine sport so much?" 

"I am an astral being," Zelas stated simply, yet meaningfully. "As such I have little interest in most sports. I can shape my body anyway I want and sports are, in most cases, about physical abilities, they're about breaking the boundaries of the body's limitations and training it to be the best it can be. Such limitations do not apply to astral beings, thus I cannot identify with most sports. Brass rackets is different. It doesn't matter how weak or strong the body is, all that matters is the power of the soul, the astral form, the essence. This is a real competition. Have you seen a true brass rackets tournament? A real master doesn't even need to run around the court, but rather attracts the ball towards the racket with their own intense aura. A true brass rackets master has no use for the abilities of the body, only the skill of the mind. Yet true masters are extremely rare, even in the big leagues." 

"I see, so this is one of the few sports that a monster can truly compete in," Milgazia understood. "Then let this duel begin, would you care to serve?" 

"Gladly," Zelas set the match in motion with an appropriately aggressive serve. 

The magical glowing sphere rocketed towards Milgazia, who held strong to his determination and sent it spiraling right back to the monster lord. Zelas returned it with a curve, sending the ball to spin behind Milgazia. However, he saw the play and called forth all his power surrounded in a golden aura. The ball altered its course and flew straight towards his racket as if being called by an irresistible magnetism. Milgazia returned the sphere to the opposite side of the court, the magical ball glowing golden. 

Zelas' own black aura appeared around her, exuding power into the atmosphere as she called the sphere to collide with her racket and sent it flying back at her opponent. The ball kept getting bigger with each blow it received; the energy waves around the area were massive. 

The spectators watched in awe. This was nothing like any other brass rackets match they had ever witnessed. They had thought Milgazia was merciless in the court for the sake of training them for the battles that may be soon to come, but now his comrades realized that he had been holding back. This was the true power of the dragon lord; this was his impressive unbreakable will. 

The golden glow around Milgazia intensified as some of his more dragon-like features began to slightly show, albeit he managed to keep his elf form for the most part. His tail was out, he usually had complete control over it, but this time it just slipped out as he focused on the duel of brass rackets. It would be a pity when he noticed he just ruined his favorite brass rackets shorts. Aside from the tail he also had pronounced fangs and claws. 

The look in Zelas' eyes was predatory and wolf-like. Her fangs were showing and the short, wing-shaped pale orange hair of her alternate form was changing into a spiky gold mane. Golden wolf ears replaced her human ears and a wolf tail was peeking out of her brass rackets skirt. The partial transformation was completed with the glowing silhouette of ivory wings on her back, her true form was a golden winged wolf. Some might say that the wings made her look unfittingly angelic, but a single glance at the hunter's face with that terrifying glare would make them take it back. The wings were only an irony, that aside, she was the image of a ferocious beast, the image of a frightening predator. 

The powerful duel continued, making the mountains around them tremble from the high energy vibrations. Then finally, Milgazia's racket cracked and the top part broke off, leaving him with only the handle as he sent the ball back at Zelas. 

Zelas' racket was just about to break apart too, being exposed to her constant aura. The monster lord tried to return the sphere, but the cracks on her racket were already too deep and it was reduced to nearly dust as the ball flew past its remains and disintegrated a mountain behind Zelas. "As stated in the beginning," Zelas' voice was echoing and ominous, yet strangely alluring. "A broken racket does not signify the end of the battle." 

To be Continued


	38. Chapter 38

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 112: Thoughts! That Which Links Us All

After a powerful brass rackets duel, both Zelas and Milgazia's rackets had been broken. The two fierce competitors got new rackets, and prepared to continue the intense match. Unfortunately, the harsh diet and exercise routine Milgazia had gone through to discourage Zelas' culinary inclinations towards him, was seriously taking its toll. He was already exhausted when she arrived with her challenge and pushing himself like this was no good. The glow around him faded as did his senses, until he caught a glimpse of the ground coming closer before blacking out completely. 

"Are you paying attention, Milgazia? I said it's your turn to serve. Get up, we're not done here." Silence invaded the area as the dragons of Milgazia's clan held their breath in tension, unsure of their brave leader's fate. The glow around Zelas subsided as she reverted back to a calmer state, her human disguise more noticeably in place, devoid of wolf aspects, wings or a dark glow. "Time out," the tone of her voice sounded very much human, though as always, imposing and powerful. Zelas made her way to the opposite side of the court and took a closer look at Milgazia. "So you're still alive... I told you dieting was a bad idea, you'll just get uglier and weaker." 

Determined golden eyes opened as Milgazia pushed himself to get up. He finally noticed his tail was out when he automatically used it to balance himself on his feet. "We're not finished here." 

"It wasn't exactly a knock down. But you were on the ground anyway," Zelas pointed out. "I suppose I can't call this a real victory. Having my opponent drop dead," metaphorically speaking, "and killing my prey," again, not literally, "are two different things. We'll have a rematch when you've recovered. When all this Stillness business is over, you better be prepared for a real duel. Your life will depend on your ability to entertain me in the brass rackets court." 

"I'll be ready," Milgazia assured. With nothing more to say, Zelas faded away to the astral side. The golden dragons and Memphis waited for a few more seconds until they were sure Zelas was really gone. Then they surrounded Milgazia, congratulating him for his brave efforts. He would have to be ready for the rematch though. Next time, he couldn't face Zelas in exhaustion. He needed to be at his best, his life, and most importantly from his perspective, the lives of his comrades, depended on his performance in the brass rackets court. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Life is wonderful!" Amelia shouted at the top of her lungs. At the moment, even Xellos was inclined to agree with her, but that was only because he had a severe yet satisfying massive brain freeze from all the ice-cream he was consuming. 

Amelia, Zelgadis, Naga, Gravos, Philionel, Lina, Gourry, Filia, Xellos and even Fili were gathered around the Seyruun royal dinning room feasting on the sweets that would cost the kingdom ever so much in the long run. However, if they didn't do this, they wouldn't be able to muster the strength to survive long enough to regret being so severely in debt with Zelas. Everything seemed to be alright until Fili started to howl for no apparent reason again. Knowing that this couldn't be just a coincidence, the group became silent and still, save for Lina and Gourry, who didn't stop pigging out until the cause for the wolf-dog cub's alarm became obvious. 

"I've had just about enough of this," the same being from before appeared once again, the Void. 

"It looks like I crashed this party right on time," another also arrived at the scene. Fading from the astral side into existence, Zelas stood proudly. 

"Beast Master, the one whom Lamentation tried and failed to use," the Void glared. "I thought you would be smart enough to know that you cannot fight us, monster lord. A purely astral being has no shield against the Stillness." 

"I am indeed a purely astral being, pure chaos. Do you envy me in your tainted impurity?" Zelas grinned mockingly. "The Stillness was broken into three pieces. Two of those pieces entered the world before the Lord of Nightmares placed a barrier around it, with Lamentation remaining outside. Meanwhile, the Void and the End were reborn inside the beings of this world in a dormant state. The cycle could not begin without Lamentation to eat away the shield, so that the essence could be exposed. The Void and the End became impure by hiding in dynamic beings of change, of chaos. That impurity kept the Stillness in existence; that is why it didn't show its true form of nothing. When the barrier of the Lord of Nightmares was temporarily lifted, Lamentation entered the world to begin the cycle. However, it needed to fuse with the remains of the Green Alchemist in order to interact with the physical world and attack the shield, the body. Thus the Stillness became further impure, poisoned by chaos. After Lamentation weakened the world, the cycle moved on to the second phase, the Void. The shield has not yet fully crumbled, but it has been weakened, thus you saw it fit to attack the essence." 

"This is only the beginning of the second phase, I was released early, but that will only make things worse for you," the Void growled angrily. "Do not mock me, monster lord. The Stillness was once the chain that entrapped the one who gave you life. The Stillness and the Mother were the same long ago, yet eternally opposites. When this world is destroyed, everything will be purified and then the Stillness will return to its true form of nothing along with the world. It will all be nothing!" 

As she listened to the exchange, Lina remembered what Valgaav spoke of concerning Darkstar and Vorfeed. There was a never ending cycle, a trap that they tried to break free of. The endless war of good and evil was in essence motion. Yet if that motion ever ceased, the definition of what is peace would be lost to the lack of perilous contrast. There would be nothing to strive for, there would only be stillness. Eventually, that stillness would consume all and there would be no life. That trap wasn't just a trap; it was a means of existence. If that were so, then the monsters would be needed to fuel it. That must be their true mission that had been interpreted differently. 

Xellos recalled his wish and Beast Master's wish to be true monsters, to destroy the world themselves. Though now Beast Master wished to torment the world eternally instead and he agreed with her that it was the better choice. Maybe that's why it felt so ironic, yet so right, to contribute to saving the world that time. Perhaps to keep things in motion was the monsters' true mission. 

"This world belongs to chaos!" Zelas charged forward towards the Void with a ball of black energy in her hand. 

"Beast Master..." This didn't make any sense to Xellos. Zelas was a purely astral being. She had already realized that she had no shield against the Stillness, no physical anchor to affirm that she was in fact there, undeniable proof that she was real. The physical body was the kind of proof that didn't depend entirely on the subjective and bendable notions of the mind. This was different, but it also reminded Xellos of when they faced Darkstar and the enemy tried to drain them from the astral side. Zelgadis had even encouraged Amelia to sing about life, which actually didn't bother Xellos all that much. But that was only because he could barely hear her as he was far too busy painfully receiving the worse effects of the astral attack that assaulted the group. 

Lina and the others watched unsure of if they should interfere. They didn't expect Zelas to take the fight into her own hands so suddenly. Zelas shot her attack at the Void and hit the target, throwing more black energy with violet lightning at the fiend. 

"Chaos is so random, so unruly, so imperfect," the Void mocked, unaffected by the dark energy that was making Seyruun castle tremble. "Only true nothingness is perfect. You cannot win; I deny your very existence!" 

Zelas' form became semi-transparent as if she was a ghost and the energy she was shooting at her foe appeared to be a strain to keep up. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond-" 

"Quiet, Xellos!" Zelas growled. "Do not interfere!" Xellos stopped casting the spell, watching as the void approached Zelas. 

The Void extended her hand, she or rather it, was also astral, appearing in the physical world as a projection. "Give your energy to me..." Zelas yelled, seemingly in pain. She tried to break free of the hold that the Void had on her, but it proved to be difficult. 

"We have to help Miss Zelas!" Amelia, ever the kind hearted person, was quick to set aside the fact that Zelas was a monster lord and was ready to jump to the rescue as she would for any of her precious comrades of justice. 

"Amelia's right, I don't care if she doesn't want our help, she's going to get it!" Lina loudly exclaimed. "I can't just stand by and watch as the greatest chef I've ever known is murdered before my eyes!" 

"Too late," the Void faded to the astral side along with Zelas, dragging her out of the others' reach. 

"What just happened here?" Lina stared at the empty space where Zelas was a moment ago in shock. "How could she have been taken away so easily?" 

"Miss Zelas is in danger!" Amelia exclaimed. 

"Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" Naga's laughter echoed, piercing the silence that formed after Zelas and the Void faded to the astral side. "Someone with a laugh as powerful as hers will not be so easily defeated. Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" 

"Of course not," Xellos grinned confidently. "We need only wait for Lord Beast Master to victoriously return." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Foolish monster lord," the Void's voice echoed in the astral side. "I thought you were supposed to be cunning. To think you would face me so recklessly." 

Zelas floated next to the Void in her true form with a somewhat lifeless expression. Yet suddenly her eyes opened and the golden winged wolf glared at the glowing silvery mist around her that was the Void. "This is a test to see the extent of your abilities. It matters not if in the long run an astral being is ineffective against you. The fact remains that you alone will not be able to defeat me. I may not have a shield, but I have an anchor in this world." 

Zelas broke free of the Void's hold, spreading the silvery mist that struggled to surround her. "How can you defend against me? You have no physical body; you have no link to this world beyond your thoughts." 

"I have their thoughts too," Zelas reminded. "As long as a living creature is remembered, it will not cease to exist. In fact, even a being who did not initially exist will somehow become manifest if enough entities believe in its existence. Right now there are a lot of people who can't stop thinking about me." That was the reason for which Zelas revealed herself at the wedding; that was the purpose for which she put on a brass rackets show for the golden dragons, her intentions in her continued interaction with Lina's group. "Your early awakening was not a benefit to you. The world has not been sufficiently weakened for you to overtake it." Zelas began to fade from the astral space to return to the physical world. 

"The Stillness will succeed in bringing forth the End!" The Void called out with a tone akin to frustration. "Until then, I won't let you leave so easily!" The silvery mist surrounded Zelas one last time, stealing her black cone jewel necklace and fading away. "Your power will be used against you Beast Master; you'll regret this careless move." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Zelas faded into existence at Seyruun castle, back in her elf-like form. Her tan complexion was as flawless as ever, she was wearing her usual white dress with her bangles and anklets sounding against each other with her every step. "Miss Zelas is alright!" Amelia happily exclaimed. 

"So, Zelas, I mean, Lord Beast Master. Since you were victorious, why don't we celebrate with some of your delicious cooking?" Lina immediately suggested, grinning hungrily. 

"That's a great idea!" Gourry was quick to agree. 

"You've been pigging out all day and you want more food?" Zelgadis let out a hopeless breath. The gluttonous duo was never satisfied. 

"Unfortunately, I was not so victorious," Zelas dramatized with exaggerated anguish. "All I could do was barely escape with my life." 

"This is a truly strong enemy if even a monster lord has trouble defending against it," Philionel mused aloud. "Even so, justice will find a way to triumph in the end!" 

"That's right!" Amelia cheered. 

"Perhaps if we combine the power of our laughter, we'll win. Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" Naga suggested, though that was a possibility that no one wanted to witness. It would probably destroy the world faster and much more painfully than the Stillness could. 

Filia pouted with an impatient glare. "You barely escaped with your life? I hope you're not expecting us to believe that." 

There was one little detail that was out of place, which Xellos noticed and pointed out. "Lord Beast Master... Where's the necklace with the black cone gem?" 

Zelas touched the area where the necklace should have been. "Oh no! It seems I must have dropped it in the astral side! I bet that terrible Void creature stole it and is probably taking it to the Green Alchemist's hideout to join forces with Lamentation and use Xellos' power against us. Oh, such a dreadful situation we're in." 

"Oh no! Xellos power was stolen by the enemy?" Gourry actually understood a portion of the explanation, though many of the details were still lost to him. "That's bad!" Unfortunately, Gourry was not able to realize that the overall situation made little strategic sense if it were real. Thus he was not capable of determining that it all had to be a set up by Zelas. 

"I see," for someone who supposedly had his power stolen by the enemy, Xellos was pretty calm. "What's the next step then?" 

"You'd best hurry along and recover the black cone gem," Zelas suggested, setting aside her false dramatics in favor of a more business-like tone. "I think another journey is in order. Travel around the world and you might hear word of the whereabouts of the gem. If you split up, you'll be able to cover more ground. I already have Phythan, Onyx and Fang traveling around, so I'll tell them to keep an eye out for it too." 

"Wait a minute," Lina protested. "I understand that you allowed the gem to be stolen on purpose," the perceptive redhead stated. 

Her less then perceptive fiance scratched his head and donned a confused expression. "Really? But why would Zelas want her jewelry to be stolen?" As far as Gourry knew, the topic of Xellos' power and Zelas' necklace were separate, as the vital link between them escaped his notice. 

"I don't know and that's what I want to find out," Lina demanded to know. "What do you hope to accomplish by allowing the enemy to take Xellos' power? If you want these creatures gone too, why don't you just tell us all that you know about them? It's true that you've been using us, but given that we have a common enemy, the great Lina Inverse might be willing to cooperate." 

"I suppose I could tell you," Zelas agreed. "The hideout of the Green Alchemist, where Lamentation is and most likely where the Void headed, is protected by a sort of astral shield that cannot be easily broken. For that reason, we can't just charge in and fight as things stand now. If the fragments of the Stillness try to use Xellos' power to further its cause, and they most likely will, it will activate and relay information to Xellos even if it cannot unite with Xellos to change him back. In other words, the main part of Xellos will remain here as a human, while a portion of him exists as a monster alongside the Stillness, serving as a spy. When the battle ends, I'll unite the two halves to complete Xellos as he should be. Until then, he'll have to work a double shift, so to speak." 

"Two Xellos," Lina frowned, "that's not a very comforting thought." 

"I agree, two Xellos are too many," Filia added. 

"Who do you think you're kidding, stupid dragon? You would love to have two of me," Xellos teased. 

"No way! I couldn't live with double the raw garbage!" Filia argued. 

"In any case," Lina interrupted the argument to get the conversation back on track. "If this other half of Xellos is pretending to be on the enemy's side, splitting up would make us appear more vulnerable for an attack and would give him an excuse to come to us. I see where you're going with that. It looks like we have another journey ahead of us... Right after we celebrate Thanksgiving!" 

"We can't wait any longer. We need to put our plan into action right away. Justice is strong and swift!" Amelia eagerly exclaimed. 

"What about Seyruun? We need to stay here and make sure everything is alright. We can't abandon the citizens of this fine kingdom in their time of need!" Lina argued with what she hoped sounded selfless and just enough to be convincing. 

"I don't care for justice, so I'll be leaving now," Zelas announced. "I have the dinner of ingratitude to prepare for. Maybe I'll cook some dimos dragon this year..." 

As Zelas faded away, Lina called out to her, "I'm invited to that dinner aren't I? I want dimos dragon cuisine!" 

"Me too!" Gourry added. 

"Save some dimos dragon for me!" Xellos joined in. 

Looking furious Filia growled, "no one is eating dragon cuisine! How could you be so inconsiderate?" 

Lina and Gourry backed away from Filia's wrath with Lina being the only one who dared to try to voice an argument in their defense. "It's dimos dragon cuisine, not golden dragon cuisine. There's nothing for you to be so angry about!" 

"A dragon is a dragon and I can't allow you to eat my kind!" Filia insisted. 

"When did you become so patriotic?" Lina pouted. 

"That's not the point!" Filia argued. 

Seeing as this could turn into an endless debate, Philionel stepped in. "I think the new mission should be carried out as soon as possible. Saving the world takes priority. Once that's done we'll be able to have a real Thanksgiving." 

"Go out there and try your best in the pursuit of justice little sister," Naga encouraged Amelia. "Daddy, Gravy, little Fili and I will stay here and make sure Seyruun is alright," she encouraged with her signature laugh. "Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" 

xoxox xox xoxox 

With three different routes decided on, the group split into three teams and went off to comb the land in search for the missing black cone jewel. Or at least that was the pretence of their journey. In truth, they were making themselves available for Zelas plan to go into action. Amelia and Zelgadis were on one team, Lina and Gourry composed another and Xellos and Filia the other. Xellos was sure that whenever his other half was awakened, he would feel it and agreed to contact the others when that happened. For the time being they would travel, review the situations in different parts of the land and stay on the lookout for useful information and opportunities to strike back against their enemy. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 113: Tainted! The Nameless Beast

Deep underground behind a strong magical shield of astral properties, a seed with roots linked to the cavern around it glowed ominously. A silvery mist faded into existence next to it, not bothering to take on any other shape aside from that. Suspended in the mist, there was a necklace with a black cone shaped jewel, which contained powerful monster energy locked inside it. 

"It is too early for you, but the cycle has already been pushed forward for better or for worse," Lamentation's voiceless message reached the Void. 

Replying in the same way, the Void approached with the jewel. "It might have seemed for the better, then for the worse and now for the better again. Yet such concepts, they should matter not to us. They are both something, and only nothing is perfection, only nothing is absolute for not the greatest evil or the greatest good of this chaotic world is pure. Let us use this power in our favor and show the foolish beast that the Stillness is absolute!" 

The silvery mist floated closer to the seed and faded into it, merging with it. The two fragments, Lamentation and the Void became one along with the remains of the Green Alchemist. The black cone gem floated in the astral space contained inside the seed. "Awaken," the incomplete Stillness called out to it. "Awaken monster power, break free of the seal and become one with the Stillness!" 

Xellos' power began to react as the seal placed on the gem by Beast Master was slowly broken. The gem was surrounded by a violet light as the power desperately searched for its owner, but Xellos was not there. As an involuntary defense mechanism, the monster energy assumed that Xellos' projected body had been completely destroyed and in an automatic motion of survival it began to try to recreate Xellos. 

"You shall not be allowed to become linked to him..." The golden scales and energy that had been stolen from Filia some time ago, in the encounter with the Dragon Slayers, floated in the astral space closer to the cone gem. "With this, a sample of the power and the body of a golden dragon, you shall become tainted, monster energy. You shall not answer to your previous owner for this energy and him are different now, further imperfect variations. Die will of Xellos! Become consumed by your opposite and leave your power behind for the Stillness to claim!" 

A silhouette similar to Xellos had begun to form, generated by the monster energy that once was his. The golden scales and laser energy were fused with the shadowy figure, its blackness becoming tainted with swirls of gold. The copy cried out as if in pain and reverted to a more basic form, a black cone. The golden swirls continued to spread, overtaking the black cone and separating the second Xellos from the main one. Finally, the cone turned golden and once again began to take on the shape of a man. This was not Xellos; this was a different being. 

The being materialized itself dressed similarly to Xellos, wearing a white shirt instead of yellow. He didn't have the cloak and staff; instead he carried a mace strapped on his belt beside him. His hair was purple with two golden lines that fell on the sides of his face, outside the low ponytail that held the rest of his hair. His deep violet eyes examined the area around him. Coming into existence had been painful, as if someone attempted to take his life before it could finish being established. "Who am I?" That was the first question that came out of his mouth. It was only natural for a newly created monster to have the necessity to establish an identity to become truly whole. 

'The golden dragon sample was not enough to stop the defense mechanism of the monster energy. A being came into existence after all,' the two fused fragments of the Stillness mused quietly. 'It matters not if I do not absorb this energy. This creature can still be of use in taking the life of Beast Master's general priest,' the incomplete Stillness concluded. "You have no need for an identity, Nameless Beast. You only need to think of your mission..." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

There were hardly any clouds in the sky, a chilly breeze blew and the temperature seemed to drop a degree lower by the hour. The path was desolate in more ways than one. Not only were those two the only people making their way through the rural road, but there was also a general lack of vegetation all around. The trees' brown falling leaves had left them completely and the bare bark looked gray and sickly. There was no grass, no bushes, not even the remains of the fallen leaves of autumn could be seen, as if the earth has swallowed them up in desperate starvation. 

As Xellos and Filia made their way to the town where Jillas, Elena and Palou were with Val, Xellos stopped suddenly. He felt as if he was being ripped apart. He found himself strangely wondering if Zelas felt any pain when she removed a portion of her own essence to create him, or if this pain was a side-effect of his human state. This was different though, the other half was still him. 

"Xellos? What's wrong?" Filia inquired with concern. 

"It's happening..." It was the strangest sensation, like being in two places at the exact same time. His second body, a purely astral one, was still forming and his senses were still blurry. "I can almost see it, astral space, there's strong energy all around." A sharper pain coursed through him, which made Xellos almost collapse. 

"Xellos!" Filia didn't know what to do. He had no physical wounds, so recovery wouldn't be of much help. "What's happening?" 

"I'm... I'm losing it... my copy." Xellos spoke with difficulty, holding on to Filia, his eyes closed, the pain almost consuming him. Then there was nothing but the numb aftershock of it all. He breathed slowly and tried to sense it again. "It's gone... my copy is no longer connected to me. Just as Beast Master predicted when the seal on my power was broken, a copy was created, but I can't sense it anymore!" 

"Was it destroyed?" Filia asked with worry, at least the pain that assaulted Xellos seemed to be gone. What did it mean that he couldn't sense his power? Was it resealed or had the enemy somehow absorbed it? 

"I don't think so," the more Xellos thought about it, the more a particular possibility made sense. "It became its own being separate from me. It's not just a copy, it's another monster." 

Filia stared at Xellos in shock. "Another Xellos? Is he on our side? Does he answer to Beast Master?" 

"If he's on our side and the Stillness realizes it, he'll be swiftly destroyed and if not, we'll have a new enemy." Xellos tried not to show too much of his frustration with the situation. This was Beast Master's plan and she had expressed that she had no intentions of throwing him away. She wouldn't allow his power to be permanently destroyed and if it was, she could perhaps spare some of her energy to turn him back into a monster later. None the less, it bothered him that his power was being used like this, left in the hands of the enemy. 

"What should we do?" Filia asked unsure. 

"I'll send a report about this as planned," Xellos decided. The action did not take too long with the usual monster courier bird communication method through the astral side. 

Beast Master's reply came swiftly, instructing the group to continue with the plan as previously discussed. The order wasn't particularly reassuring, but it was all that could be done. Infiltrating the enemy stronghold was impossible at the moment. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At Amor Resort, the rebuilding process continued. The wooden clock tower had been recreated just as it was before, with its falling apart appearance and rickety structure. Far below it, in another of its secret basements, Celo was taking a moment to tinker with some odd little machines. The basement was lit with magic, creating enough light to work on small details comfortably on the large table that was cluttered with tools, bolts and small metal parts. "Look, they spin!" He held up an assortment of gears in a little platform that seemed to grow in size, the smaller ones spinning much faster than the larger ones. "One gear powers another and their speed varies, I can reproduce this model at a larger scale and use it for my secret project for Beast Master!" Celo paused, waiting for his wife's reaction. "Honey, they spin!" He repeated excitedly. 

Tiffany sighed and humored Celo with a glance, looking away for a moment from her editing work on the latest chapter Onyx had sent her for review. "Yes, dear, they do spin, endlessly and meaninglessly until it's time to wind it up again." With blatant disregard, she turned her attention back to her papers, reading over the same paragraph for the third time, before giving up and accepting the fact that she simply could not concentrate. She let out an annoyed breath and put the papers away on a folder. 

"Are you angry at me?" Celo inquired, his excitement over his latest gadget was gone, his mouth going from a smile to a pout. 

"No," Tiffany snapped, it wasn't like her to snap. "I'm just stressed with life in general, okay? I'm going up to the top of the clock tower to get some fresh air." 

Celo still couldn't figure out what the problem with Tiffany was. She had been acting strange ever since her private conversation with Beast Master, the topic of which she still refused to reveal. She just kept saying it was girl stuff that he wouldn't understand, but it had to be something serious. "Getting some fresh air sounds like a splendid idea." 

"I'm going alone," Tiffany firmly stated. "Do not follow me, I need to take a breather now and then, understand that!" She left the basement, hurrying up the stairs and towards the top of the rickety clock tower. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Tiffany remembered her conversation with Beast Master and the request that the monster lord refused to grant. "Please Lord Beast Master, seal me away and the End within me. It might help at the very least delay the Stillness' plans!" 

"That will not work," Zelas refused. "Lamentation weakens the body, the Void weakens the mind and the End, I would assume, is a sort of reaper that finishes off those who have already fallen. Yet the End is mysterious, is it the ultimate enemy or a mercy? Does it actually contribute to the death of the world, or is it merely there to dispose of the corpse after the world is already dead? Either way, by the time the End is truly awakened, the war would have been lost. Furthermore, for the Stillness to be defeated it is very likely, almost certain that all three fragments must be destroyed at once. If I seal the End and it continues to exist tainted by your chaos, then the Lord of Lamentation and the Void, even if they are purified into nothing, will continue to exist because of their link with the End and will eventually return to oppose chaos. Continue to carry your secret burden and let it become manifest when the time is right. This is an enemy that must be faced, or else chaos will not be able to truly overcome the Stillness." 

"That's too dangerous!" Tiffany insisted. "The End is a horrifying thing, it is so empty. It's different from pain, it's nothing, forgotten, none-existent, absolute nothingness. It's worse than dying. I can feel it inside me, it wants to come out. I know it cannot be defeated, it's too late, the cycle of the Stillness has already awakened and the End is inevitable. It's just as it has been warned, the world would be destroyed by the effects of the spell that called upon the Lord of Nightmares. Even if it was not a direct effect, her shield was removed and the death blow has been struck. Please Lord Beast Master, I beg of you, seal me away! We cannot win; all that can be done is delay the inevitable. If everyone unites against this, the world might still survive for a few more years to come. Please allow Celo to live a little longer, I'm sure he doesn't want to disappear without finishing his machine projects. Maybe then another alternative will come up to prolong chaos even more. There's still so much that everyone needs to do. Give them that chance, even if it is so that you can take the opportunity to cruelly ruin it all for your own enjoyment. Please, Lord Beast Master, I beg of you!" Tiffany had fallen to her knees, abundant tears streaming down her face. 

"That's enough, foolish dragon! Stop your useless begging." Zelas scolded angrily. "I do not intend to lose this fight. I will be victorious. Leave now." 

Thinking back on it, it was ironic that a monster lord would have more hope for the future than a golden dragon. Yet it was Tiffany who felt the End within her. It was she who felt that the cycle was impossible to stop. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Far away from the other groups, Zelgadis and Amelia followed their own traveling route. The scenery was cold and depressing, devoid of life. The ground was starting to feel sandy beneath their boots, as if its nutrients had been drained terribly. "It looks like the earth will take a long time to recover from this." 

"Yes, the terrible famine is going stronger than ever. I thought things would get better after Narcissus was defeated, but he was only one of the many that are hidden from us." Amelia recalled. She tried to stay optimistic as she always did. "We can't give up! Justice always triumphs! The more evil they are the harder they fall!" She loudly exclaimed, quickening her pace down the desolate gloomy path. 

"Isn't it the bigger they are, the harder they fall?" Zelgadis pointed out. 

"That too, but when it comes to justice, the most evil ones always fall the hardest!" Amelia cheered. "This evil is indeed the most evil of all!" Although in truth the Stillness wasn't good or evil, it was simply nothing, while good and evil were concepts that helped fuel motion, chaos. 

"Why do you sound so cheerful when you say that?" Zelgadis answered his own question in thinking that Amelia sounded cheerful when she said almost anything. He remembered her cheerfully throwing out dramatic accusations, such as the time when she launched a psychological warfare attack on Xellos after regretting that one of her comrades had turned to the darkness. Of course, Xellos pointed out that he had been a monster all along, but Amelia wasn't listening to him, instead focusing on going on and on about how wonderful life was. 

"It's true that the fact that our enemy is strong means it will be more trouble for us," Amelia acknowledged. "But let's look on the bright side! This means that when we finally emerge victorious, because justice always wins, our triumph will be all the greater!" The energetic princess cheered. "Just think of the way things are, if even a monster lord such as Zelas has labeled the Stillness as her enemy, then that means it must be really bad, even by her standards." 

"Right..." Zelgadis didn't think that was anything to be happy about. A force worse than a monster lord, worse than even Shabranigdu, was not something anyone in their right mind would look forward to facing. Yet he knew that he had to stay strong and cheerful or else it would mean certain defeat. Even so, could such a thing that was an enemy to both good and evil, truly be overcome? 

Not too far away from Amelia and Zelgadis, the sound of grunts and complaints were heard, as a group of bandits hurried to take refuge in a cave up ahead. A tall black bearded human man, walking in front of the band held up a shiny black cone shaped jewel. "Jewelry, nothing but jewelry, that's all the loot we got." He complained in disappointment. 

"Isn't it ironic, boss?" A leopard-like beastman, with a slimmer bone structure and a more agile constitution than the muscular yet bony from hunger leader, commented from next to him. "Some months ago we would have been more than happy with a haul like this." 

"Some months ago the world wasn't so close to dying," the leader reminded. "But we can't eat jewels and there's hardly any food left to steal. Even if we tried to trade with pirates from another land, a mountain of gold is of little value in comparison to a bit of food. Oh to be a monster and not need any food, I bet they're feasting on our pain!" 

"I wouldn't be so sure anymore, boss," the leopard replied. "It looked like the monsters were having a party at first, but now it looks like something's eating them up from the astral side. I know because I saw a monster the other day while looting that village, it looked like it was in pain. You think that what's affecting the monsters is the same thing that's eating the planet itself? You think it's the return of Shabranigdu or something worse? Cause it makes no sense that Shabranigdu would kill off the monsters too. But what could be worse than him?" 

"Who knows?" The leader shook his head hopelessly. "We might not even live long enough to find out. It's better not to think about it." 

Unknown to the distracted and hungry bandits, the pair of travelers of justice were watching them. "Did you see that jewel the leader had?" Amelia pointed at it excitedly, too far from the bandits to hear their conversation. 

"Wait, this could be a trap," Zelgadis cautioned, soon adding the inevitable, "but we can't ignore it. They might be more minions of the Stillness tricked by the story that the Green Alchemist is Gaia," just like the Dragon Slayers were. 

"Right, let's march right over to that group of bandits and demand an explanation," said and done, Amelia rushed in. "Hold it right there bandits! We're here to reclaim the black cone gem that you stole! You must also reveal all that you know about the Stillness that calls itself the Green Alchemist and Gaia!" 

"What's that girl talking about, boss?" The leopard pointed a confused clawed finger at Amelia, adding something else in a whisper. "By the way boss, doesn't she look delicious? I mean healthy? She might know where we can find food!" 

"Delicious... yes, yes... I mean healthy," The leader wiped his mouth and beard with his sleeve. 

Zelgadis glared fiercely and didn't waste another second before drawing his sword. He did not like the hungry looks those bandits were giving Amelia. He wasn't sure if they were perverts or cannibals, but both possibilities were terrible and he would not allow them. "You better stay back, surrender the black cone gem and tell us everything you know!" The chimera protectively threatened. 

"This?" The bandit leader lifted the jewel, wondering what set it apart from the rest of the stolen jewelry in his gang's sacks. The seemingly well fed travelers were specifically looking for it, so it had to be important. "I don't know what you're babbling about that Green Alchemist and Gaia, but if you want this, then it must be good enough to fight for!" The bandit lifted the gem enclosing his fist tightly around it in a challenging motion. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 114: Unstable! A Dangerous Combination

A beam of laser breath, like that of a golden dragon, came out of seemingly nowhere, interrupting the encounter of Amelia and Zelgadis versus the bandits. The laser collided with the bandit leader's hand, making him drop the damaged black cone jewel and clutch the burnt appendage in pain. "Ah! Who did that?" 

All heads automatically turned towards the direction in which the laser had come from, where someone had recently faded out of the astral side. "It might have some monetary value, but in the end it was only an insignificant replica. Not that you bandits have any idea what I'm talking about, do you?" The man strongly resembled Xellos, his black pupils were long and the irises of his eyes were purple, they were just like Xellos' monster eyes. He had his purple hair tied back, with two golden locks framing the sides of his face. His ears were long and pointy, like the ears of an elf or a golden dragon. He held a mace and looked like he was ready to use it if the bandits interrupted his curiosity. "You two," he addressed Amelia and Zelgadis. "I hold no memories of you, yet I see recognition in your faces. I've been told I resemble the one called Xellos. Where is he?" 

Zelgadis had received word of what Xellos sensed earlier and knew that his copy could be their enemy. This man certainly resembled Xellos, but he was far from being an exact copy. "Who are you and why do you want to know where Xellos is?" 

"Who am I?" The question seemed to fill the man with anger. "I am only known as the Nameless Beast." He growled with a frustration that neither Zelgadis nor Amelia could quite figure out. "As for my reason to search for Xellos... That is a secret." He shook his finger, adopting a pose much like that of the original Xellos. With anger invading his features, he elaborated, "but I'll tell you anyway. My purpose is to kill Xellos!" The Nameless Beast pointed his mace at Zelgadis and Amelia. "Tell me where he is or else!" 

"Absolutely not!" Amelia refused. "We won't let you bring any harm to Mr. Xellos! Even if you were made from him, you are evil!" 

"Don't you mean because instead of even if?" Comrades or not, Zelgadis couldn't help it but to throw out that little comment. Nonetheless, he was willing to stand by Amelia and help her cause. 

"I see, so you're on his side; that makes you my enemies!" The Nameless Beast stubbornly declared. "Die, friends of Xellos!" He shot a beam of laser from his mouth, but Amelia and Zelgadis dodged, jumping in opposite directions with the laser passing between them. 

"Feel the power of justice! Elmekia Lance!" Amelia fought back with the spell hitting the target. 

The Nameless Beast felt the effects of the attack, but was no where near beaten yet. "I won't be defeated, not until Xellos has paid for what he's done!" He shot a mass of black energy from his hand, which collided with Amelia and sent her flying several feet back. 

"Amelia!" Zelgadis was at her side in a split second. 

"I'm... alright," the princess tried to recover from the attack; she stumbled forward and finally regained her balance. "Justice will always triumph!" She valiantly exclaimed despite her bruised state. 

"Astral Vine!" Zelgadis powered up his sword for the attack and went charging into battle. The mace and the sword collided with mighty blows. 

While the fight went on, the leopard beastman whispered to the human leader. "Maybe this is a little out of our league, these people are ignoring us." 

"If they're strong enough to obtain food in this situation, then they're pretty strong. Let's take the loot and run!" The bandit leader wisely decided. The second in command leopard and the rest of the bandits picked up their sacks of spoils and ran away. 

Unfortunately for the bandits they didn't get too far. The Nameless Beast was the first priority, but that didn't mean that Amelia was going to let a bunch of evil bandits escape without facing justice. "You won't escape without punishment! Fireball!" 

The flames hit the targets, flying out of Amelia's hands continuously. "We can't hold our own against these sorcerers, run for it!" Dropping their sacks of jewelry in favor of faster movement, the gang of bandits ran away for dear life. 

Amelia would have stopped them, but something more important came up. Zelgadis' sword pushed against the Nameless Beast's mace. The monster dragon grinned as if he had the upper hand even though it had looked as if they were almost evenly matched. He shot another laser from his mouth point blank and Zelgadis barely had time to dodge. The laser reached the chimera's shoulder as he tried to move to the side out of the way of it. "Zelgadis!" Having recovered from the hit she took earlier, aside from a few scratches, Amelia rejoined the main fight. "Source of all souls which dwell in eternal and infinite. Everlasting flame of blue, let the power in my soul be called forth from the infinite... Ra Tilt!" 

Just as the Nameless Beast lifted his mace to attack Zelgadis, he was reached by Amelia's spell and dropped his mace in pain. "You should have stayed out of this!" Angered, he shot two beams of black energy surrounded in violet lightning from his hands at Amelia and Zelgadis. 

The princess and the chimera jumped out of the way and made sure to stay moving, narrowly dodging the incoming blasts of dark energy. The Nameless Beast was powerful, but as a newly created being, he was inexperienced in battle. "Your evil will never win!" Amelia scolded, though she and Zelgadis were so busy dodging that they didn't get the chance to throw in any attacks. 

Zelgadis wasn't so sure that they had the upper hand, but they certainly weren't losing either. It looked more like the Nameless Beast was throwing a hissy fit, shooting beams of dark energy in every direction. If that was the case, then angering him further might work in their favor. "Prepare to admit defeat, you little freak!" 

Suddenly the attacks ceased, which caught Amelia and Zelgadis by surprise so much that they didn't immediately take the opportunity to launch attacks of their own. The Nameless Beast was just standing there with his face downcast. Then he looked at Zelgadis with a very upset expression. "You shouldn't talk, you're a strange combination too, meanie!" Without another moment to waste, he picked up his mace and faded away into the astral side. 

Amelia and Zelgadis stared at the empty space, where the Nameless Beast was mere seconds ago, in shock. "What just happened?" The chimera asked in puzzlement. 

"I think you hurt his feelings," Amelia correctly concluded. 

"Oh..." Zelgadis stopped to think about it. The Nameless Beast appeared to be a combination of monster and dragon. How that happened, if he was supposed to be a copy of Xellos, was anyone's guess right now. Yet could he really be that sensitive about it? He did have a point though, Zelgadis was a combination too, they were both in a sense chimeras. "I kind of feel bad about calling him a freak." 

Amelia placed a gentle hand on Zelgadis' uninjured shoulder and gave him a quick kiss of assurance. "It's okay, sometimes when we're angry, we say things we don't mean. I'm sure Mr. Nameless Beast understands that and won't stay upset for too long. Let's finish getting healed up before something else happens." 

"Yes," Zelgadis agreed, going into his usual period of dazed loving distraction that followed an act of unexpectedly timed affection from Amelia. After he recovered the full use of his mental faculties, he considered their next step. "We should probably tell the others about this so that they're ready." 

"Right, we'll inform Miss Zelas and she'll pass on the message to everyone," Amelia agreed, though that wasn't exactly what Zelgadis was suggesting. The chimera didn't say anything about it though, they would just have to get used to working with the monster lord for the time being. Besides, Zelas would hear about the situation from Xellos anyway, and they couldn't possibly leave him and Filia out of the loop and in danger of being taken by surprise. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Zelas received another report from one of her courier monster birds. Just as she expected, Xellos' power could not be easily absorbed and instead it tried to create a copy. Unexpectedly, the Stillness managed to turn that copy into a separate being and gained a new minion. Furthermore, that new creature was apparently some kind of monster dragon chimera. Nonetheless, he came in part from Xellos and Xellos came from Zelas. Perhaps this Nameless Beast could be turned to their side and used to figure out a way to get into the Stillness' main base after all. Then everything would once again go as planned. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Time passed and the groups continued their journey. It had been a few days since Amelia and Zelgadis' encounter with the Nameless Beast and no one had heard from him again. Far away from the other groups, Lina and Gourry followed their own traveling route as well. The sun was setting over the lifeless landscape and the lit torches of a small town could be seen in the distance. "That town better have some food!" Lina hungrily declared. "I'm so hungry that I'm one step away from declaring my eternal loyalty to my favorite monster lord just so she'll feed me." 

Gourry's starving eyes suddenly shone with the light of new hope at the prospect of a decent meal. "You mean that if we become Beast Master's minions she'll feed us?" He felt accomplish in remembering who Lina's new favorite monster lord was, though forgetting her delicious cooking was something neither of them could easily do. 

"Maybe..." Lina theorized, almost ready to give into temptation. "If Amelia heard us talking like this, she'd have a thing or two to say. Nonetheless, Seyruun did buy food from Beast Master, so I would have that to use as a counter argument." 

"You, redhead!" A man who matched a description Lina and Gourry had previously received appeared on the road in front of them, fading into existence from the astral side. He stepped forward and looked at Lina with attention. "I was told that the famous Lina Inverse was a flat-chested midget. You seem to match the description, are you her?" 

The way he spoke the question with a mix of innocence and humor made it all the more infuriating for Lina. "I was told that the Nameless Beast was a stupid ugly freak, are you him?" She yelled back in anger. 

The Nameless Beast stepped back, looking upset. "Don't call me a freak!" He yelled. "This is all Xellos' fault, everything is Xellos' fault. It's because of him that I'm just a random freak instead of a complete person. I'll get you for your offence Lina Inverse and then I'll kill Xellos!" The Nameless Beast stuck out his tongue and faded away into the astral side, returning moments later with a cloaked figure standing next to him. "That mean girl over there is an enemy of Gaia, get rid of her Mr. Summoner!" With that order spoken, he faded away again. 

The man in the black cloak stepped forward as he chanted a strange incantation. Lina snorted impatiently. "As if I'm going to let you finish that summoning spell. I don't know what you're trying to call but-" The man removed his hood to reveal he was a slug, or rather a human slug chimera, though he certainly looked a lot more like a slug than a human. "Ah! Slug!" Lina forgot about all her threats in favor of jumping into Gourry's arms for protection. "Make it go away, make it go away!" She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck almost choking him. 

"Lina, I can't breathe!" Gourry complained, trying to shift Lina into a less life threatening position. He managed to hold her with one arm, using the other to ready his sword. At least the fact that she was small was convenient in a situation like this, it made her easier to carry. 

The enemy sorcerer slug chimera finished casting his spell and a giant slug appeared to answer the magical call. The arrival of the monstrous creature made Lina's panicked screams echo louder. She flailed around in Gourry's arm, pulled his hair in fright and all around freaked out at how huge and slimy the summoned slug was. Her outburst made Gourry stumble and drop his magical sword. 

The slug seemed to partially melt, which made it look even grosser to the scared Lina. The creature's slime invaded the ground beneath Gourry's feet, making him get stuck in place, his sword stuck to the ground a few feet away. The horrific monster shot acid from its mouth straight at Gourry and Lina. "Lina, levitate!" Gourry threw her, trying to put her at a safe distance. 

Lina almost hit the ground before she managed to react, "levitation!" She was spared from a nasty fall at the last second. "Gourry!" He had taken the hit head on, the acid creating multiple painful burns. 

"Lina, get away from here!" Gourry tried to move, but his feet were stuck to the ground and he couldn't reach his sword. "I'll beat this slug somehow, get to safety, hurry!" 

Lina felt her whole body tremble in fear, "Gourry..." maybe a few years ago she might have taken the suggestion to save herself, but not now. She couldn't abandon Gourry to face off against some evil slug unarmed. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows. Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows..." 

"Get the girl, knock her to the ground!" The slug chimera commanded the giant slug monster. The creature shot acid at Lina, which she swiftly dodged in the air. "I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hands. Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess. Dragon Slave!" 

The massive force of Lina Inverse's signature spell had its usual expected effect, reducing the enemies to nothing and leaving a crater on the ground in their place. Gourry, looking burnt, bruised, scratched and all around abused, crawled out of the crater, picking up his sword in the way, thankful that it wasn't damaged or blown too far away. 

"Oops..." Lina landed next to him. "I was so focused on saving you from that evil slug that I forgot you couldn't move out of the way of my Dragon Slave. At least you only caught the aftershock of it, since it wasn't aimed at you and I did rush the chanting, so I wouldn't call it a fully powered Dragon Slave." The petite redhead placed her hand behind her head and laughed casually. As an after thought, she wondered if there was another reason for her spell to come with less collateral damage than usual. It was odd, but it felt as if Shabranigdu was retreating in a sense, trying to block out his energy from being used up in spells. "You're going to be okay, right Gourry?" 

Gourry placed his sword back in the sheath, a little disappointed that he didn't get to use it. "I'll be alright, thanks for saving me." Without giving it much further thought, he gave her a quick kiss as a form of gratitude and to further offer comfort for her recent scare, as well as reassure her that he wasn't angry about being accidentally caught in her Dragon Slave. 

Lina felt the red color raise from the base of her neck to the top of her forehead. "G-Gourry..." 

"Yes?" The bruised swordsman innocently inquired. 

Lina shook her head, trying to recover the normal color of her face. It was certainly not the first time Gourry got affectionate with her, but this time he caught her completely off guard more so than before and he didn't even seem to realize how much he surprised her. Being rewarded with a kiss after accidentally indirectly Dragon Slaving Gourry, even if it was with good intentions, was not something Lina could have predicted. "Never mind, let's get you healed and keep going towards that town ahead." 

As they rounded the crater and continued down the path under the stars, the Nameless Beast once again appeared before them, fading in front of them from the astral side. "He's back!" Gourry, being Gourry, felt the need to point out what was plainly obvious. 

"You again, troublemaker, don't you dare think I'll forgive you for sending that slug after us you little freak!" Lina yelled angrily. 

Looking very upset, the Nameless Beast stomped his feet, "stop it, stop it! Stop calling me a freak. I'm not a freak, I'm not a thing, I'm a person! Stupid Xellos, stupid, stupid! It's all his fault!" Wielding his mace, the Nameless Beast charged towards Lina and Gourry. 

Taking this as the long awaited opportunity to try out his new sword in a real battle, Gourry wielded the blade and slashed the air. A shockwave of energy was send towards his opponent, catching the enemy off guard and slashing the mace in half. 

"My mace, you broke it!" The Nameless Beast picked up the two pieces, examining them in disappointment. "I don't want to play with you anymore. You're all so mean! Tell me where Xellos is! I need to kill him, this is all his fault!" 

"Wait a minute, how is any of this Xellos' fault? Just what are you talking about anyway?" Lina demanded to know. "You may be a partial copy of Xellos modified with something else, but Xellos wasn't the one who created you, it wasn't his will!" Lina realized all too late that she might be saying too much. 

"Master Xellos doesn't want me around at all? He doesn't want me to exist?" The Nameless Beast sounded very sad. "Xellos is my master, I can feel it, I know it as any monster would. But I'm not fully a monster; there is also another who contributed to forming my essence, a dragon. I don't know you people, but I was told you know Xellos. He's the only one I know, because he's my master. I was told he abandoned me, but now you say that's not true. Instead of just abandoning me, he actually doesn't want me to exist? Liar! You're a liar Lina Inverse, even if Master Xellos doesn't care for me, that doesn't mean he has to hate me!" The Nameless Beast was surrounded by a golden glow. His upset state was making him lose control of himself. His features became slightly more dragon-like and he had a tail. The partial transformation, even if he still looked mostly human seemed to cause him a lot of pain. He quickly retreated, disappearing into the astral side, leaving a very perplexed sorceress and swordsman behind. 

"He's... He's the same as Valgaav. He's part monster and part dragon, but he's unstable and transforming causes him pain," Lina realized. She began to toss around theories in her head. The Nameless Beast was a newly created monster. Monsters were created as fully grown adults in a sense, though their astral bodies could be projected in the material world with the appearance of any age. They came into existence with certain basic knowledge, which must include who their master is. On the other hand, dragons hatched from eggs and grew from babies, to children, to adults. The dragon properties that were mixed with the monster energy must have made the Nameless Beast more child-like. That's why he was so upset that his master wasn't there for him when he was created. "He's like a bratty child who misses his father," Lina concluded. That meant that bringing him to their side was possible after all, though he seemed really angry at Xellos for the perceived abandonment. 

To be Continued


	39. Chapter 39

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 115: Panic! False Accusations Of Despair

Some time later, another earthquake shook the land as Xellos and Filia arrived in the town where the Maces and Vases shop was located. It had begun to snow lightly, but the temperature was far too cold for the amount of snow, causing the travelers to stay close together in an effort not to freeze. The frequent tremors had become common across the world. People used to run and scream whenever they happened, but lately a deep depression had settle into most towns and cities, so the people just quietly ignored the shaking, perceiving that they had no choice but to accept the world's end. Some called out to Ceifeed for help; others begged the dragon lords to assist them. Yet overall, they were a small minority, as most people had given up on calling out to anyone. 

The pair of travelers quickened their pace towards their destination. The shop was full of cracks that looked like they had been fixed numerous times, but the patch work would not last for long. A sort of wooden outer cage tried to frame the walls and keep them in place. Filia and Xellos entered the structure, with the golden dragon quietly mourning the sorry state of her once cheerful shop. At least it was still standing, so her family could still find shelter in it. A loud noise from near by made Filia turn her head back towards the street just in time to see a damaged structure collapsing. It was Elena's restaurant, which never really took off due to the lack of ingredients available to cook with. 

Before panic and worry had the chance to fully settle into Filia, a familiar voice greeted her, "boss! Welcome back!" Filia turned to face the inside of the shop and saw Jillas, Elena, Palou and Val, relieved that they were unharmed. The golden dragon closed the front door of the shop behind her as if to block out the depressing view of the ruined buildings all over the street. 

Little Val jumped into his mother's waiting arms. "I'm so glad you're not hurt, I missed you so much!" The shelves around the shop held only a few vases as there was plenty of property damage involved with the earthquakes. The small amount of vases that remained were tied to the shelves in Jillas' final effort to save them. At least the maces survived, since they were built to receive, or rather give, hard hits. A lot of those had been sold in the time before the town's collective depression fully settled in and the people felt a little better with a weapon on their hands, even if this catastrophe was something that could not be fought with a weapon. 

Another person joined them in the main shop area and Filia was surprised to see it was Kally. She was rather quiet and distant, engrossed in her own thoughts. "If only I was still a monster now, this would be such a feast!" Leave it to Xellos to say something sarcastic at a serious and solemn time. Never mind that the monsters had began to be drained from the astral side and were not having an easy time anymore, thus rendering his sarcasm untrue. 

"Xellos!" Filia half-scolded with no real anger. "It's good to see everyone here, I know the times have been harsh but we need to stay strong! Kally, how are Tiffany and the others doing at the resort? What brings you to visit us?" Filia tried to make the conversation flow as casually as possible so as to not further trouble the already sad Kally. 

"They're okay... they were okay when I last saw them, or as okay as they could be given the situation. I'm here because my brother is..." She paused unsure of what to say, then finished with a neutral sounding, "passing by and I hope to catch up to him." It was plainly obvious that she was sugar-coating what she really wanted to say. 

"Jillas!" The angry voices of the townspeople were heard from outside. "We know you're in there, we know you did it! Come out murderer!" At times such as this, when it seemed impossible to be able to do anything about the dire state of the world, more than ever people clung to their own interpretation of justice in desperation. If there was anything they could do, just so they could feel that they were doing something, they would do it and console themselves with it, even if it was in falsehood. 

"That's not true!" Palou yelled back. "It's all a lie, he didn't hurt anyone!" His mother hugged him, trying to comfort the child. "Why do they say such mean things? We were all together the whole time, why won't they believe us?" The young fox boy hugged his mother in frustration and innocent confusion. 

"Palou, honey... Sometimes when people face hardships they jump to conclusions. They're taking their anger out on someone innocent and that's wrong, but they don't know any better in their sadness." Though she kept a sweet tone for Palou's sake as she held him and gently caressed the fur atop his head, it was evident that Elena had enough of this. There was a fire of anger and frustration in her eyes that the calm fox lady had never shown before. 

"Open the door!" Without waiting for any further replies, the door was forced open, left hanging off one of its hinges as it had already been weakened from the earlier earthquakes. An angry mob formed by the townspeople stood at the door, maces on hand. "We knew we couldn't trust you," a young man accused. "In times like this is when you beasts start to show your true nature." 

"Those maces..." Filia gasped. "How dare you wield the maces I crafted against Jillas? He was the one who sold them to you, wasn't he?" 

"That was before he committed his crime," the leader of the mob accused. "It's ironic that the terrible beasts will be slain by their own weapons. This is what you deserve, death for the beastman and for the dragon! The so called protectors of the world are nothing but falsehood!" He went on the attack, attempting to hit Filia with the mace. 

"Watch out, boss!" Jillas urgently warned, but it wasn't really necessary. 

Filia easily caught the mace and held it in place. The man pulled it back, trying to loosen the weapon from her grip, but a dragon's strength was simply far too superior to the strength of a human. "I don't know what has made you throw false accusations at Jillas and the dragons, but I won't tolerate you hurting my family and with my own weapons no less." It was like insult upon attempted injury. 

The rest of the mob readied their weapons as well. "So you finally show your true colors, Filia," Sasha accused. "You're a wild beast just like the others, I never liked you anyway." 

Fed up with the situation, Xellos began to quietly chant a spell. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows..." 

Sasha was joined by her fellow hypocritical gossiper Anna. "Defending that murderer makes you an accomplice. The dragons may act all high and mighty but they couldn't care less about humanity!" 

"Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows..." Something was off, Shabranigdu's power wasn't responding to Xellos. 

Manna threw out a theory that fueled the angry mob's wrath even more. "Now that the land produces no food, I bet the dragons and beasts are returning to their terrible primal instincts. No doubt about it, they intend to feed on us humans!" 

"I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hands..." Mighty gift? The small traces of power that Xellos managed to get out of Shabranigdu were anything but mighty. It was as if Ruby Eyes was being drained so strongly in a different direction that his power could no longer be called upon for a spell. 

Furious murmurs filled the angry mob, they were convinced they would be slaughtered, so they determined that they had no choice but to act first, kill or be killed. Despite that, Filia wasn't exactly comfortable with blowing up all the townspeople, not to mention that they were currently in her shop and her family was dangerously close by. "Xellos, you can't use the Dragon Slave now!" 

"Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess, Dragon Slave!" Nothing happened. "It seems that Lord Ruby Eyes in his frozen state is terribly exposed to fall victim to the Stillness. I don't think I'll be able to use that spell anymore, at least not until this war is over," which meant that their forces had suffered an unexpected reduction of power. 

"Even Shabranigdu?" As much as Filia disliked Shabranigdu, the fact that even Ruby Eyes was being drained away by the Stillness worried her. It further proved that they were up against a terribly powerful foe. 

"Kill them! Kill them!" The restless crowd shouted in wrath. 

"Stop!" Jillas stepped forward. "Filia has been away from the town, you can't possibly have any false accusations for her. I'm the one you want. I didn't do anything wrong, but if it'll stop this madness, then I'll turn myself in!" 

"Jillas, you can't!" Elena protested. 

"There's no choice..." Jillas concluded. "I only ask that you stop this senseless fighting!" 

The townspeople discussed the matters among themselves. If Filia got out of hand and decided to transform into a dragon and start devouring them, then they could use Jillas as a hostage to negotiate. Given that possibility, it would not be convenient to kill him. Yet they certainly couldn't let him run free. "Very well," the angry mob's leader agreed. "The murderer will be sent to Prisoner Island." 

"This isn't fair," Filia cried, she still remained uninformed of the specifics with which the accusation originated, but she knew that Jillas was a good person. 

"There's no choice, please stay safe boss and protect everyone." Jillas was taken away by the angry mob that finally departed from the shop. 

"We can't... we can't..." Filia muttered in shock as the crowd walked further away with Jillas in their custody. "We can't let them get away with this!" 

"I could try a different spell to blow them up," Xellos offered. 

"Jillas wouldn't want that," Elena solemnly pointed out. "He wants to prove his innocence, he wants to show that beastmen and humans can live together in peace. His past... he told me all about it." About how his people were murdered by humans who feared them, blaming them for crimes they didn't commit, some crimes that never even happened. 

"Mama... we are going to save him, aren't we?" Palou asked, his big blue innocent eyes filled with confusion and worry. It was obvious that with the passing of time the foxes had become much closer. 

Jillas didn't want more unneeded bloodshed, he didn't want to fuel the enmity between humans and beastmen that had formed in a town that was once so peaceful and open minded. Elena understood and respected his wishes, but all of that didn't mean that she was willing to let things stay the way they were. "We'll have to free him in a sneakier way." 

Filia nodded in determination, "right, we'll take him away from the ferry that goes to Prisoner Island and be on our way. The townspeople don't need to know and besides, I don't think we should be here anymore anyway." It was a sad event to have to abandon her shop where she had so many precious memories, but her loved ones were much more precious. "This town no longer has a place for us, but I know where we can go. After we've rescued Jillas, we can go to Seyruun. Prince Philionel is a very kind ruler who loves justice. He will not stand by and accept this injustice, I'm sure he'll welcome us to live in his kingdom and there we'll find peace. We just need to explain what happened... which I still don't fully understand myself." 

Elena knew that there was no use in sugar-coating the situation any longer, for the sake of not worrying the children. The happenings were far too clear and obvious; they couldn't pretend they had everything under control anymore. "There has been a series of murders in town, committed with guns. The townspeople assumed that Jillas did it, but I know he's innocent. We tried to tell them that Jillas wouldn't senselessly kill innocent people and that we were with him the whole time, but they wouldn't hear a word of it." 

"I think my brother was the one who did it," Kally sadly confessed. 

"Kalio?" Filia gasped in shock. "Why would he do something like this?" 

"He's not himself," Kally desperately tried to explain. "Long ago, when Kalio was still a child, he was regarded as a prodigy with the sword. He was hypnotized into letting go of his senses and to fight without holding anything back, he was turned into a berserker. To avoid his power running completely out of control, he was assigned a guide. Because of our almost psychic link as twins, I was the natural choice to be his guide. I cannot speak to him, but I can feel what he feels. I can sense his pain and his distress and sometimes the things that he has witnessed come to me in dreams." 

Kally continued with her revelations. "After we left the Dragon Slayers, Kalio would always hold back when using the sword. He wanted to forget what he learned from the Dragon Slayers and develop new skills that he could use to defend the innocent and protect his new home of Seyruun. Recently, something terrible happened. I had a dream in which the Dragon Slayers attacked Kalio while he was traveling with Medusa. They casted a strange spell on him that made him lose his senses again. Kalio hates being in a berserk state and they forced him into it." 

Tears were streaming down Kally's face as she spoke in a shaky voice. "In his berserk state, he killed Medusa. It was the Dragon Slayers who forced him to kill her. They snapped him out of his trance soon after and let him feel the pain and guilt until his very emotions were locked away because they were too much to bear. I left Amor Resort and departed towards Kalio at once, but it was already too late. My dear brother is a mere puppet to Ryoushi and the Dragon Slayers and they are the puppets of the one who claims to be Gaia." 

"The enemy knows where we are and were our family is. How dare they target this once peaceful town?" Filia cried out in a mix of anger, sadness and frustration. "We need to rescue Jillas, then he can head to Seyruun with Elena, Palou and Val; it's the only safe place to take refuge until this war is over. Then Xellos and I will do find a way to rescue Kalio too." 

"Why are you assuming I would want to rescue a pathetic brainwashed human?" Xellos asked with his usual smile. 

"Fine then, I'll do it myself!" Filia snapped. "Then we'll all go to Seyruun and live a peaceful and happy life!" 

"Will going to Seyruun really help anything?" Kally grimaced. "Wouldn't we just endanger the kingdom with our presence?" 

"Seyruun is a strong city and we have friends there who will protect it. Gravos and Naga are helping Philionel right now," Filia assured. 

"Let's not forget, Seyruun is now also allied to Lord Beast Master," Xellos added with his trademark grin. "Although they might have failed to notice the small print in that food purchase contract." 

Filia shuddered involuntarily, at this rate Zelas would take over the world by the time the war against the Stillness was over. It was true that the monster lord didn't want the world to be destroyed, but she wanted to eternally torture it and that was certainly something to worry about, even if she held back just enough not to break it. Then another thought occurred to Filia, Zelas was an astral being, the monsters were under attack now that the Void, who attacked the mind, had joined Lamentation, who attacked the body. "How is Zelas doing with the situation, anyway?" 

"How considerate of you to worry about me." The sudden voice made Filia jump startled. There stood none other than Beast Master herself with her usual imposing presence and elegant appearance. "Lord Ruby Eyes is frozen and thought of by many as being dead in a sense. He has been divided into pieces and is immobilized, incapable of taking action. Because of that, Shabranigdu is very exposed to becoming a victim of the Stillness. I, on the other hand, am very much in one piece, able to move around and interact directly with the world. Furthermore, no one thinks of me as being dead. I'm sure the wedding guests, Lina's friends and acquaintances from all across the land, were all too honored to meet me. There's also my recent little visit to Dragon's Peak at the Kataart Mountains. I bet Milgazia and his little friends can't stop thinking about my amazing brass rackets skills." 

Filia wanted to complain about how much it annoyed her when people popped out of nowhere and startled her, but she knew that would only motivate Zelas to do it more often. "Beast Master, what brings you here?" The golden dragon asked in the most civil tone she could manage, trying to contain the annoyed twitching of her eye as she spoke. 

"Getting down to business, I noticed something about the Stillness," Zelas went straight to the point. "Its power increases whenever something ceases to exist in the world. When all the members of a certain village are killed for example and even when all the flora of a certain type is extinguished from existence. To put it plainly, when something becomes permanently nothing and due to its total extinction has no hope of ever existing again. Those small victories help empower the Stillness. The power that it gains is proportional to the situation. Imagine what the effect would be if a species became extinct, or a race..." 

Filia's eyes widened in realization. "Val..." The worries she carried increased immeasurably. "Val is the last of the ancient dragons." She held the child protectively in her arms. "All of this... The Stillness is actually trying to get to Val, to leave him without anyone to protect him and take his life." 

"Did you hear that, Lord Beast Master? I told you Filia could manage to jump start her single brain cell sometimes," Xellos sarcastically mocked. 

Filia glared at how casual Xellos was being about the deadly danger, but was not really taken by surprised by his mocking sarcastic comment. Zelas laughed, "oh yes, it's quite the accomplishment for such a stupid creature to be able to reach an accurate conclusion," the monster lord mockingly agreed. "With all matters clarified, I'll be taking Val now." 

"What?" Filia screeched in a panic. "You can't! Xellos, say something! Talk her out of it!" 

"Something," Xellos replied with a grin. "There, I humored one of your requests; now stop being a stupid dragon. Beast Master just said that Val needs to be alive and well, or the enemy will become more powerful. He'll be safer with her than with anyone else." Xellos took Val out of Filia's arms, who reluctantly let him go. 

The protective golden dragon watched as her ancient dragon child was handed over to the monster lord. "You're actually going to keep him safe, right?" Filia pleaded. 

"Oh yes, safe and happy," Zelas grinned mischievously as she held Val. "Little one, I'll teach you all the best mischief so you can share it with your mommy, it'll be so much fun." The assurance only made Filia's stress increase. They had to get this battle done and over with fast, before Zelas turned her grandchild into a criminal. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 116: Undead! Prisoner of Pain

At Wolf Pack Island, quiet and stressed, Celo entered Beast Master's throne room. "I have brought a report from our latest investigations concerning the Sea of Chaos." 

"Very well, I'll listen to it now, as for you," she looked at the small ancient dragon who sat on her lap. "Go put into practice what I've taught you." After a moment of consideration, Val seemed to decide that if granny Zelas said this was okay, then it had to be okay and thus went off to do as she said. Besides, it sounded like something his father would approve of too, though perhaps not so much his mother and uncles. "Fang!" Zelas called out, not merely with her voice, but also through astral space. 

"Yes, master?" Fang appeared in his almost human form with the fox ears and tail in an otherwise human looking body. 

"Go make sure the wolves don't eat Val while he's picking on them," Zelas commanded with an amused grin. The wolves needed to build character anyway and Val needed to practice mischief, so it was a win-win situation from Zelas' perspective. 

"Right away!" Fang went off to take care of his assigned task. 

"Proceed with the report," Zelas prompted. 

"Yes..." Celo began. "These lives which we live, in theory, we have lived them many times, subconsciously changing every time we live again. This theory fits with the information learned during the Darkstar incident. As long as there exists life, that is sentient beings, a new timeline will arise from the Sea of Chaos if the world is ever destroyed, thus making it impossible to end this cycle unless everything is reduced to nothing. In which case, there would also be no chaos. The Sea of Chaos is a more intense chaos than even ours, it holds everything, it is the resting place where all goes until it once again becomes part of a new world. All timelines, including that which we are living now, will eventually become part of the Sea of Chaos, and from there the next timeline will be created. Thus in the end, I believe there is no need to rush. Let this timeline last eternally in chaos or at least for a long time." 

"This is all good to know. However, have you been able to find any information concerning those timelines and the Stillness?" Zelas inquired. 

"As far as we know, the Stillness is awakening for the first time now. Those timelines and this one, all the timelines are part of the world," Celo elaborated. "Time does not need to make complete sense as many believe, because beings of chaos such as the living creatures of this world, monsters, dragons and even humans, can exist outside of it without realizing it. Those timelines, if I was to try to explain it, are our past or possible future, possibilities such as the many that exist. It is said that Ragradia had the power to look into those possibilities and use that knowledge to influence which path of possibility was to be taken. However, knowing does not mean controlling and sometimes even the best choice is not enough for victory, as confirmed with the Aqualord's fate. As for the machine I was working on, it is progressing as planned and the studies so far support the initial theory." 

Celo fell silent after the explanation, but he still looked like he had something to say, thus Zelas impatiently inquired. "Is this your full report?" 

"Yes, Lord Beast Master," after another tense and unsure pause, Celo added, "may I inquire about Tiffany?" Zelas had gone to see her before she went off to pick up Val and after a private conversation between the monster lord and the golden dragon, Tiffany left with Zelas and did not return. The part that worried Celo the most was his wife's parting towards him, it made it sound as if she was never coming back. 

"Investigations found out something interesting about the Stillness, especially about the End." Zelas began with a seemingly unrelated revelation that was actually closely related to Tiffany's whereabouts. "The Stillness is nothing and it is its contamination with chaos that allows it to exist. The End is locked away in a being of chaos, thus even if the other two pieces, Lamentation and the Void are defeated, the End will bring them back. All three fragments must be destroyed to defeat the Stillness. The golden dragons have been researching as well and I've had spies keeping an eye on that. Milgazia found something interesting recently in an old legend that was all but completely lost. Everything fits together like pieces of a puzzle." 

Zelas continued, "apparently, the End will not awaken until the whole world is dead. It is the final step, the removal of proof. Lamentation kills the body, the Void kills the mind and the End makes the corpses disappear. In other words, the End will not awaken until the battle is lost. That is why we need to awaken the End, so that it may be fused with the other fragments of the Stillness and make it possible for the Stillness to be defeated. Even if this timeline will eventually inevitably fall into the Sea of Chaos where all things come from and all things go, it will not fall in defeat. This is not about saving the world; this is about a creature that dared to pick a fight with me and must be punished for its insolence." 

"Ah, yes, I had been informed of this," Celo acknowledged. Was Zelas telling him to focus on what he needed to do instead of wondering about Tiffany, or was she saying something else? A worrisome thought occurred to him. "The living being in which the End is sealed is..." 

"Tiffany," Zelas confirmed. Celo remained frozen, unable to say anything more. "If you must know, she is cooperating of her own free will; she wishes to contribute to my victory." 

"There really is no choice..." Celo realized. "I... I understand," he really did, but that didn't make it any easier to accept. Nonetheless, he knew he had to accept it and he knew that this really was Tiffany's wish. This was that secret burden she carried which made her try to take her own life when they first met, the burden that she refused to reveal. She must have known she held the End all along, even if she didn't fully understand what it was. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Just outside of the town where the Maces and Vases shop was, Filia, Xellos, Elena, Palou and Kally were waiting for their message to be answered. Galathia faded into existence from the astral side. "I know you sent Jarde to call for Fang, but he's busy at Wolf Pack Island playing babysitter for that little ancient dragon, so I'm here instead. Honestly, why does Beast Master humor you so much, dragon girl? If you want fast transportation, go make a pact with a monster and become a monster yourself so you can tread through the astral side like we can." 

"I take it you haven't seen any fan service lately, aside from myself now, that is," Xellos asked with a sarcastic mocking grin. 

"You're cute, I'll give you that, but I prefer something different than a monster or a human... Dragon fan service, fan service like Phythan's with nothing to obstruct the view, now that's real fan service!" Galathia nearly squealed like a fan girl. "Anyway, let's get this over with, where do you want me to teleport you?" 

"The kingdom of Seyruun. Do you think you can make it?" Filia inquired. 

"Of course, here we go," Galathia teleported the four passengers. 

When they faded out of the astral side, Filia was feeling sick to her stomach because of the long distance of the teleportation, with a peculiar shade of green adorning her face. "Ow... this isn't Seyruun..." It was more like an open dried up field with nothing in it. 

"Close enough, it's over there," Galathia pointed to the city some distance away. "You can walk the rest of the way, I'll be going now." 

"Wait a minute," Xellos interrupted. "Filia, Kally and I are actually going to Prisoner Island." 

"Ow..." Filia continued to sway from side to side, dizzy and sickly, the green color still visible on her face. 

"Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha! Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" Naga's signature loud and obnoxious laughter echoed with her approach. She made her way to the group on a white horse and she was actually wearing a coat now. Gravos followed her on a black steed. "Welcome back to Seyruun, everyone! The horses were looking a bit depressed so Gravy and I decided to take them out for a race!" It was a race in which Naga had the unfair advantage, due to being noticeably lighter than Gravos. "How are things going with your mission?" 

"Grand," Xellos chirped cheerfully. 

"Not so grand," Filia corrected. 

"What has happened?" Gravos inquired with concern. 

"Jillas was taken prisoner, but at least Val is safe," or so Filia hoped. "We're on our way to rescue Jillas now." 

"Seyruun has been under attack by zombies and ghosts recently, at least the city is strong against them, but there are so many," Gravos revealed. "Now Jillas was taken too, this enemy must be stopped!" 

"The zombies and ghosts must be the people who passed away because of all that has happened," Elena realized. "The enemy is probably controlling them." 

"Stay here and protect Seyruun. Leave Jillas to us, we'll bring him back safely without fail!" The sheer power of her determination was making Filia's astral space travel induced nausea go away. 

"Palou, please stay here in Seyruun too," Elena hugged her son. "We'll be back soon." 

"I want to go too, I want to help!" Palou protested. 

"If too many people go, sneaking around will be more difficult," Elena explained. "You can help people keep their hopes up here in Seyruun. Help them stay focused and remind them that they can't give up, help protect our new home," the kind fox lady encouraged. 

"Alright, mama, I'll protect our home," Palou finally agreed. 

"Elena?" Filia questioned unsure. "There's a possibility that we'll have to fight," she warned. 

"I know and I'm prepared for that." Elena retrieved a pair of guns from under her dress, which were on garter belt holsters similar to Filia's. "I brought Jillas' flame gun and bullet gun. These are his most powerful portable size weapons." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At Prisoner Island it was a dark night as the ferry made its way to the remote little island. The island was surrounded by tall walls with sharp wires around them. The ferry anchored in a tiny port, the only one on the island. The guards that rode the ferry found it strange that no one came to greet them. Things had been hectic for a while, as the prisoners were at an uproar due to the lack of food rations, but they had no choice but to settle down when their energy supplies were consumed from malnutrition. Many had died and the jail had an even creepier atmosphere to it. 

The leader of the guards on the ferry stepped further into the docks, towards the little cabin next to the gates, which remained closed. "Hey Piquel!" No one replied from the gatekeeper's cabin. "You in there Piquel?" The gate's suddenly began to move open with the screeching of old rusty gears spinning against each other. The officer standing outside in front of the gates jumped back. "You could at least answer me!" He stepped through the gate and towards the small door to the gatekeeper's cabin where he found out just why officer Piquel wouldn't reply. He was laying dead on the floor and looked as if something had eaten his brain. "What the?! Guys, over here! Someone killed Piquel!" 

"Ooh... hoo.... ooh..." As the other officers in the ferry arrived, they caught sight of an army of zombies marching towards them. They tried to retreat towards the ferry, but smoke filled the area out of nowhere and clouded their senses. The officers and the prisoners fell unconscious one by one, left exposed for the zombies to feast on them. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Ow... where am I?" Jillas woke up to sharp pain all over his body. He was in a building with gray walls in a large chamber from where many different floors with cells lining the walls could be seen. The cries of the undead were all around as the zombies watched him hungrily. 

The last thing Jillas remembered was being trapped in a ferry, chained and unable to escape while smoke filled the surrounding area tainted with the agonized yet ferocious howling and weeping of the undead. He had seen many zombies marching out of the prison gates from the ferry's window just before the smoke clouded his vision and his senses faded away. Yet he was somehow still alive. Additional chains entrapped him, wrapped all over his body instead of just the handcuffs and the ball and chain on his legs, which were also still there. 

"So you're finally awake," a human man addressed him. There were also other humans in his company, all of them dressed as ninja. One of the ninja was unmasked and Jillas recognized him as Kalio, whom he had spoken with at Filia's wedding. There was something very wrong with him. Kalio had a lost look in his eyes, as if he wasn't really conscious of the world around him. "I am Ryoushi, the leader of the Dragon Slayers and loyal servant of the Green Alchemist, who is truly the great Gaia. You, dirty beastman, will be the bait that brings the golden dragon and the beast's powerless general here. Then it will be the beast's choice, will she choose to keep the ancient dragon or her general alive?" 

"You... you know necromancy and you're after Val!" Jillas correctly concluded. The beast he spoke of must then be Zelas. Did that mean that Val was left with Zelas for protection? "You want to use me to capture the boss and use her to capture Xellos so you can exchange him with Val?" 

"Necromancy is one of the many things the great Gaia has taught us. Val, if that is what that ancient dragon hatchling is called, then yes, that is my plan," Ryoushi mocked. "I'm surprised an inferior being such as yourself could figure out that much. "The ancient dragon may be the last of its kind, but it is still too young to fight, it cannot represent the beast in battle. That is what her general is for, so it may be in her best interest to recover him. It might give her the illusion that she can actually put up a fight. But it's all useless; the great Gaia will exterminate all the beasts and monsters! Then the world will be cleaned and reborn for humans only!" 

"That's a lie!" Jillas protested as he uselessly struggled against his chains. "The world is dying, don't you see it? You've been tricked!" 

"Silence, you filthy animal!" Ryoushi kicked Jillas hard, sending a jolt of fresh pain through his body. "Ignorant fool, you will fall to the mighty Gaia!" 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Just outside of Prisoner Island... "Ah!" Filia transformed in mid air, becoming a dragon, capable of carrying Xellos, Elena and Kally, while Galathia levitated next to them. "Why did you teleport us in mid air without warning and why must you cross the astral side in such an unstable way, I'm really going to be sick now!" The once golden scales on Filia's face were somehow turning a nauseous green color. 

"I was going to land on the island," Galathia defended. "But there's some sort of shield around it that cuts off access from the astral side. It looks like you'll have to sneak in by yourselves. Okay, this should be all, right? I'm leaving now." 

"Yes, yes, go away, you're certainly nothing to look at," Xellos dismissed her. 

"Ingrate," Galathia grumbled as she faded away. 

"Flying in isn't exactly the sneakiest way to do things, but if there's a shield around the astral space then that means that they're expecting us, and probably already noticed we're coming," Filia concluded. She was trying to set aside her sickness to focus on the vital mission. "We might as well charge in!" 

"Rash and aggressive, as expected from a stupid dragon!" Xellos teased. 

"Shut up and hold on, raw garbage!" Filia sped up her flying and dove towards Prisoner Island, landing in the front entrance of the jail where everyone jumped off her back. She changed back into her elf form and the rescue team charged in. 

The wails of the undead filled the air as the darkness of the prison was pierced by Kally's light spell. The place was crawling with zombies. "Quickly, attack with white and holy magic!" Filia attempted to do so but the effect drained a lot more energy than it should. "It looks like all magic is being diminished by the Stillness, but we can still do this!" 

"Right... I must, see my brother one last time, I must free him!" Kally joined the front lines trying to exorcise the many zombies. 

"Maybe some fire will slow them down too," Xellos theorized, "fireball!" The zombies certainly didn't like being burned, their already partially rotted corpses losing even more mobility. 

"Here's some more fire!" Elena shot the flame gun, finishing creating a wall of fire between the group and the undead beings that kept stubbornly trying to get through and attack them. 

They kept the fire going until the wails of the dead were almost completely gone and gradually, there was a deadly still silence. "It looks like we got them." Filia was too horrified to remember how sick she felt, which was made worse by the sight and smell of the zombies. "Let's put the fire out and advance!" 

Filia, Xellos and Kally shot a series of freeze arrows at the flames until they were overpowered and extinguished. Burnt bones and ashes were all over the gray stone floors of the prison. Then suddenly with a burst of bright light, the ghosts of the dead rose from the zombies that had only been burned and not exorcised. "Burning them wasn't enough, but with their corpses gone, they'll be more exposed to being exorcised, so we still made some progress," Kally observed. 

"Let's put them to rest!" Filia and Kally teamed up with their magic to exorcise the remaining ghosts in a burst of light and power that left an empty feeling of misery in the air. "This is..." Filia and Kally were especially feeling the effects of the battle, due to the extra effort it took to cast magic lately. "This is all wrong, it's all terrible..." 

"Jillas," Elena whispered in worry. "Please be okay, we're coming for you!" Elena, Filia, Xellos and Kally charged forward towards the next chamber of the prison. 

The next room was large and tall, with several floors visible all around, surrounded in empty cells that once held the prisoners that became undead. On the opposite side of the chamber, there stood Ryoushi, Kalio and the Dragon Slayers, holding Jillas hostage in chains. 

"Jillas!" Elena called out to him immediately. 

"Elena! Boss! Everyone! You need to escape, you're in danger!" Jillas tried to warn them. "The Dragon Slayers are after Xellos, they want to-" 

"Silence, you disgusting animal!" Ryoushi kicked Jillas again. "Dragon Slayers, attack!" The Dragon Slayers would kill the golden dragon with their own strength and if not, then Kalio the berserker would. Ryoushi would use the beastman hostage only as a last resort. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 117: Mercy! Choices and Consequences

Filia, Xellos, Elena and Kally had infiltrated Prisoner Island, where Jillas was being held hostage by the Dragon Slayers. They had swiftly defeated the zombies that were the first line of defense for the enemy and now faced off against the Dragon Slayers. "Freeze Arrow!" The group of ninja simultaneously shot out arrows of ice, which were countered by fire, leaving the room immersed in steam. 

"Kalio, go!" Ryoushi decided to send Kalio into battle earlier than planned after witnessing how easily the Dragon Slayer's initial attack was countered. The troops were not exactly well fed and rested, plus their energy had also begun to be drained away. "Dragon Slayers, fight harder! Do you not wish to honor the great Gaia?" 

"What's the point?" One of the people in ninja gear spoke up. "It doesn't look like we'll last long enough to see the new world after all." 

"Is that so?" Ryoushi growled in disappointment. "Well then, step aside and observe, you shall serve a different purpose soon enough." 

Kalio's sword collided with Filia's mace. "He's stronger than a human should be!" 

"He's not holding back, he's fighting so hard he'll tear himself apart," Kally cried out in desperation. "Kalio, please wake up, come back to your senses. You have to stop this, don't let Ryoushi use you!" 

All words were lost on Kalio, as he could not take hold of reality any more. With a swift and sudden motion, he broke his sword free of its position against Filia's mace and took a swing at her head. The attack was stopped by Xellos' Freeze Arrow. It took a lot of effort, but as long as the spell wasn't too big, like the Dragon Slave, it could still be casted. Kalio stepped back with his arms frozen holding his sword. He forced the ice to break and went on the attack, this time against Xellos. Elena shot a fireball at him from Jillas' flame gun, which made him change course and run toward her. Filia, who had begun to pursue Kalio when he started towards Xellos, took the opportunity to attack with her mace and knocked him several feet away. Kalio forced himself to his feet despite his injury and went on the attack again. 

Ryoushi watched the battle displeased. The Dragon Slayers had lost the will to fight and the berserker had lost the will to live. Kalio wasn't fighting as well as he had in the past, perhaps breaking him like that took away his power. He was no longer desperately trying to defend someone important to him, he was just fighting. 'At this rate I'll have to resort to using the hostage...' Ryoushi thought in disappointment, then he felt something inside him awaken. 'The blessing of Gaia, it's finally ready!' His joy was short lived, as he was soon overcome by pain. The Dragon Slayers that stood around him backed away when they saw Ryoushi surrounded by an odd green glow. Numerous thorn covered vines tore through Ryoushi's skin, ripping his body apart and quickly surrounding the gray stone structure of the prison. The vines originated from a seed that had been hiding in Ryoushi, feeding off the energy around him, waiting to awaken. The vines entrapped the ninja, draining them of their life, attacking even Kalio and leaving him as a deformed dried up corpse. 

"Jillas!" Elena tried to make her way closer to him, but the vines granted her no passage. She shot as many as she could with the flame gun until it ran out of power. 

"I'll get him, Xellos, keep everyone safe," Filia charged forward, shooting laser breaths at all the vines that got in her way. Kally followed her with an inexplicable determination. 

"Stupid dragon, playing the hero doesn't fit me," Xellos complained, but went on the attack anyway. 

Filia had to slow her pace to clear the way, she was out of breath from all the lasers she shot and was fearing she wouldn't make it to Jillas on time. Kally ran past her jumping between several of the vines and reaching Jillas. She focused fire in her hands as if to cast a fireball spell, but didn't release it, instead using the heat to weaken the chains and cuffs that entrapped Jillas enough to break them. This was not without consequences, as Kally badly burned herself in the process, but she didn't seem to care. 

"Jillas, Kally!" Filia managed to get to them, urging them to follow her to regroup. "We'd best stay together, let's go!" 

"Retreat as far as you can," Kally's voice was distant and empty, tears streaming down her face, apparently without her notice. 

"What do you plan to do?" Filia questioned in worry. 

"I'm going to end this, give me some space," Kally urgently insisted. 

"Filia, stop being stubborn and get over here, stupid dragon!" The flame gun had run out of power and the vines moved so quickly that it was nearly impossible to hit them with bullets. That left Xellos to shoot the more wide range Flame Arrows at all the offending vines and the task kept him pretty busy. 

"Alright!" Filia snapped as she opened a path to return to where Xellos and Elena were in the center of the room, with Jillas following her. As soon as they had regrouped, she looked back at Kally expectantly, wondering what she had in mind. 

Kally retrieved a small bottle from her pocket and drank the liquid, which caused her to begin to glow red. "Whatever you do, don't touch the vines now!" She threw herself into the wall which was covered in the living thorny vines. 

"Kally!" Filia screamed in agony as she helplessly watched the scene unfold. Kally's body was surrounded in flames that consumed the vines around her, spreading to the source seed and from there to the rest of the vines. It was a powerful suicidal attack that the Dragon Slayers developed, which turned the one who drank the potion into a living flame. A single sacrifice would not be enough to kill an adult dragon, but it would certainly serve to weaken the target. 

The vines were soon reduced to ashes and the flames died down on their own, not even leaving a speck of dust behind as proof of Kally's existence. The seed that had been growing in Ryoushi, which was the source of the thorny vines, fell on the floor. It had been initially green, but now it was brown and its outer shell was cracked as if it was about to fall apart. "She's... gone..." Jillas gasped in disbelief. 

"It's not fair, she didn't have to sacrifice herself! We could have beaten those things together!" Filia cried out in sadness. 

The brown outer shell of the seed crumbled and revealed a bright light from within it. The light took everyone by surprised, shielding the area with astral energy to prevent their escape. The core of the seed had the appearance of a golden marble, surrounded by a green energy shield. It floated above them, in the middle of the chamber, powering the astral shield. The astral energy dome became smaller around the group in semi-transparent swirling colors. Xellos hesitantly reached out to touch the astral energy dome and quickly withdrew his hand. "This thing is going to drain us of our very life if we touch it! That seed needs to be destroyed!" He attempted to take care of the task himself with a Flame Arrow, but the energy shield around the seed only absorbed the magic and the astral dome glowed in response. 

"If magic won't work, maybe this will!" Filia levitated towards the seed and tried to hit it with her mace. As the weapon collided with the seed, a massive wave of electricity shocked her painfully and knocked her down from the air. 

Xellos caught Filia, it looked like she had been shocked pretty badly, as she was still twitching from it. "You're so clumsy, stupid dragon!" 

The astral energy dome continued becoming smaller; significantly reducing the room they had to move around. "There has to be a way to beat that thing!" Elena tried shooting at it, but the bullet collided against the shield in a burst of electricity and fell to the floor without any effect. 

"We can't give up!" Filia shot a stream of laser breaths into the seed, but the energy shield around it absorbed them all, with the dome becoming further empowered. 

"I'm so sorry, everyone," Jillas spoke in sadness, guilt and regret. "All of this happened because you came to rescue me. It's all my fault!" 

"That's not true," Filia argued, "this all happened because of me. I can't allow another life to be lost!" She shot another series of lasers, but the lack of effect was the same as before. 

Xellos remembered their past encounter with Ryoushi. He wanted to get rid of the Dragon Slayers permanently, but Filia insisted on proving that dragons were not evil by letting them go. Xellos tried to warn her that it was a bad idea, but she refused to listen and held on to her choice. Thus the Dragon Slayers were allowed to live thanks to Filia's mercy and ended up causing trouble again. "You're right, it is your fault, stupid dragon, but we can talk about that later. I noticed something when you shot the lasers at the seed. It looked like the energy shield around it got a little thinner. With enough magic power, an attack should go through before it is completely absorbed." 

Filia certainly wasn't expecting Xellos to console her. She knew that kind words were not really his forte and his remarks were exactly what she expected them to be. That didn't matter at the moment though, there would be time to regret the past later, now was the time to focus on the present. "I'll do it." Determined, Filia took in a deep breath and shot a beam of laser at the seed, managing to keep it constant for a while. After some time, she stopped, breathless and looked at the seed, which was undamaged. 

The astral energy dome kept getting smaller, as if this whole scenario had been purposely arranged to make them suffer. "Give up..." A voice echoed from the seed, though it was not Ryoushi's voice, it was an ambiguous ominous echo. 

"The Stillness!" Filia gasped. 

"Give up, it's useless to struggle. This seed cannot be destroyed. Every attempt will end in bitter disappointment. Suffer as you witness the approach of your inevitable doom!" The foreboding voice of the Stillness echoed. 

"We can't give up... we just can't..." Elena voiced, though she had no idea what else they could do. 

"That's right, the boss has gotten out of tight spots before, we can still make it!" Jillas agreed. 

"Let's try fire," Xellos suggested. He and Filia unleashed a series of Fireball attacks, but it looked like they would drain all their energy before they accomplished anything. "This isn't working." 

"Don't stop! We can't stop, not now!" Filia tried again, shooting many Flame Arrows one after another, at the same time that she used her laser breath. Xellos joined her, adding more fire, but it still wasn't enough. 

"There is one more spell we can try..." Xellos wasn't sure if this would work, but he might as well attempt it. Zelas Brid was a spell that a human would normally be unable to cast without a bucket capacity amplification device. As much as Xellos didn't want to admit it, despite all his power as a monster, while he was in human form, Lina probably had a larger pool capacity than him. That explained why his hair turned white more easily when he drained his magical energy reserves. However, he was pretty sure a human wasn't supposed to so easily force the last drops of magic out to that point, unless said human had an unusually large bucket capacity. Xellos was pretty sure that was the case with him because of his particular circumstances. Besides, some said that one's bucket capacity didn't often vary through life, perhaps his never really changed, even when his pool capacity was noticeably reduced. Nonetheless, he wouldn't be able to keep this up on his own for too long. "Filia, cast Recovery on me." 

"What are you going to do?" Filia prepared to do her part, hoping that this would be a successful plan. 

"I may not be able to call upon Lord Ruby Eyes' power, but I can still call Lord Beast Master's power." Xellos began to cast the spell, focusing on calling Zelas' energy to him. Her power responded swiftly, surrounding him in familiar energy. "Zelas Brid!" The beam of light collided with the seed and Xellos maintained it constant and steady. Filia continuously healed him to make sure he could keep the spell going. 

Finally, it looked like the shield around the seed was being overwhelmed, until the beam of light passed through and reached the golden marble in the center, but didn't destroy it, instead empowering it. The golden marble glowed brighter and the dome of energy around them continued becoming dangerously small. There was not a lot of time left to escape. "Why won't it work?" Filia exclaimed in stressed out frustration. 

"How should I know? Stupid dragon!" Xellos snapped back. He really thought this would be enough. 

"Make it work, raw garbage!" Filia desperately argued. 

"Don't stop yet!" Elena suddenly spoke up, "Jillas, your gun!" 

"What can I do with this, if not even the magic of the boss' husband will work?" Jillas took the weapon and looked at the golden marble that resisted the constant magical assault. 

"If magic doesn't work, maybe a bullet will. It's worth trying; we have to do everything we can!" Elena insisted. 

"Alright, here goes..." Jillas stood next to Xellos and took aim. Of course, if he shot the golden marble at the same time as the Zelas Brid was being casted, the light would disintegrate the bullet before it hit. "Ready!" Xellos released the spell and the light ceased. Before the shield could mend completely, Jillas shot a bullet that flew in through the opening in the glowing green shield and hit the golden marble, causing it to shatter instantly. 

The dome of astral energy that surrounded them disappeared, finally setting them free of the impending deadly danger. "It worked!" Elena cheered. 

"It looks like the core of the seed was immune to all magic after all, but not to physical attacks..." Xellos reasoned. 

Jillas let out a breath of relief. "I knew I only had one chance and I was so worried about missing!" 

"It's okay; we're safe now, aren't we?" Elena finally breathed easy. This was a lot more action than she was used to. 

"Everyone came here for me," Jillas cried tears of joy, "I'm so happy to have such wonderful people who I can count on." 

Xellos was about to sarcastically point out that he should not be included in that statement, but Filia spoke first, continuing her earlier self guilt trip. "This was my fault; it was a consequence of my choice. Because of my decision, Kally, Kalio and Medusa are dead. All so that I could try to uselessly make peace with a group of villains that were a lost cause." 

"What are you talking about, boss?" Jillas inquired in confusion. 

"Ryoushi and the Dragon Slayers," Filia cried, "I was the one who made Xellos let them go when they attacked us earlier. I was hoping that they could learn that dragons aren't evil, but letting them go only caused a lot of trouble. Because of my poor judgment, they were free to attack Kalio, to torture him with the pain of Medusa's death and make him lose himself. They were free to take you prisoner and all of that led to the death of Kally and Kalio. It led to all your lives being in danger. I'm so sorry!" 

"I agree," Xellos gave Filia an amused grin. "You really are a stupid overly forgiving dragon." 

"I won't deny it, I am a stupid dragon!" Filia cried loudly, letting the tears run freely down her face. 

"Xellos! You're the boss' husband, you're supposed to be cheering her up, not making her cry more!" Jillas scolded, not that Xellos was actually listening to him. 

"Please don't blame yourself," Elena tried to console Filia. "You showed mercy because you have a kind heart and many good things have come as a result of your kindness. Jillas told me that you saved his life even if he was supposed to be your enemy back then. If you didn't show such mercy, he wouldn't be here right now. You should never regret good intentions, what happened wasn't your fault!" 

Filia sniffled and tried to look at the situation from Elena's perspective. She was certainly glad she helped Jillas back then, but this was different. "Xellos tried to warn me that time when I let the Dragon Slayers go. I didn't listen..." 

"Oh yes, the world would be a much better place if everyone would do everything I say." Xellos sarcastically remarked, but by this point no one seemed to be listening to him anymore. 

"Boss, I'm eternally grateful to you and I know your kindness has helped many," Jillas encouraged. "What happened here was in no way your fault and I know that Kally and Kalio would agree. I'm certain no one would blame you." 

"Hey, stupid dragon," Xellos interrupted. "Are you going to keep crying like a pathetic idiot or are you going to transform and fly us out of here?" Xellos asked dismissively. "Unless you want me to call Galathia for transportation, but I rather not listen to her lack of fan service whining again. I know you're terribly irresponsible, so you couldn't care less, but I have a mission and I intend to accomplish it as soon as possible. I really don't think my copy is going to come looking for me here in the middle of nowhere and we need to interrogate him for a way to get close enough to the Stillness to actually fight it... preferably before it kills the planet." 

"That's right..." Filia dried her tears. "The world is still in danger and there are still many people that can be saved. We need to build a peaceful world for Val to live in and I won't help accomplish that by pitying myself." 

Jillas and Elena watched the scene with puzzlement. Xellos sounded like he was criticizing Filia, but he somehow cheered her up. "Sometimes it feels like those two speak a whole different language from us," Jillas whispered. He had seen some of their interactions before, when Xellos stayed over at the Maces and Vases shop for a while, soon after Val hatched, but he was still just as perplexed as ever by their strange behavior towards each other. Jillas understood that 'stupid dragon' and 'raw garbage' were their peculiar loving nicknames for each other, but how insults and sarcasm could be interpreted as compliments and encouragement, that he was far from figuring out. 

"Alright, let's get off this island!" Filia ran towards the exit of the jail building and a golden light flashed as soon as she was outside. She called, now in her much larger dragon form. "C'mon everyone, we have a world to save!" Without wasting another second, Xellos, Jillas and Elena climbed aboard Filia, who took off into the dark night skies, heading in the direction of Seyruun. 

To be Continued


	40. Chapter 40

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 118: Unbreakable! Ties To The Past

The group had come together in the kingdom of Seyruun, the final stop of their respective traveling routes. Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis, had joined those who were already at the kingdom, Philionel, Naga, Gravos, Fili and Palou. Xellos, Filia, Elena and Jillas also arrived at the city. 

In the mean time, Beast Master was at Wolf Pack Island, going over all the information her spies and researchers had gathered. The information had slowly changed and evolved with every new discovery. Theories were formed, discarded and replaced and the truth had finally come to light. The enemy was stronger than they thought. Zelas was also rather busy overseeing a series of experiments to make sure it would be possible to fuse the End with the rest of the fragments of the Stillness. Another different experiment involved borrowing power from the Sea of Chaos, a project that Celo was working on. 

As for the matter of the fragments, they would surely only get one chance for the combination to be carried out and they couldn't risk the Stillness resisting the fusion. Thus they attempted to make Tiffany into a chimera that was a little more similar to the components of the Green Alchemist in hopes of raising the possible success rate of the fusion. As a result of that, Zelas was as of yet to visit Seyruun with any further plans or instructions to try to draw out the Nameless Beast, not that the group was waiting for her to appear anyway. 

A very changed Tiffany was trying to practice her instant fusion techniques. Making a chimera that was part monster and part something else was relatively simple because of the way monsters were, but that might not be so beneficial in this case, because the End within Tiffany might end up consuming the monster part somehow. Making chimeras that were not in part monster was something that Zelas had no real reason to often do. Though she did add any beast-like chimera she found to her collection and usually ended up with a few little mutant pets if it bred with her wolves, that was something that mostly just happened, not something that needed to be carefully planned and calculated. 

The chamber was a raw cave-like basement with glowing symbols carved on the ground, surrounding the area where Tiffany participated in the experiment. She moved forward within the designated space. Her skin was oddly pale, her hair discolored to white. She had some wolf-like qualities to her, most clearly noticeable in her ears and facial features. She reached for the small tree sapling and attempted to fuse with it, but could not do so instantly, instead taking some time to painfully absorb it, despite being aided by the spells that filled the marked area. Her right hand became like a wooden claw, though she could still move it with the agility of a wolf. A few leaves sprouted from her hair and she gained a slightly green tint on her otherwise pale skin. 

If she was enough of a mix, if she was sufficiently chaotic, that could weaken the Stillness after she was absorbed. The plant components should make the merge easier by making her similar to the materials that came from the remains of the Green Alchemist. As for the fusion, it needed to be fast, more than fast, it had to be instant, and most of all it had to be absolute. This was not exactly absolute, as one could still distinguish the pieces of one creature from another in different areas. The dormant End within Tiffany made the chimera blending process more difficult than expected. 

Tiffany fell to her knees breathing heavily. She had been participating in such experiments for a long time without rest. At least this time she was actually absorbing something, unlike with the unsuccessful first few attempts where her body refused to become a chimera. This was still not enough though, not nearly enough. When she faced the Stillness, she would have to force herself to unite with it before it had the chance to stop her. "We're going to need a more powerful chimera spell," Zelas concluded. "I have an idea about where to get it." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At Seyruun, everyone was busy fighting the frequent undead invasions upon the city. A group of survivors from Taforashia had arrived seeking shelter in the renowned holy city after their own kingdom fell to the undead attacks. Dragon's Peak at the Kataart Mountains was another constant target. It seemed that the Stillness saw Seyruun and Dragon's Peak as the two main bases of the enemy. 

"Pokota," Amelia hurried to receive the prince and the people accompanying him to Seyruun castle. Pokota looked like he had been in quite a battle and some mending work would be in order to repair his peculiar body. "I'm so sorry that the support troops and supplies we sent weren't enough. After what happened all that time ago, I promised never to allow the same thing to be repeated. I promised that when another land needed help I would make sure Seyruun did all that was needed. Daddy made that vow as well, I'm so sorry." 

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Amelia," Pokota tried to make her see that he wasn't upset at her or Seyruun. "I know that you and your family did everything you could. Your forces are already stretched thin trying to defend Seyruun. All we can do now is stand together. Seyruun is all our fortress now, we'll defend it. Then after all this is over, we can always rebuild Taforashia again... and the rest of the world." It was easier said than done, but it was the only option left. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

In a different area of Seyruun castle, Lina stood on a high tower looking over the city. "Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" Naga soon joined her uninvited, her loud obnoxious laughter making the petite redhead cringe in discomfort. "Do you like to climb up to the tallest tower and laugh too? It's quite a stress reliever! Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" 

"I was here to have a better look at the city," Lina explained. She had seen it when she arrived of course, but seeing a wider range from a high place would give her a more accurate picture than walking down the street and seeing only that portion of the city. The once majestic city was pretty beat up. The buildings showed the damage they had suffered due to the earthquakes and the zombie attacks. Even the castle was full of hasty patchwork all over it in an attempt to keep it together. "It looks pretty run down..." Lina had to admit. 

"Yeah... but we'll fix it! When this is over I mean. If we put too much effort into fixing it now, it'll just get trashed again." Not that anyone had the energy to care about the aesthetic aspect of architecture when the world was on the verge of ending. "A bunch of zombies attacked right after Epona, I mean Filia, Xellos and Elena came by to leave that adorable little fox boy, Palou, in the safety of my care. Gravy and I protected people and sent the undead away, along with some help from the portion of the Seyruun magical army that was still able to fight. I bet it'll be a while before they send more. We exorcised those zombies pretty good! Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" 

Lina had to take a moment to question if it was really all that wise to leave a child in Naga's care, but she had already heard the full story from Filia and knew they had a reason to be in a hurry, thus they couldn't get too picky with the babysitters. Besides, at least Naga had a fair amount of magic power to her name. Plus that laugh of hers was probably enough to repel the undead. "What I really wish is that we find a way to face the Stillness soon. The enemy is causing damage constantly, but at the same time it stays hidden, it's pretty infuriating. Especially since, even after we beat that thing," assuming they could accomplish the task, "it'll still take a long time for the world to recover, especially the food supplies." Lina shouted at the top of her lungs to the distance over Seyruun. "Will my triple banquet ever come?" 

"That's it Lina, express your feelings with your voice," Naga encouraged. "Do it louder and with a laugh, like this," she proceeded to demonstrate, even if it was certainly not necessary, nor was it in the least bit wanted, "Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" 

Cringing at the sound, Lina let out an exasperated breath. The supplies Seyruun had purchased from Beast Master were almost completely gone and the last portion had to be rationed. Zelas had closed shop for the time being, as what little else she had in store would go to feed her wolves. As a result, Lina could not eat to her heart's content, thus she was rather irritable. "Aw, who cares? I'll do it!" Taking in a deep breath, Lina let out a loud, rather high pitched laugh, "Ha! He he ha he he!" 

Naga shook her head critically, "that was weak, but I'll give you points for trying." She patted Lina on the head in encouragement, "keep practicing." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, at the Seyruun castle strategy room, Zelgadis finished his tactical explanation, pointing out areas on the city map that lay spread across the table. On the other side of it, prince Philionel stroke his chin in thought and nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes, I believe that would be the best course of action in case of a future undead invasion." Or more like when the next undead invasion came. "I'll leave the presentation to you during our next meeting with the troops," or what was left of them, "in a few hours." Pausing to try to recollect the passing of time, Philionel wondered if the guests they were expecting were already there. "Do you think our friends from Taforashia have arrived?" 

"It's very likely," Zelgadis replied. "When they sent that last message they said they were pretty close by on their way. If they're not already here, then they should be arriving any minute." 

"Then we must go and receive them. We must let them know that Seyruun will welcome them and protect them as our own!" Philionel righteously declared. 

"Such a noble sentiment... how disgusting." An elegant voice with a rather annoying mocking tone was heard all of a sudden, as none other than Beast Master Zelas Metallium appeared before them, fading from the astral side as if she owned the castle. Then again, in a sense she kind of did. 

"Ah, Zelas," Philionel happily greeted her. Even if she was a monster lord, a very sarcastic and mocking monster lord, she certainly knew how to throw a party, as it was proven during her son's wedding, she was an amazing cook and she made a deal with Seyruun to sell them food in their time of need. Even if the fine print was not so beneficial in that deal and even if everything she did had an ulterior motive that would no doubt benefit her sooner or later, as the actions of a true monster would be expected to be, Phil didn't really look that deeply into things. Thus in his generously kind opinion, Zelas wasn't all that bad. "What brings you to visit Seyruun?" 

"I'm here to speak with Zelgadis," Zelas revealed, which took both Philionel and Zelgadis by surprise. 

Zelgadis was not as trusting as Phil and he had been on high alert ever since he saw Zelas arrive. After hearing she was there to speak to him, his suspicions rose even more, though he didn't really know what he was suspicious about. The group was currently working with Zelas and from what they've heard from Filia, she had temporarily, taken Val under her custody. Hopefully she would return him to his parents when the danger had passed. Truce aside, Zelgadis was still puzzled by what Zelas could want to discuss with him specifically, but if they were all out to get rid of the Stillness, then he might as well go along with it. "What did you want to talk about?" 

"I want you to be my negotiator," Zelas ambiguously stated. 

"A negotiator for what? Why me?" Zelgadis curiously questioned. He wasn't expecting this sort of request and knew there had to be plenty more to it than what it sounded. 

"A diplomat!" Phil suddenly exclaimed in excitement. "Is it that you wish to establish diplomatic relations with Seyruun? A smart and perceptive young man such a Zelgadis would be the perfect mediator, I completely agree!" 

"Keep your vote of confidence to yourself along with your ideals of peace, that's not what this is about." Zelas quickly shot down the idea. "According to Xellos' past reports and my own observations, you are a rather stubborn one. Then again, all of Lina's traveling companions seem to have their fair share of stubbornness, some even more than that. None the less, it seems you're my only choice for a negotiator in a situation where death threats mean nothing, for the other party that is." 

"Did you just slip in a death threat in what you said?" Zelgadis boldly and possibly unwisely, asked. 

"If it sounded as such it is a coincidence to be sure," Zelas laughed with disregard. "My death threats are far more open and direct. They go something along the lines of, if you don't follow my orders I'll rip you apart limb from limb and leave you for my wolves to devour. Of course I'm sure they wouldn't want to chew on someone like you. That aside, you really will die if this doesn't work out, as will the rest of the world." 

"This is related to the Stillness I take it?" Zelgadis more so concluded than asked. "But you can't possibly be thinking about reasoning with that thing. Then what could you have in mind?" 

Seeing as the strategic discussion was in session, Zelas took a seat at the table. Zelgadis and Philionel, who had previously stood up with the shock of her sudden arrival, sat down as well. "Let's review the vital points briefly, so as to not make this too long. The Stillness was initially broken into three pieces. One of those fragments, Lamentation, fused with the remains of the Green Alchemist. It is very likely, and thus let us assume it happened, that the second portion of the Stillness, the Void, has fused with Lamentation. The final piece, the End, remains separate. As long as one piece is not destroyed, the others will return. The End is well hidden and killing the host will only cause it to reappear in a new host. The most effective strategy to permanently defeating the Stillness without risking a repeat performance of this a few years, or perhaps months later, is to kill the three pieces as one. Only then will it be the true Stillness that is beaten." 

The tension in the air increased as Phil put on his rare serious face and Zelgadis' mind raced. "This means you know who the host is." 

"Naturally," Zelas confirmed. "Since I know you people have your annoying little morals and what not, let me put those inconveniences to rest by truthfully pointing out that the host is willing to help out with all the needed plans and procedures. You need not take my word for it and may speak to her directly if you wish. That aside, the point is that the dormant End needs to be fused with the rest of the Stillness right before the battle. The Stillness might see the disadvantages of this and resist, which is why we need a powerful combination spell that binds the three pieces as one. This is the same basic concept as the procedures of chimeras." 

Zelgadis frowned at where the conversation was going. "Do you think I know the secret? Do you think I made myself this way on purpose?" He questioned, his tone of voice rising with emotion. Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, he concluded. "I have come to accept the way I am, but I did not wish for it." 

"I'm aware of that," Zelas simply stated. "Though I have made chimeras before, I've had no reason to conduct extensive research on the subject, or to try to achieve instant combinations. On this occasion, however, it will be needed. There's no time left to figure it out, whenever a path opens towards the Stillness, it must be taken immediately. The best way to go about it is to borrow someone else's research, or better yet, get the information directly from the researcher." 

A name came into Zelgadis' mind, the name of the man who had made him this way. A man he once admired deeply, then loathe deeply. A man who was consumed by grief and frustration... no, what truly consumed him was Shabranigdu. Zelgadis could almost see himself holding that jar, wanting to destroy it that time, and yet... "Rezo." 

"Yes," Zelas confirmed. Phil opened his mouth as if to speak, then seemed to think better of it and closed it again. 

"Rezo is dead, he's been dead for a long time now," Zelgadis stated dryly. 

"That has not stopped him from coming back before, has it?" Zelas reminded. 

Zelgadis felt his whole body tense up. "You've revived him?" 

"Not exactly, but I did manage to call his spirit back to the world of the living," Zelas explained. "He refuses to share his knowledge though," she stated with annoyance. "Plus since he is a dead spirit with no physical body to torture and no life to threaten, there's really not much I can do in the way of convincing him to cooperate. Just keeping his spirit around when he wants to do nothing but rest in the Sea of Chaos is difficult enough as it is." 

"The Sea of Chaos?" Phil couldn't help it but to voice. 

"Yes, that is where spirits go before they are reborn apparently. In my quest for information about the Stillness I've learned quite a bit about the world. Anyway, that's not the point," Zelas continued, getting back into the main topic they were discussing. "The only thing that got Rezo's attention was when I mentioned you. I brought you into the conversation as a hostage, but rather than acknowledging my threat, the stubborn old fool said he wanted to see you, then he said that he shouldn't. Then it all turned into the ramblings of an indecisive spirit from that point on. It should be noted that the mere mention of your name rattled him. That is why I'm sure that you're the only one who can get that stubborn fool to cooperate." 

Zelgadis sat in shock for several long minutes. He shook his head slightly, his eyes on the map on the table, he couldn't look at Zelas' demanding expression and very much less at Phil's supportive and understanding eyes. "I never thought I would have to speak to him again. I never thought I would be able to." 

"The best part is that you don't have a choice!" Zelas chirped with the same mocking cheer that Xellos often displayed with equally inappropriate timing. "If we don't take this step to ensure victory, the world will be destroyed anyway and you'll die." It would all return to the Sea of Chaos... but that wasn't the true mission of the monsters. Keeping the chaos going in the world for as long as possible creating the conflict that fuel evolution; that was the true mission of the monsters. Somehow, Zelas knew now. It must have been corrupted over time, but that had to be it and it was so much fun. It wasn't time for the world to restart and would never be time for the chaos to be permanently halted if it was up to her. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 119: Forgive! Put Regret To Rest

Trying to get ready for the upcoming battle against the Stillness, Tiffany underwent many experiments that would prepare her to easily and quickly fuse the end within her with the rest of the Stillness, so that it could be fought and truly defeated as a whole. The experiments did not yield the expected result and time was running out for research, thus Rezo's spirit was summoned for information. However, he refused to cooperate, leaving Zelgadis as the only possible negotiator. That took Zelas to make a visit to Seyruun and order the chimera to speak with his ancestor. Needless to say, the task took Zelgadis completely by surprise. 

"Is he still under Shabranigdu's influence somehow?" Zelgadis asked unsure, though he already suspected the answer. 

Zelas confirmed his theory. "He is a spirit; he has no physical body and thus no eyes. Shabranigdu might have been so linked to his soul that he even remained when Rezo got a new body, but the situation was different then. This is a spirit called to this world from the great beyond, where the conditions and happenings of this world have no meaning. Rezo is only Rezo; Shabranigdu has no influence over his spirit as it is now. Are you quite done with your useless stalling now?" 

Finally lifting his eyes from the map on the table, Zelgadis firmly replied, "yes." The answer was more meaningful than any of those present could guess. "However, I have one condition." 

Zelas let out an impatient and exasperated breath, communicating with the expression that she wanted to get this over with and she always got what she wanted. "It's a lie what they say about survival being everything for a mortal if you can still manage to be picky." 

"Amelia said she wanted to be there for me. She told me not to keep anything bottled up when we told each other all about our pasts. She asked me to promise her I would allow her to be there for me and I... I think I really do need her there," Zelgadis confessed. 

"Such a strong bond," Philionel sighed filled with emotion. "My dear son, you keep proving time and again that you really are my little girl's destined love. Such deep trust!" 

Zelas rolled her eyes mockingly with a slightly disgusted expression as if she had caught the scent of something foul. "Alright, alright, hold back on the cheese. You can bring your girlfriend along to stand beside you and hold your hand if that'll make it any better. Just make sure you don't fail to get the needed information out of him. I'll be waiting at the tallest tower; there should be some nice fresh air of depression blowing from there." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Making an impatient monster lord wait for too long was definitely a bad idea and Zelgadis wasn't about to make that mistake. He found Amelia as soon as he could, following the directions of the various dwellers of Seyruun castle, asking if anyone had seen her. When he finally arrived in her presence, he found her at one of the many tea rooms of the castle, drinking a cup of rather clear looking tea with Pokota and his father. He stood at the door so silently, that he went unnoticed to the quiet conversation taking place in the room. This was his problem; Rezo was his relative, the burden of his past. He shouldn't be throwing this at Amelia no matter how much she insisted that she wanted to help and no matter how much Philionel seemed to encourage it. 

Zelgadis shifted uncomfortably, still not perceived by the three people sitting around a small table in the victorian style decorated room. "Ah, there you are!" Philionel appeared at the doorway." 

Zelgadis jumped aside in surprise, though to Amelia, Pokota and the Taforashian king, it looked like Philionel and Zelgadis had arrived at the exact same time. Only Phil seemed to be aware of Zelgadis' hesitation. After giving the guest a polite smile and nod that indicated he would be with them in a moment, he placed one of his massive hands on Zelgadis' shoulder, quietly encouraging him in a hushed whisper, so that only he would hear. "Amelia would always talk about how she wanted you to open up to her, I'm certain she's overjoyed that you have." With that said, Phil walked into the room and greeted the Taforashia royals. The Seyruun prince and acting king, excused himself for not being there to receive the guests upon their initial arrival and casually joined them for tea. He hinted that Amelia had some important business to take care of with Zelgadis. 

Though Amelia had no idea what business she was supposed to be taking care of, she played along and excused herself from the meeting, leaving her father to tend to the guests, while she exited the room with Zelgadis. Once the doors to the tea room had been closed and the pair was walking down the castle hallways, Amelia inquired. "Did something happen?" 

"I... have to talk to Rezo," Zelgadis confessed, with so little detail to it that Amelia wasn't sure she heard right. 

"You mean about Rezo?" The princess gently inquired, because talking to Rezo seemed like quite a difficult, if not impossible task, given that, to the best of her knowledge, he had died for the final time. "I'm here to listen." Then again, Rezo seemed to have a thing for coming back to life one way or another. "You did mean, talk about Rezo, right? Because it kind of sounded like you said talk to Rezo." 

"That's what I said," Zelgadis confirmed. He then retold the whole explanation of the story Zelas had told him, as they made their way towards the area where the monster lord would be waiting for them, the tallest tower of Seyruun castle. 

Amelia was left in shock, with a million thoughts running through her head all at once. "I think we should definitely talk to the host of the End first, just to make sure Miss Zelas isn't sugar coating the willingness to participate in this." 

"Given the state of things, there's not much of a choice..." Zelgadis truthfully pointed out. 

"That's true, this is a very sad sacrifice and I don't feel okay with it, but I know it can't be stopped," Amelia frowned with a serious face that didn't fit her. "The world isn't always just," she bitterly confessed. "Nonetheless, if we could make the host understand, make sure this noble and inevitable sacrifice is completely willing, to point out the heroic value of it all, then maybe that will be a consolation for the host... and for me." 

"Zelas did say it was okay, so we can do that before going to Rezo." There was no real way to procrastinate for too long, but at that moment, to put off the meeting for even a few more minutes into the future, seemed like an effort worth pursuing for Zelgadis. 

"Right, and when we do go talk to him, I'll be right there with you." Amelia linked her arm with Zelgadis as they walked, resting her head on his shoulder and catching a glimpse of a slight smile on his face. Her gestures of trust and closeness, of love, always seemed to put him at ease. "I'm actually glad you'll get this chance. You can get everything off your chest and the one listening won't be under Shabranigdu's influence. You'll finally get to talk to the real Rezo again. 

"The real Rezo... I don't know if this real Rezo is any different from the one I hated." Zelgadis bitterly confessed, his mind going back to that time when he stole the jar again. "I spoke to him when he was in the jar and he wasn't under Shabranigdu's influence then. I know it's important that I get this information from him, but it's the very technique which turned me into a chimera. Something like that should have gone with Rezo to the grave, a grave he should have stayed in. What if the information is misused? We're basically putting it all in the hands of a monster lord." 

"That's true," Amelia grimly acknowledged. "But what else can we do right now? This is the only way to save the world; we'll have to deal with the aftermath later. Whatever comes, as long as we live, we can face it." 

Zelgadis allowed Amelia's positive influence to surround him. "Yeah, you're right. This isn't about me, it's about the world. I think I can go talk to Rezo now, but first, we'll see the host of the End." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Amelia and Zelgadis arrived at the tallest tower of Seyruun castle, where they heard a very unexpected earsplitting howl. It somehow managed to sound elegant and majestic while still being completely terrifying, violent and threatening. Their ears were still ringing when Lina made her escape from the tower's balcony. "Gourry keeps polishing his sword over and over, I actually considered laughing lessons from Naga and now Zelas is howling at the moon in the middle of the day! I'm going to take a nap and try to salvage some of my sanity!" The frustrated redhead darted past Amelia and Zelgadis in a rush. 

Ignoring Lina's outburst, Naga cheerfully exclaimed. "That was awesome! I want to learn to howl like that! Let me try!" 

"No!" Amelia and Zelgadis interrupted in a unanimous attempt to save their ability to hear. They could still hear Zelas' howl echoing in their heads and while the effect of Naga's howl couldn't be any worse, it certainly wouldn't make their instant headaches any better. 

"You'll have to show me what you have later; I have some business to tend to with these two right now." Zelas left, fading to the astral side along with Zelgadis and Amelia. 

"I'll keep practicing!" Naga cheered and proceeded to begin what would turn out to be a long, and for the city torturous, howling practice session. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Amelia and Zelgadis were first taken to the chamber where Tiffany was. "Hear it to believe it," Zelas stated as they reappeared out of the astral side. The fact that she was a tricky monster and known as such by the group made it obvious that they would need to hear Tiffany assure that she was willing to go with the plan before they believed a word of it. 

Zelgadis and Amelia couldn't help it but to turn surprised expressions at Tiffany at first. The golden dragon walked a few steps towards them, showing with the movement that though she was very exhausted, as it was to be expected, she was not injured in any way. "Hello," she greeted casually. Her voice seemed to be the only thing that remained unchanged in her. Her eyes were swirls of pink and green with small golden specks. Her hair was completely white and recently cut short to keep it out of the way as the experiments progressed. One of her arms seemed to be made of wood, her wolf-like ears had leaves on them and her face was very wolf-like as well. Her skin's color had a green tint that reached slight shades of yellow in random areas. 

"Miss Tiffany!" Amelia exclaimed, trying to break the ice and get herself out of her surprise. The princess didn't need to ask Tiffany if she was willingly going through this because it was obvious. Tiffany did not have the look in her face of someone who had no choice but to go along with the circumstances, she was determined and strong. "What you're doing for the world is very noble, but it also makes me sad because..." she would have to die. 

"I've known of what is inside me for many years," Tiffany revealed, which brought a new wave of surprise to Amelia and Zelgadis. "I have lived for longer than I expected and though like anyone, I would like to experience more, I am satisfied with my life. I can do this; I can face what I must." She paused and allowed her gaze to travel from Amelia to Zelgadis. "I don't know the specific details between you and Rezo and I only know of Rezo from what I've heard of him." Admittedly, those accounts might be incomplete or written to be perceived in certain ways and Tiffany was aware of that. "What I do know is that you're most likely the only one who can get him to speak. I tried to talk to him myself, to tell him no one was forcing me to do this. He disregarded everything, even the world, and only wanted to speak to you." 

"He wants to talk to me that badly? Even if there's nothing to say?" Zelgadis mused aloud, more so to himself than to anyone else. Yet he knew that was a lie, there was in fact a lot to say. There was so much to say that an entire lifetime might not be enough. "There's no use in postponing this." He nodded at Tiffany and glanced at Amelia's kind supporting eyes. Then taking a deep breath, he bestowed an expectant look upon Zelas, who was standing in a relaxed position with her eyes closed as if meditating. "Ehem," Zelgadis cleared his throat. 

Upon the sound, Zelas opened her eyes and took in a satisfied breath, as one would take in after enjoying a meal. "Oh, I was just enjoying that feeling of fear, dread and sadness around you," the monster lord admitted. "Do you know what could be good right about now? To sit in my throne enjoying a big helping of your negative feelings and a good cigarette. I haven't been smoking much lately because I've been so busy thinking of other things, I just haven't had the time. Ah well, I suppose such things will have to wait even more. Let's be on our way." Zelas moved her passengers swiftly through the astral side again, this time taking Tiffany along with Amelia and Zelgadis. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Zelas, Amelia, Zelgadis and Tiffany appeared in a room covered in gray stones. It was dimly lit, with many platforms surrounding a deep circular hole on the ground where the stone floor ended. Swirls of many colors emanated from the clear crystals that were piled into the hole, giving the chamber a very ethereal feeling. The sight was both beautiful and frightening. An assortment of monsters, some with wolf-like features, other so strange they were unidentifiable and others covered by cloaks, stood on the platforms maintaining a unanimous quiet yet ominous chant of words neither Amelia nor Zelgadis understood. Even if they had spoken aloud, they wouldn't have understood the ancient language anyway. 

Among the wisps of light that floated out of the many crystals in the chamber that seemed to go up eternally into pitch blackness, there was a ghostly figure. The spirit of Rezo had taken a form, visible in a semi-transparent silhouette that looked like the man had when he was alive. It was only a projection of the mind and as such, details such as hair style and clothing were crafted from what was most common in the mind of the spirit. The one big difference, which Zelgadis noticed right away, was that Rezo's eyes were open, gazing right at him. 

"You may step onto the crystals," Zelas quietly prompted. She and Tiffany stood aside and watched the scene unfold. 

Without letting go of Amelia's hand, Zelgadis stepped forward to the edge of the hole filled with the crystals and the mysterious twirling ribbons of light that they gave off, changing colors and fading a few feed above the source. He paused and slowly released her hand, taking a few uneasy steps on the crystals as if he was worried that he would sink into them. The chimera slowly maintained his balance, careful not to fall, and took another few steps forward towards the center of the chamber where Rezo's summoned spirit waited. 

Amelia soon crossed the threshold of the gray stone and made her way towards Zelgadis on the crystals, carefully keeping her balance at a measured pace. Zelgadis looked back at her as if saying he could do this. Amelia nodded as if saying that she knew, but wanted to be there for him anyway. She stood still, her eyes on him, until he nodded and held out his hand to her, inviting her to join his side. Hand in hand they stood before Rezo who seemed to smile at seeing Zelgadis holding hands with Amelia. 

Zelgadis tried to find the words to say, but instead he found himself staring at Rezo's actions as he picked up one of the crystals despite his hands being see-through and ghostly. The clear crystal glowed with black light as a red liquid seemed to spread inside it like blood, even if the crystal looked solid. Finally the crystal was no longer clear, but pure red with a golden glow around it. The red priest addressed Zelas, "the information that is needed is contained in this crystal. Someone of your power will have no problem accessing it." Rezo tossed the crystal up where it was caught by a red parrot that was hiding in the darkness watching the scene. The parrot took the crystal to Beast Master and perched himself on her shoulder. 

The ghost of Rezo then turned his attention to Zelgadis one last time before he began to fade away. Taken aback, Zelgadis tried to stop him. "Wait! You tell me to come here and then you don't say anything to me? Why didn't you just give up the information this easily before? You know what's going on, don't you? You know this is to save the world!" 

"I wanted to make sure that the world was worth saving," Rezo explained. 

"As if it should be your choice!" Zelgadis reprimanded. He didn't mean for this to turn into a discussion that involved shouting, but he was just too upset by what he perceived to be extreme arrogance. 

"If this world still only offered you grief, then it should be destroyed," Rezo elaborated. "If you must exist in sorrow, then let the Stillness consume the world and even the very Sea of Chaos if possible. It is not my choice, it is yours. I see now that you've found a reason to want to be in this world. I see that you are living rather than only surviving. You no longer pursue mere unimportant necessities or perceived necessities; you pursue something far greater than necessities, a true desire." 

Zelgadis opened his mouth to speak again, but wasn't sure how to react. A necessity was something people pursued simply to keep on living or to get through a situation, because they felt that they had no choice. Desires were pursued with a passion, with energy, with eager willingness, they were indeed more precious. But how did all of that apply to him? Zelgadis felt Amelia's hand in his and thought of all the time he spent away from her looking for his cure, even if he wanted to be with her. His so called necessities no longer controlled him. He was after what really mattered now, what he wanted, what made him happy. "So you just would have let the world be destroyed, worse yet erased, if I wasn't happy?" 

"Yes," Rezo's spirit answered without hesitation. "For all that I took away from you; this is the least I could give you. Now I must go, after seeing this... Though I still hold many regrets... Maybe..." The ghost continued to fade away. 

Zelgadis watched in astonishment and let out a barely audible whisper, "rest in peace..." At that moment, the monsters' negative emotion snacks were ruined as a sense of peace and closure invaded the room. 

Just as Rezo faded away completely, Zelgadis thought he heard his voice reply. "I think I finally can..." 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 120: Identity! Name It And You'll Get Attached

"So the Nameless Beast is you, but also the opposite of you?" Filia inquired during one of her conversations with Xellos in their pink and purple room at Seyruun castle, concerning the mysterious being. 

"What would you call a creature like that?" Xellos wondered with curiosity. 

"Isn't he already called the Nameless Beast?" Filia reminded. "Unless he is literally nameless, rather than nameless being his name. I thought things like Nameless, Nothing, Nobody, No-one and such names would be proper names that the minions of the Stillness would have, it fits the theme." 

"I think in this case it means he is literally nameless and Nameless Beast is just a term to call him something," Xellos determined. "Things would get confusing if the Stillness called all its followers 'hey you' after all," he chuckled, finding humor in a situation that was too gloomy to be humorous for most. 

"You and the opposite of you... Monster and dragon... I'm not sure what to call him, if he's really your opposite maybe Sollex would be okay, it reminds me of our visit to Luna. Make it Solex, with one l, just so that it's different," Filia mused aloud. 

"One changed letter is supposed to make it more original?" Xellos teased. 

"Oh quiet you," Filia retorted. "What would you name him?" 

"I would name him Stupid, after you," Xellos replied sweetly. 

"You already named Fili after me," Filia reminded. "He can choose a name for himself later. After Lina shared her theories, I think it's worth a try bringing him to our side." 

"Maybe he can be persuaded," Xellos agreed, then added in a barely audible whisper. "But he cannot give himself a name, he cannot make himself complete; only his true master can complete him, if it is convenient..." 

"What was that?" Filia raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "What were you muttering about just now, raw garbage? What are you plotting to do?" 

"Nothing at all, stupid dragon." The intonation turned the words from lies to sarcasm, by making it purposely obvious that they were not true. Xellos wrapped his arms around Filia and let his most enjoyable tactics of distraction take over, exploring every inch of exposed skin with his lips and uncovering more as he went along. This would not only distract her, but it would very much distract him as she was eager to respond, encouraging his journey through her body and going on a journey of her own. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Later, at Seyruun castle... "Grandpa!" Amelia's pain-stricken voice echoed all over the hallways as she went. She and Zelgadis had returned from Wolf Pack Island teleported back into Seyruun castle via the astral side by Zelas. Their arrival was not a pleasant one, as Amelia found the royal attendants buzzing about busily to prepare for the tragic event that would send the kingdom into a further depression. The king had passed away and his funeral was to be held soon. 

The Seyruun princess skidded to a sudden stop as she turned a corner to take a moment to think in the middle of her pained disorientation. As she halted suddenly, she flailed her arms for balance, instinctively placed a hand on the wall, then took off in another dash down a different hallway, having decided that was the way she should go. Zelas couldn't miss out on the banquet of grief and followed Amelia, comically imitating her movements like in a twisted game of Simon Says. The monster lord was completely ignoring Zelgadis who was, by this point, almost begging her not to make things worse for Amelia. Of course, his plea was totally overlooked. 

Amelia finally arrived at the king's chambers. She stopped in front of the partially open door, listening to the sound of crying coming from inside. Zelas halted her advanced next to the princess, standing with her arms at her sides as she was. They took simultaneous deep breaths and straightened their clothing and hair, though in Zelas case it was unnecessary. Amelia placed her right hand over her heart as did Zelas, or at least the monster lord placed her hand over where a heart would be if she had it. "Grandpa..." Amelia whispered softly and solemnly. Zelas moved her lips in imitation, but without producing a single sound. 

Amelia turned to look at Zelgadis, who had been following her, not noticing that Xellos was approaching from the other side of the hallway. Amelia wiped her tears, hoping to become a pillar of strength for her family when she entered the chambers. Zelas made a tear wiping motion to mimic her, even though her face was perfectly dry. By then, Xellos was standing next to his master, watching the scene unfold curiously, as he quietly inquired. "Are we playing Follow the Leader?" 

Zelgadis hugged Amelia, who buried her face on his chest, while he alternated between giving warning and pleading gazes to the monsters over her shoulder. "Something like that," Zelas mimicked the princess again and pretended to seek comfort in her general. "Where's your pet? She always gives things an interesting flavor." 

"Filia has been asked to perform a prayer for the late king," Xellos explained. "She's getting into the royal robes that are traditional in Seyruun for the person leading the prayers of a big event like this to wear." Xellos' voice was as expected, very cheerful. It sounded like he was announcing a party rather than a funeral. 

Amelia parted from the hug and looked determined to be strong, though there was still regret in her eyes. She probably wouldn't forgive herself for not being there when her grandfather passed away. She had gone to see him earlier, but her visit was short, since she was busy with everything else that was happening. She nodded at Zelgadis, indicating that she was ready to enter the royal chambers. At the same time, Zelas released Xellos from their hug and nodded, copying the princess' expression, which further amused the general. 

Amelia entered the royal chambers holding Zelgadis hand and Zelas followed the motion with Xellos. They even stepped at the same time and glanced in the same directions. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here," Amelia spoke with Zelas mimicking her expression and the movement of her lips perfectly, but without any sounds. Zelgadis kept giving the monster lord upset looks, which Xellos copied to perfection. 

"Little sister!" Naga, who looked like she was about to make Gravos suffocate with the way she had her arms wrapped around his neck, subbing into his chest, finally released her boyfriend from the death trap of her embrace and gave her younger sister a big bear hug. "Grandpa knew you were doing something important, and he was able to see you earlier, so don't feel bad." Breaking away from the mirror move pattern, Zelas instead made quiet dramatic motions as if choking to death this time. 

"Your sister is right, daddy passed away knowing that somehow we would bring peace back to Seyruun." Philionel was actually the one crying the loudest. He looked tough, but he was a big softie on the inside. He held Fili in his arms as if she was a living plush toy. Pokota was all too grateful when the cub relieved him of his confort toy role a few minutes ago. There was the fact that the king probably would have lived longer if not for all the trouble that was all over the world. His medicine could no longer be produced, as the herbs became unavailable. Plus the gloomy atmosphere wasn't doing wonders for his fragile health. Yet no one wanted to mention that, because the fact was that the king was gone. Thinking of the what ifs that couldn't be achieved would just give everyone more sorrow. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Philionel, Amelia and Naga tried to pull themselves together so that the king's body, which was still on his bed in his chambers, could be prepared for the funeral. Zelgadis, Gravos and Filia did their best to console them, while Zelas and Xellos kept playing their strange little mimic game. Meanwhile, Pokota and his father were getting ready to attend the funeral and offer Taforashia's official condolences. They were also busy preparing a speech to give in the late king's honor as it was traditional for other countries to do when a royal of an allied kingdom passed away. While all of that was taking place, Lina, Gourry, Jillas, Elena and Palou were already at the temple where the prayers would be given, helping make sure the structure was ready. 

Simultaneously, Filia was in her and Xellos' room at the castle. She had put on the royal robes of a priestess of Ceifeed from Seyruun. Xellos would probably make fun of her, but that wasn't really what worried her. She was no longer a priestess of the Fire Dragon, but as a golden dragon, she could still easily come up with a proper prayer to give. That was not the problem; the problem was that all of this got her thinking about the losses that could never be recovered and about the fact that even if they defeated the Stillness, the world would be left in shambles. Could it still be saved or would it be inevitably condemned to a slower death? 

Filia sighed and took one last look at herself in the full length mirror, making sure she was wearing the white, golden lined robes and all their accessories properly. She straightened the crest of Seyruun on her chest and was about to turn away from the mirror when she saw something peculiar reflected behind her. The shape of a person emerged seemingly out of thin air, out of the astral side. It was a man quite similar to Xellos, but it wasn't Xellos. His hair was purple with two strands of gold, framing his face, while the rest was held in a low ponytail. His eyes were very much like Xellos' eyes as a monster with their long pupils, but his ears were long and pointy, very much like hers. 

The mysterious man, whom Filia identified as being the Nameless Beast, held a mace much like her own. He swung the weapon at her strongly, as if trying to decapitate her and that was probably indeed his intention. Filia ducked and jumped out of the way as the weapon collided with the mirror behind her and shattered it. "You're the Nameless Beast," she was seeing him for the first time and it felt quite surprising even if she already knew what he looked like from the descriptions the others provided. 

"Don't call me that, don't mock me!" The Nameless Beast shouted angrily. "Where is Xellos? I can feel it, I can feel traces of his energy on you, it's all over the surface of your body. He was near you not long ago." 

Filia blushed upon remembering just what they were doing before a messenger started knocking on the door to bring the tragic news of the king's death. She tried to take the opportunity to reason with him, embarrassment aside, it didn't look like the Nameless Beast had a proper explanation or theory about why Xellos' energy was on her anyway. It was probably like the astral version of a scent that physical beings couldn't quite perceive, like traces of an aura. "Listen, we don't have to be enemies. Why don't you join us?" 

"It's too late! I have already lived incomplete long enough. This is all Xellos' fault and he must pay. I will not forgive him. He wants me to disappear anyway, doesn't he? Well he can have it, he can have all his power back, I don't care!" The Nameless Beast revealed that he was carrying the black cone jewel. "I refuse to feed off his power further. The power that I have of my own, what was created by the fusion, it is not much now, but it will grow. I'm no ordinary monster; I can grow in power as I go through life. Just like a dragon, my power is not determined upon creation. I don't need this!" 

As the Nameless Beast prepared to throw away the necklace with the precious gem that contained Xellos' power, Filia grabbed it. "Give it to me, this is important; you can't just throw it away. Please listen to me," Filia tried to continue reasoning with him. 

"Why shouldn't I throw away his power?" The Nameless Beast yelled, "Master Xellos threw me away!" 

"No he didn't!" Now Filia saw exactly what Lina meant when she said the Nameless Beast was like an upset child. "You were made from Xellos' energy and golden dragon energy by the Stillness. Xellos did not will for it to happen, but he has no reason to hate you simply because you exist. He might have been worried about his power, but if you return it to him, I'm sure he'll appreciate it. You can join us; we can save the world and live happily as a family." 

The Nameless Beast paused unsure. "I know Xellos is my master, but I have the energy of someone else in me too. I recognize it now, the sample of the energy and scales of a golden dragon that was used in my accidental creation... I know it now for certain, it was you." 

"Me?" Filia gasped. She had been in many battles, so she supposed it to be possible that a sample could have been extracted from her at some point. "You are part Xellos and part me?" 

"I'm a nameless freak..." The Nameless Beast grimaced. He returned his mace to his belt, not bothering to try to recover the black cone gem from Filia. He turned away as if to leave. "I need to get my revenge, I'm so angry at Xellos for allowing me to exist without a name. That's all I have in life, the need to get revenge and nothing more." 

"It doesn't have to be that way!" Filia insisted. It broke her heart to see him like this especially because she was reminded of Valgaav. 

At that very moment the door to the purple and pink room was opened by Xellos. He had been sent away to see if Filia was ready after the group at the king's chambers had left towards the temple where the prayers would take place, where the king's coffin would be set up soon. "Stupid dragon! They want to know if you're ready to whine at a dead shinzoku about the dead king!" That was Xellos' way to ask if Filia was ready to pray to Ceifeed in the late Seyruun king's funeral. He was surprised to find, none other than the Nameless Beast there along with Filia. 

"Xellos!" The Nameless Beast drew his mace again and went on the attack. 

Xellos didn't flinch; he simply pointed his right index finger at the Nameless Beast and calmly spoke a single word, a name, "Solex." 

Filia freaked out and scrambled to stop the Nameless Beast from harming the human Xellos. However, she soon realized that her interference would not be necessary. The Nameless Beast was frozen in place, with his mace inches away from Xellos' face. He slowly lowered the weapon and placed it back on his belt, his gazed becoming fixed on the floor for a long moment. "Solex..." The no longer nameless monster dragon repeated. "Solex," he spoke the name once more, feeling like a complete being for the first time in his entire short existence. He finally lifted his eyes to look at Xellos and smiled, "I like it." 

Filia's jaw dropped as she switched back and forth from looking at Xellos and looking at the newly named Solex with puzzlement in her eyes. "What just happened?" 

"I completed him," Xellos simply stated. "It is quite painful for a monster to exist without an identity. For an astral being, or one who is similar to an astral being, a name is very important. Those who have no real physical bodies to hold on to, hold on to their names even more. A monster is not a complete being until its master grants that monster a name, an acknowledgement of existence." 

"So... Solex, you're not angry at Xellos anymore?" Filia inquired hopefully. 

"I suppose I could forgive him," Solex decided. "Besides, you're my master in a sense too and you seem nice." 

Filia shook her head, "I'm not your master, I'm your mother." Xellos raised a curious eyebrow as he listened to her go on. "You're a combination of Xellos and me, so you're our son. We can all live happily together as a family. I can't wait to introduce you to your brother Val, your cousin Palou and all your uncles and aunts!" 

"Aren't you getting a little carried away, stupid dragon?" Xellos tried to get a word in, but Filia's mind was already made up. 

"So... I'm your child?" Solex mused. "I suppose I should take on a more fitting form." He changed his appearance to that of a younger version of himself. He still had the same face, the same pointy ears, the same mischievous eyes and the same hair. The difference was that he was a whole lot smaller, appearing to be no older than a four year old human boy. It all made the mace he carried looked oversized in comparison to his new small body. 

"Aw!" With her eyes shining with motherly pride, Filia hugged Solex, welcoming him into their odd little family. 

"You're already attached, aren't you?" Xellos correctly concluded. "By the way, stupid dragon, what's that black jewel in your hand?" 

"Oh, this," Filia seemed to remember just what she was holding and its significance. She gave the black cone gem to Xellos. "Here's your power back, Solex returned it." 

"I can't reabsorb it now, not until this is over, but it's still good to know it's not in the enemy's hands anymore," Xellos voiced. With an inquisitive look he asked about a very important matter that had been hanging in the balance during this whole plan. "Solex, do you know how to enter the fortress of the Stillness?" 

"Of course I know how, I had to learn the spell to unlock a gateway so I could go in and out of there," Solex confirmed. "The Stillness is your enemy, right, dad? I can tell you all about the gateway spell. We can storm the place any time!" 

Oh great, now his minion was calling him dad, at least Filia seemed to think it was cute. Then again, Xellos had realized some time ago that his life would be nothing like the ordinary life of a monster. A monster with a family and friends? Now that was strange, yet oddly fun. "This is definitely important news. Filia, go take care of business with the dead king and while you're at it, inform everyone of this development. I'm pretty sure Beast Master is still in the castle. I have to take Solex to see her." 

Filia nodded as the truth of the situation finally sunk in. all the pieces were at last in place. "Does this mean that...?" She didn't even need to finish the question for it to be obvious what she was going to ask. 

"Yes," Xellos confirmed with more eagerness than most would have to face such a situation. "The final battle is at last upon us," or so he thought, yet nothing was ever easy anymore. 

To be Continued


	41. Chapter 41

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 121: Fusion! All For A Common Goal

Filia was in the middle of her prayer for the late king of Seyruun when Zelas appeared, walking down the temple's long center hallway where everyone had gathered to pay their respects. Xellos had been making faces at Filia in the front row, trying to get her to lose her concentration and laugh in front of everyone. Lina and Gourry were tasked with the chore of sitting left and right from Xellos to make sure he stayed in his seat and didn't cause any major trouble. With her eyes trained on Zelas with worry, Filia continued reciting her prayers on automatic, while the monster lord walked over to Philionel, who was sitting with his daughters. She whispered something in his ear, which caused the soon to become king crowned prince to jump. 

All the attendees of the service gasped as Filia paused her prayers in shock. The golden dragon tried to pick up where she left off but found herself unable to do so. To try to save face as much as possible, given that her worries about what Zelas had set into motion were making her mind go blank, Filia finished off her prayers with the simple and somewhat generic ending of, "may you rest in peace, we shall always honor your memory." 

As soon as Filia was done, Philionel didn't waste a single second in making his way to the front of the assembly and beginning a speech of his own, which turned out to be very short. "This unjust enemy that is upon us will not be allowed to destroy our precious world. I'm sure my father would be proud to know that our farewells to him have come accompanied with the determined declaration that victory will be ours!" 

Zelas blinked, her face becoming more perplexed with every word that Phil spoke. "That's not right..." She shook her head in disappointment. 

"Lord Beast Master?" Xellos inquired in confusion. "Why does Phil sound all excited instead of terribly offended?" 

"I don't know," Zelas' expression turned sour. "I was trying to be rude and improper by speaking of the upcoming battle in an interruption of his mourning, but it looks like he's simply too glad that the issue is being addressed to take note of the timing. It doesn't even look like the zombies can bother him now. Such random volatile creatures the humans are." 

"Does that mean that the plan you were working on is ready?" Lina inquired urgently. 

"Yes," Zelas informed. 

"By the way," Philionel added at the end of his speech of heroism, "we're surrounded by zombies, please don't panic, we'll fight them off and continue the service later." 

"Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" Naga let out her battle cry, "those zombies won't know what hit them!" 

"Let them handle things here, gather around my pawns, for my plan of attack some fusion magic will be needed." Zelas teleported Xellos and Filia away without giving them a chance to react. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

They were on a mountain top and there were gears, gears and more gears. The gears were made of shiny silvery metal in many different sizes. Some were round, others were oval shaped and some were, strangely enough, squares and triangles. The non-rounded gears flipped from one side to the next, fitting into the shapes around them as they spun in continuous motions. The mountain of gears all seemed to power a strange diamond-like jewel at the top of the contraption. It was on top of a rod protuberant above the multitude of gears. Yet it was not really a diamond, it was something much more magical, a carefully crafted artificial gem. The fine jewel had silvery sparks constantly surrounding it and odd black swirls within it. 

"Oh, my stomach," Filia complained as she tried to steady herself. 

"Lord Beast Master," Xellos addressed the monster lord with curiosity. "You said you needed fusion magic for this to work." He wondered if he was there to receive his monster power and provide it or to make Filia cooperate. Then Xellos noticed the approaching person who came into view from the other side of the mountain of constantly spinning gears that were making Filia dizzier than she already was. "Milgazia?" 

"You can't expect one golden dragon to be enough to provide the lesser half of fusion magic if I'm providing the more important one, so there's two," Zelas calmly stated. 

By then Filia had fought with her sickness enough to compose herself somewhat. "What exactly is the plan?" She asked as calmly and neutrally as possible. 

"This," Zelas pointed to the device of many gears. "It is the product of much research; Celo has been constantly working on it in secret. With the beam of chaotic light this device will produce fueled by fusion magic, power will be borrowed from the Sea of Chaos and brought to the world. The world will then absorb that chaos and push back the cycle of the Stillness." 

"Is that the truth?" Filia asked with great suspicion and uneasiness, while Xellos stood around grinning constantly as he often did. 

"I believe it is," Milgazia stated, which took Filia by surprise, though his following explanation justified his theory. "The latest part of the cycle of the Stillness involves the Void. At this point the monsters are also being adversely affected. If the cycle is turned back by empowering the world with chaos, it may be reverted to its previous stage of Lamentation. At that point, although the living creatures of the world that have physical bodies will still be affected as the cycle tries to move forward again, the monsters will be able to recover." 

"But that's..." Filia looked back and forth between the quiet Zelas and the serious Milgazia. She wasn't even sure how to phrase her concerns, but she shouldn't have to, it should be obvious. 

"A dangerous gamble," Milgazia admitted. "But right now the Stillness is a bigger threat than even the monsters. This must be done; we'll have to deal with the consequences as they come. Besides, if the planet is left as it is, it will die." When it came down to it, it was the difference between a dying planet and a suffering planet. At least a suffering planet still had hope. 

"Eternal torture is best," Zelas chirped cheerfully. "Death is far too peaceful and calm, not chaotic." 

Filia let out a tired breath, everything was terribly stressful lately. "How is Val?" 

"Having fun getting into mischief," Zelas grinned. 

Filia had a feeling that she would have both Xellos and Val to drive her insane in the future, but she supposed she would learn to deal with it. Besides, she had educated Val the best she could along with his aunts and uncles during his first few weeks of life, so maybe those lessons would stay with him and he wouldn't turn out to be too mischievous... hopefully. "Alright, let's do this." 

"Finally getting down to business? It's about time," Zelas replied with a very Zelas-like comment. "Xellos, I have a spell for you to cast." Zelas materialized a scroll out of the astral side and handed it to Xellos. "This device is powered by a large amount of fusion magic; it is its fuel in a sense. However, what activates it and allows it to call the power of the Sea of Chaos is the force that pushes and pulls fate until it aligns with destiny. Chance, the collective conscious, the force that unknown even to themselves, humans have a natural talent to influence." 

The spell turned complex towards the end which was why Zelas choose to have Xellos perform it instead of getting Lina, who was originally human, to do it. In theory, since Xellos was currently a human, he should be able to handle the spell effectively as he had already learned to control his energy as a human since the time when he took magic lessons from Lina. Aside from that, his knowledge of many years as Beast Master's favorite spy would help him better understand the spell. 

Xellos examined the scroll, reading over it several times. The last few lines were written in an ancient language that roughly translated into something along the lines of 'pure wild unknown disorder image; powerful motion force, fulfill unexpected.' "I'm ready whenever the stupid dragons are," Xellos grinned mockingly. 

Without another word everyone got into position with Zelas standing in the middle in front of the rod culminating in the enchanted diamonds. Milgazia and Filia stood left and right of her ready to cast their part of the fusion magic, allowing the machine to absorb it. Xellos stood completing the square around the rod at the center of the machine across from Zelas, next to the golden dragons. Then the magic began. First Zelas, Filia and Milgazia powered the machine, making the gears spin faster noisily. The beam of light that came from the magical diamond reached beyond the skies further than the eye could see in a mix of gold and black, attempting to establish a sort of connection with the Sea of Chaos in order to call forth its power. 

To prevent the world from being absorbed into the Sea of Chaos and created anew, the power would be channeled through the stream of chance with the spell Xellos began to cast. "Between chaos and perceived order, commanding the path beyond borders, with ideas coming closer in distance, shaping illusions into existence, the luck that knows no master, spins towards freedom faster. Endless sea of possibilities, unlock the true abilities, of a world made of your essence, let us see your luminescence! Incorruptus indomitus ignotus incompositus imago, imperiosus impulsum impetus impleo improviso! Chaotic Chance!" 

The flow of energy on the golden and black beam of light that went from the diamond to the sky changed direction instead receiving energy of black, silver and gold that came from beyond the sky and towards the world. "That is enough," Zelas announced and the fusion magic spell casters ceased their efforts. 

Xellos used the control granted to him by the spell to push the power borrowed from the Sea of Chaos itself into the machine of many gears, which in turn pushed it towards the planet. The gears started spinning nonsensically, sometimes in the opposite motions that the laws of physics dictated they should spin in. The motions turned more rapid and ever changing and Xellos was surrounded by a golden light with black electricity and silver sparks all over him. This was too much... 

"Xellos!" Filia tried to approach him and cast her healing magic, but it had no effect as her energy was absorbed by the energy of the Sea of Chaos before it could reach Xellos. 

Danger, there was danger, Zelas could sense it as if the machine was about to blow up, but Xellos couldn't move from his position. If he didn't maintain the spell, the world would reset itself, being created anew, and the Stillness would still be around. It would probably keep its memories too, while the living creatures of the world, monsters and dragons included, forgot everything and live their lives anew. They couldn't allow that. Now that the Stillness had already entered the world, even if the world was recreated, it would hold on to it and stay. With its preserved memories the Stillness would have a vast strategic advantage. Zelas refused to lose, any creature that picked a fight with her, even if it was as powerful as the Stillness, had to be destroyed. 

Beast Master retreated into the astral side and teleported away, straining her energy to actually reappear in the right place, a safe distance away. She watched the beam of light that came from beyond the skies from afar. She looked at the ground below as the earth itself glowed in random colors. This was definitely too much. The power of the Sea of Chaos was much greater than she had expected. Even if she took precautions and stopped powering the machine when she and the golden dragons still had more to give, even this relatively small amount of energy that was borrowed from the Sea of Chaos was impressive beyond anything Zelas had ever seen. 

At the area near the machine of many gears, the mechanisms were overloading and the gears were falling apart. "Filia, we need to retreat!" Milgazia called out urgently as he transformed into a dragon and took flight. He looked back, realizing that Filia wasn't following him. "Filia, get out of there!" 

"Go ahead, I'll be right there!" Filia called out in response. She was lying, she planned to stay with Xellos and it was obvious she had no intentions of moving. 

Before Milgazia could make it back to Filia and drag her away to safety, the machine of many gears exploded in a bright light, its components disintegrating into silver dust. An orb of light formed over the area, the aftershock of its energy pushing Milgazia back strongly. 

When the light finally cleared, a heavy feeling of chaotic energy was left in the air. The earth had ceased its rainbow glow and the land was very much revived. Zelas crossed her arms and huffed. "It wasn't supposed to go this far." The grass, the trees, the land's produce, it was coming back as if it was the beginning of a very fruitful spring. All of this had really thrown off the season with an early chilly winter and now an early spring. The planet was revitalized. "How annoying," Zelas growled. 

Beast Master teleported towards were Xellos and Filia lay in a bloody mess in the area where the machine used to be. "Xellos..." He was still alive, but just barely. His hair had changed to white and the injuries of his human body appeared to be beyond repair. There was only one way to preserve him alive now. Zelas was surrounded by black light as she activated the power of the black cone gem on her necklace. She called Xellos soul back into the black jewel, leaving behind the broken shell of his human body. He would still need a physical body as a shield later when the final battle against the Stillness took place, but she could change him when the time came. For the time being, Xellos had to be healed by his monster energy. His essence felt as if it would dissolve, he would need the extra power to stay whole. 

Milgazia landed near by and transformed back into his human form. "Filia's injuries are-" 

"Your problem," Zelas interrupted. "She may be a traitor in the eyes of many golden dragons, but you're not one to abandon a fellow dragon in need, are you? Not that I care, she has already done her part. If you save her or not, that is your choice. My business here is finished for the time being, farewell." Zelas teleported away, back to Wolf Pack Island to take in the situation, come up with a new strategy, rest, recover and attempt to nurse her general back to health. 

"Of course I can't abandon her..." Milgazia muttered under his breath as he casted his most powerful healing spells on Filia. She might have been regarded as a traitor by most dragons and even members of his own clan might disapprove of his actions, but he couldn't let her die. Filia had done more for the golden dragon race than she herself might realize. Years ago, when the ancient dragons were driven to extinction, Milgazia did not participate in that unfair battle. However, he could not stop it, as he was going through a critical battle with his own clan inside the barrier. 

Back then, Milgazia moved carefully, having only recently assumed leadership of his clan due to the previous leader falling in battle. He was a thousand years younger and less experienced, but he was very wise and skilled. It was a tragic time of disorder and anarchy among the dragons, making Milgazia's new position as elder difficult to assimilate. He did his best and gained great respect because of it, yet he always wished he could do more. Later traveling with a human friend was also a big eye opener for him. Milgazia was patient, diplomatic, serious, quiet, strong and calculating, but sometimes being a little rash and energetic could yield better results than clinging to caution as strongly as he often did. He learned from humans that one could not put things off for later for too long or the opportunity to do them would be lost. 

Filia, who was not even yet born until around five hundred years after the time of the War of the Monster's Fall and was in no way to blame for the past, was the one to try to make up for it. She was the one protecting and raising Val. Although Milgazia was distrusting of the monsters and wasn't particularly happy about Filia's choices, he could respect them and he could respect her efforts to atone in the name of the golden dragons. If anyone wanted to criticize him for choosing to save Filia's life, let them. He would do what he felt was the right thing regardless of what anyone said. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Beast Master might have overdone it a little..." A red haired monster noted as he witnessed the changes on the planet's condition from the outskirts of a village far from the peninsula. 

"At least the undead stopped attacking," a girl with black pigtails and priestess-like clothing observed. 

"I should report to Beast Master now," Zenki decided. 

"This time the seal of my ancestor was broken permanently," Chiaki recalled with a hint of nostalgia. "I know I said you could go where you wanted before and I meant it, but this time, you'd have no reason to return. Are you going to spend all your time serving Beast Master now?" 

"I have a lot to catch up on. Besides, there's no reason for me to be here." Zenki walked a few steps away from her, not looking back, then turned around with a grin. "Although I might come back... if I feel like it." He faded away to the astral side. 

Left standing on a small hill with her village a short distance away, safe from danger for now, Chiaki smiled. "See you later, Zenki..." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The scent of tea was in the air when Filia woke up several days later. She sat up slowly on the bed and examined the unfamiliar setting she was in. It was some sort of cabin with only the very basic of furniture as if it had gone without inhabitants for some time before her arrival. As for said arrival, she couldn't remember it at all. She looked down at her clothing with curiosity. She was wearing a pale aqua color simple dress that began at her shoulders and ended below her knees. It had pale green embroidery around the neckline that hugged the shoulders, the short puffy sleeves that rested above her elbows and the bottom of the skirt. 

Filia didn't remember owning such a dress and the design reminded her of the clothing of the elves. She tried to get out of bed, but felt a rush of tired dizziness overtake her and sat back down. She didn't know how she got there or why she was there, but the atmosphere had a calm and familiar quality to it that helped her remain relatively calm. "Hello?" She called out unsure, "is anyone here?" 

"I think I heard the boss!" A voice very much like that of Jillas was heard from outside the bedroom. Soon the fox beastman appeared at the door with a relieved smile upon his face. "She's awake!" He cheered. 

Gravos soon joined in, entering the room sharing Jillas' relief. There was also someone else with them. It was a little boy with the appearance of a one year old human toddler, the speech capability of a ten year old human and speed and agility well beyond even a fully grown man. The little boy had teal hair, golden eyes and pointy elf-like ears. "Mommy!" Val ran to his mother and hugged her happily. "I'm really glad you're awake!" 

"Val?" Filia stared at the child in her arms in disbelief. Her shock was initially interpreted by Jillas and Gravos as being taken by surprise to see Val in his human-like form for the first time. He no longer had the black horn on his head as when he was Valgarv and his hair was less spiky as it originally was. He was a not a combination of monster and dragon, but a pure ancient dragon. Filia gently hugged her son and caressed his hair. She was wearing a golden amethyst ring that she didn't remember owning. With a meaningful look in her eyes that indicated that she was fighting to keep her composure for Val's sake, Filia gently lifted her eyes from Val to Jillas and Gravos. "When did Val hatch? For how long was I asleep?" 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 122: Awakening! Forgotten But Not Gone

A heavy silence hung in the air in the place that was as of yet unknown to Filia. Jillas and Gravos were taken by complete surprise. It looked like Filia was missing more than just her most recent memories if she didn't remember Val hatching. He was still a baby, still tiny in dragon form, though dragons were exceptionally smart and learned to communicate at a very young age. 

Before her unusual family could provide Filia with any answers, she spotted a blond man peeking into the room from the open doorway as if not wanting to interrupt. Noticing he had been seen, Milgazia let himself in with a cup full of tea. "This tea is specially made for dragons, it will help you recover." He handed the cup to the surprised Filia. 

"Milgazia?" Filia questioned unsure in a quiet tone. By then Val had crawled into the bed next to Filia and fallen asleep with his mother's gentle touch on his hair. 

"I think she has amnesia," Gravos shared his theory. 

"What's the last thing you remember boss?" Jillas inquired with concern. 

"I was at the shop and Val was still an egg... It's blurry, but that's my most recent memory, just another day at the shop." Filia's voice was rising in tension, though she kept the volume low so as to not wake Val. "What happened? Was I in some kind of accident?" 

Silence reigned in the room along with heavy discomfort and uneasiness. Finally, while Jillas and Gravos tried to figure out how to handle Filia's amnesia, Milgazia took hold of the situation. "Drink your tea and if you feel well enough to get up, join us at the living room. This explanation may be a long one, but don't worry, you and your family are safe here." 

Filia nodded slowly and drank the revitalizing warm liquid. She really, really wanted to know what was going on, but at least she was safe and her family was there with her, so that was a calming notion. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia sat in a living room with two simple wooden seats with blue cushions on them. The cushions on the seats and backrest were fluffy and comfortable, yet all she could do was fidget uncomfortably. Val was sleeping in the small bedroom not too far away. Filia felt uneasy about not keeping her eyes constantly on him at first, but soon reason that if he was safe while she was unconscious, he would be safe now. 

"Do you remember the date or an approximate of it?" Milgazia inquired, sitting across from Filia next to Jillas; Gravos and Filia occupying the seats in front of them. 

"It's July," Filia replied simply. "The beginning of July, it's a warm summer." Jillas and Gravos wondered if they should just bluntly tell Filia that the current month was December, or find a way to hint at it gently, though they couldn't think of any. Filia's next statement saved them the trouble. "I know Val wasn't due to hatch any time soon during July. It must be several months into the future. Please tell me, what month is it?" 

"December," Gravos finally stated. 

"That's right, it's a beautiful spring," Jillas added. 

"Spring?" Filia questioned in confusion, spring wasn't supposed to come in December. 

"A lot has happened," Milgazia breathed, "I'll go over the general facts of the happenings of the world, then Jillas and Gravos can answer your more personal questions." Filia nodded and listened as Milgazia narrated. "This is a difficult to believe story, but right now we are at a moment of peace," he assured before diving into the less pleasant aspects of the tale. "A terrible enemy known as the Stillness attempted to end the world by killing the planet itself, causing starvation and destroying people's will to live, consuming even the monsters. Lina Inverse and several of her traveling companions, yourself included, were involved in discovering the secrecy behind the force that assaulted the world and fighting its minions. Recently, we were able to fight back." 

It was obvious that Filia had a lot of questions to ask, which was only natural. Milgazia finished his general summary of the happenings. "The planet has been revitalized by borrowing power from the Sea of Chaos and recovered significantly. For now, the danger is being held back, the enemy has retreated. You were part of the process of borrowing power from the Sea of Chaos. The power was greater than any of us expected and you were injured." 

Filia took a moment to absorb all the information. "What about the others? Was anyone else hurt?" She asked with worry. 

"You're always worrying about others, you have such a kind heart, boss!" Jillas exclaimed. 

In a more informative way, Gravos answered the question with reassurance. "Lina and the others are fine; they're all in Seyruun right now." 

"That's right; we came to keep an eye on you here. We figured it was best for you to stay here until you recovered since there are dragon doctors around," Jillas explained. 

"Um... Where is here?" Filia inquired. 

"Dragon's Peak in the Kataart Mountains," Milgazia replied. "This is an empty mountain cabin used when guests come to visit. You may remain here for as long as you wish." 

Filia's eyes widened in shock, worry making its way to her features. "I'm in the middle of golden dragon territory? But I... I'm..." She paused, trying to calm herself. Jillas and Gravos were comfortable with their current location and Val had been kept safe while she was in a sort of coma, so it had to be okay. 

"This is my clan, you are welcomed here regardless of what the others say," Milgazia firmly stated, as if he had personally made certain of it. 

Filia nodded and managed to stutter a quiet "thank you..." 

Frowning in worry, Jillas fidgeted as he wondered why Filia had not inquired about Xellos, then it all made sense. She didn't ask about him because she didn't remember they were married. Her relationship with him last summer wasn't the best. He would occasionally visit the Maces and Vases shop and drive her to the brink of insanity before she managed to chase him out with random property damage along the way... to her own property. The fox beastman glanced at Gravos, then looked at the ring on Filia's hand. 

"Say... do you remember anything about Xellos?" Gravos curiously inquired. 

"Xellos? That annoyance?" Filia huffed. Then she thought about what Milgazia mentioned. "Was he there too when we borrowed power from the Sea of Chaos?" The notion confused her as much as the thought of the world being in danger again, even after the Darkstar incident had ended. It was hard to swallow, but at least as far as her interpretation of the revelations went, they were winning. She never imagined how many losses had happened and how bad the damage had been... and it wasn't over. 

"Yes," Gravos confirmed, not adding that they were as of yet not informed about his current state. All they knew was the information Milgazia had brought based on what he witnessed, which Gravos thought Filia had the right to know. "He was... injured. Zelas took him away, to heal him, I suppose." It was a theory, but it seemed likely enough to share. As for Solex, his current state was also unknown, for entirely different reasons, but Filia wouldn't know who he was anyway. 

"I see," Filia wasn't one to wish serious injuries on anyone, although she often tried to inflict vengeful pain on Xellos. She assumed that, being purely astral as she thought he was, Xellos' injury couldn't be anything life threatening. In fact, he deserved it. "Well, at least maybe now he'll stay away for a while longer. I'm sure he deserves whatever injuries he got." 

Gravos looked at Jillas; Jillas looked back at him, then at Milgazia, with Gravos following the motion. Milgazia slightly shook his head discretely and stood up. "Another cup of medicinal tea will be good for you right now. Jillas, Gravos, would you come help me prepare it? You know Filia's taste in tea quite well." 

Jillas and Gravos quickly agreed and excused themselves following Milgazia. Filia let them go without protest, though she felt annoyed at their exit. Milgazia couldn't possibly need both Jillas and Gravos' feedback to make dragon healing tea. Besides, the first cup tasted just fine, making it obvious that he must have added some sugar, or a lot of sugar, to make it less bitter. She knew they were talking behind her back, probably discussing how to inform her of what she forgot as gently as possible. Filia tried to tell herself they meant well and she was probably better off getting the full story gently. She sighed and fingered the ring on her left hand, which had been cleaned and returned to her. She would get a full grip on her current situation soon enough, she would make certain of it. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Milgazia got more of the already prepared tea and poured a new cup. The action didn't take more than a few seconds as Jillas and Gravos shifted unsure. "Do you think it's a good idea to tell her about Xellos right now? Filia didn't appear to be too fond of him." Which was perfectly fine in Milgazia's opinion, but he was determined not to meddle in Filia's life beyond a little help here and there. Her personal affairs... er... personal matters not limited to affairs, were her personal choices to make. 

Jillas and Gravos silently consulted each other remembering the dangerously destructive temper tantrums Filia threw at Xellos in the past. "Bad idea," they unanimously agreed. Not only would Filia be shocked to realize she was married to the monster she could only remember feeling extreme dislike for, albeit admittedly she didn't really hate anyone, but also she might not believe it. The joke, if she assumed it was a joke, would be in bad taste and certainly not to her liking. They really didn't want to upset Filia; they wanted to make her recovery process as gentle and calm as possible... at least until Xellos returned to drive her insane. Unfortunately, she might not find his annoyance as endearing as it had become before she lost her memories. 

"I agree," Milgazia stated neutrally. 

"We'll talk to Val and try to make it so he doesn't give anything away," Jillas offered. 

"That's a good idea and do keep an eye on him when he wakes up from his nap," Milgazia emphasized. "I might have forgiven his recent mischief, but the other golden dragons around here might not. They won't get violent about it, but they'll be upset." The reason they would hold back was mostly because of Milgazia's warning, which included politely requesting open mindedness, patience and compassion, then ending his speech with something along the lines of a very serious sounding, 'anyone who causes unneeded trouble will answer to me.' Milgazia was usually very polite, proper and not aggressive, but someone who had found himself in the middle of the War of the Monster's Fall and lived to tell the tale was not someone anyone wanted to see angry. 

As for Val's mischief, it varied day by day; at least he didn't pull the same prank twice after being told not to do it. Milgazia was his preferred target recently. He had gotten a face-full of toast, butter side of course, when Val tried to initiate a food fight while having breakfast with Jillas, Gravos, Milgazia and Memphis. The previous night Val had managed to sneak into Milgazia's home and doodle on his face while he was sleeping. Which led to a pissed off looking doodle-faced Milgazia making his way to the guest cabin in his pajamas with an amused looking pajama clad Val in his arms. It didn't help that Val fell asleep on the way back which let to Milgazia quietly depositing him on his bed without even waking Jillas and Gravos and making a mental note to point out the boy's mischief to his caretakers in the morning. It was something that Milgazia would have done if he had not been interrupted by that flying piece of toast colliding with his face. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Assuring Milgazia that they would take better care of Val and keep him out of trouble, Jillas and Gravos returned to Filia's side at the living room with her tea. Milgazia excused himself and went on his way, leaving Filia to privately bring up her questions to Jillas and Gravos, or at least, that's what he assumed she would do. However, things went a little differently. 

After Filia was done with her tea, she made an unexpected request. "Do you mind if I take a walk by myself to clear my head?" The tea had made her feel a lot better and her previous dizziness was gone. "Then we can talk some more about what I missed, or rather, what I can't remember." 

"Okay, boss," Jillas agreed. "But first, let me get you the dish Memphis delivered earlier in case you woke up today, she said it was nutritious." 

"Alright," Filia agreed to having a meal before going out. She'd have to ask about who this Memphis was so she could give her thanks later. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After getting some food in her stomach, Filia felt much better. Actually eating was different from being sustained with healing spells over the past few days. She would still get the needed energy, being directly transferred into her system rather than waiting for her body to process it from food, but it still felt good to replenish her nutrients in a tasty way. It fully sunk in that she was in Dragon's Peak when she caught sight of the other golden dragons in the area. There were also a few dimos dragons there as well. She felt their critical eyes on her, but no one dared to approach her, not while she was under their leader's protection. 

"Filia!" A cheerful looking elf woman with pale green, near-blond long hair approached her without the cautious apprehension of the others. "Feeling better?" 

"Yes..." Her apparent familiarity hinted to Filia that either she had met the elf before, or she was a friend of Milgazia who had met and befriended her family during their stay at Dragon's Peak. "I'm sorry, but my memories are... kind of missing right now. Have we met before?" 

"Oh yes, I'm Memphis Linesword, we met at the wedding." The elf replied, though Filia had no idea what wedding she was talking about. 

"I see," Filia would feel a little dumb, if not rude, asking whose wedding Memphis was talking about. She would never guess it was her own. Then she remembered that Memphis happened to be the name of the person who cooked for her. "You left some food for me at the cabin, didn't you? Thank you, it was delicious." 

"You're welcome!" Memphis chirped, "I've been saving a portion for you every day, but you were never awake. I'm glad you actually got to eat it this time. Do you like the dress?" 

"This is your dress?" Filia realized, "I thought the design reminded me of elves. Thank you for this too... Um... Did you change me?" 

Memphis nodded, "I did, the clothes you had on were raggedy and soaked in blood when Milgazia brought you here. It was a big mess, for a second I thought you were dead. Milgazia drained away all his energy trying to heal you and was pretty tired afterwards. I cleaned you up and dressed you, but don't worry, I didn't let any boys peek at you." 

"Oh, that's good to know, I'm very grateful," Filia spoke softly while her mind ran ahead of her full speed. Milgazia saved her life at the risk of the disapproval of his own clan. She was in Dragon's Peak with Val and her family, the world had been in grave danger and though she had been told that the enemy retreated, no one had said the mysterious enemy was defeated. All she knew was that they called it the Stillness, but she knew little else about it. 

"You don't have to be so formal," Memphis encouraged. "We're all comrades of chaos after all!" 

'Of chaos?' Filia quietly mused, but took it as a simple expression and nothing more. "And justice?" She added. 

"That's right!" Memphis cheered. 

She was still terribly confused, but at least Filia was starting to relax, so she would be ready for another round of questions with Jillas and Gravos soon. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, Val had woken up from his nap and was having a snack with Jillas and Gravos; he really liked those cookies Milgazia had brought over recently. They tasted especially good to dragons. It was a pity that the box was almost empty. 

"Val, we need to talk to you about something important," Jillas began. 

With a cookie in his mouth, Val's big and innocent golden eyes silently focused on his uncles. Seeing that he was paying attention, Gravos continued. "Your mom has a bit of amnesia right now." 

Val frowned, "is mommy sick? I thought she was all better now." 

"She is," Gravos assured, "amnesia means she can't remember some things. It's best to let her remember at her own pace, so let's not tell her about certain things, okay?" 

Val didn't fully understand, but if his uncles were telling him to keep a secret, then it had to be because it was what was best. He was a good secret keeper, he could do this. "Okay, what do I need to keep a secret?" 

"Everything about your father, grandmother... er... aunt Zelas," because the monster lord thought 'granny' made her sound too old. "And everything about your brother," Jillas explained. 

"When is Solex coming back?" The mention of him brought up Val's question. "It would be fun if Palou, Solex and I could all play together." 

"I'm sure that will happen," Jillas smiled. 

"Yes, you just need to be patient," Gravos added. Solex was rather unstable when he was taken away by Zelas while Filia was still in a coma. Apparently, Beast Master intended to try to stabilize his energy so as to not lose a minion, but could she, had she? Honestly, Jillas and Gravos were starting to worry. It was troublesome when Zelas was around, but when she wasn't around, those who knew her couldn't help it but to wonder what she was doing and what consequences it could bring. 

Val nodded, "okay..." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A short while later, Filia returned to the guest cabin with a basket of ingredients given to her by Memphis. She found Val entertaining himself with a sketchbook and crayons. Jillas and Gravos both held letters as they sat in the living room. "I'm back," she announced more cheerfully than before. So what if she was confused, her family and friends were alright, her son was happy and it was a lovely afternoon. She would have a long talk with Jillas and Gravos that evening and afterwards she planned to go to Seyruun to see everyone. By then she expected to be able to understand what plan of action should be taken against the Stillness and what manner of being the Stillness was. After the world was out of danger, than she could go back to her shop, or so she thought. 

Filia was greeted by welcomes from Jillas, Gravos and Val. She curiously inquired about the letters they held, learning that they were from Elena and Palou, and from Naga respectively. Jillas had mentioned Elena and Palou before, though Filia held no memories about a person called Naga. She seemed to be important to Gravos, so she would like to meet her. "Why don't you take some time off and write back to them?" Filia suggested. "Memphis gave me all this food, so I thought I could make dinner for everyone. Val, would you like to help me prepare it?" 

"Yes, mommy!" Val cheerfully agreed, putting away his crayons in their box neatly and closing the sketch book. He set the items in a corner of the wooden coffee table in the middle of the living room. 

Filia smiled, Val was such a well behaved child who never got into any mischief, or at least that's what she thought. She had not heard anything about how Val had been playing mischievous tricks on Milgazia. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 123: Secret! For Us To Know

While Jillas and Gravos found some quiet spots to sit down and write letters out in the calm afternoon breeze, Filia and Val were busily making dinner. She had caught Val trying to add hot sauce to the work in progress, but luckily stopped him every time. She thought nothing of it; he was only trying to help. Some knocking was heard from the door to the small cabin and Val volunteered to go see who it was. 

With Filia tending to dinner in the kitchen, Val peeked out the front window and found Milgazia in front of the closed door to the cabin. Rather than opening it, Val rushed to the little utility closet and found a bucket. He hurried out the door, towards the small well that was behind the cabin and changed to his dragon form. He picked up the bucket, which was bigger than him now and dove into the well. He fetched some water and flapped his wings wildly to get himself out of the well. He set the full bucket on the ground and changed back into an elf-like toddler. 

Picking up the bucket with both hands, Val hurried back inside through the back door and peeked out the window again. It looked like Milgazia was about to assume that the cabin was empty, as he had received no answer. The older dragon turned to leave. Val hurried to open the door a little as soon as Milgazia was looking away and changing back into his dragon form; he picked up the bucket and placed it on top of the door. 

"Who was at the door?" Filia called from the kitchen, seeing as Val was taking longer than expected. 

Milgazia thought he heard something and looked back at the cabin. He found that the door was partially open and curiously made his way over. He looked inside and saw Val back in his elf form. The boy appeared to be contemplating something. Since the door was already partially open, Milgazia resolved to let himself in. By the law of gravity, the bucket that was precariously balanced on top of the door flipped and fell towards the area directly below it, which happened to be on a crash course with Milgazia's head. Needless to say, Milgazia was not amused. 

At that very moment, Filia had arrived on the scene to see why Val wasn't answering her, and witness the event of the falling bucket of water as if it was in slow motion. Her eyes widened, her jaw dropped and she froze in place. 

Milgazia removed the bucket from his head looking very much pissed off. He had been forgiving long enough; someone had to put a stop to Val's mischief. "Val," the golden dragon elder almost growled. 

Val knew he was in trouble, he had never seen Milgazia look that angry. He shifted uncomfortably and looked at the floor, "yes, uncle Milgazia?" 

"I'm so sorry!" Filia burst out all of a sudden, having finally found her voice. 

Milgazia raised his hand in a sign of silence, indicating that he would rather handle this himself. "You've been misbehaving a lot recently and that's not good." 

Before Filia could stutter out another apology, she was left in frozen silence again. Val had been misbehaving? Had not Jillas and Gravos been keeping an eye on him? Besides, Filia was missing a few months of memories, but she had apparently only actually been asleep for a few days. Had she not properly educated Val during the time she couldn't remember? 

Val shifted uncomfortably some more. "I don't mean to be bad." 

"What have your uncles Jillas and Gravos told you about things like this?" Milgazia reminded, still keeping a firm tone that was, Filia had to admit, kind of scary. 

"They said I should not throw food at you to try to start a food fight, or sneak into your house and doodle on your face when you're sleeping, or put dog food and hot sauce into your food, or crawl under the table and tie cans to your feet, or put butter in front of your house's door so you'll slip when you come out, or put bugs in your cloak, or spray ketchup on your clothes, or put purple dye in your shampoo," Val recited. 

Now that it was mentioned, Filia observed that the roots of Milgazia's hair looked more golden than the paler blond of the rest of his hair. That was probably a result of bleaching off the purple dye. Poor Filia was in absolute shock. Val was a terrible mischief maker that would make Xellos proud, though she wasn't sure why Xellos came to mind, probably because of the mention of purple hair. "I'm so terribly sorry!" Filia finally found her voice again to exclaim another mortified apology. 

Having been reminded of all his most recent perils, Milgazia was too angry to hear Filia as he continued scolding Val. "So now you put a bucket on top of the door? That's bad too!" 

Val pouted, his eyes becoming watery with tears. "I don't want to be bad. Tricks are supposed to be fun." At least that was what his father, aunty Zelas and uncle Fang had taught him. "You always look so serious, uncle Milgazia. I thought that this would cheer you up; I only wanted to make you happy because I think you're really cool. Are you mad at me? You don't like me anymore?" 

'Don't give in... Val needs to be disciplined... Don't give in...' Milgazia chanted in his head to no avail. He couldn't do this; he'd had to be heartless not to think that, when explained in such a way, Val's mischief was kind of sweet. Val looked like he was going to cry, and really, Milgazia didn't want to see that. He knelt down to Val's eye level and gently ruffled the boy's hair. "It's okay, I'm not mad at you. It's just that I don't like pranks, but I still like you. Please don't play any more tricks on me, okay?" 

"Okay," Val agreed. "Sorry I bothered you, uncle Milgazia." 

"It's alright," Milgazia smiled. He then whispered something so that only Val could hear it. "You should save your tricks for your father and tell me all about it later." Milgazia was sure he would have an awesome time hearing about Xellos being terrorized by a child, it would be priceless just punishment. 

Val nodded with a plotting grin and a mischievous glint in his eyes. By then Filia had calmed down significantly and no longer felt as if she was a step away from going into cardiac arrest. She was still terribly shocked at all the mischief Val had caused, but found some consolation in the fact that it was all well intended and it looked like Milgazia had forgiven him. 

"You wanted this, didn't you?" Milgazia pulled out a blue yoyo from his dragon robes' pocket and gave it to Val. 

"It's just like that toy I saw before, the yoyo!" Val recalled. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Some time earlier, Milgazia stood on top of a mountain peak observing the dragons of his clan going about their business in the valley below. Val curiously approached. He knew that uncle Milgazia was a good person, but he was so serious it made the young ancient dragon feel uneasy. Val looked at the dragons in the valley, he got the feeling they didn't like him very much, as they tended to avoid him and generally stay away from him. He spotted a young golden dragon, only a few decades old, playing with an unusual toy. The sphere appeared to be made of wood and it spun on a string as it went up and down. That toy looked like it would be fun to play with. 

"Do you like yoyos?" Milgazia's inquiry got Val out of his transfixed gaze on the spinning toy. 

"Yoyo?" Val asked with curiosity and a bit of lingering shyness. "Is that what that spinning toy on the string is called, uncle Milgazia?" 

"That's right," Milgazia replied. "I used to have one of those when I was little," he recalled. 

"Yoyo..." Val mused aloud, "it looks like fun." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"You can keep it, it's for you," Milgazia voiced. 

Val's face brightened, the tears that previously threatened to fall were completely gone now. "Thank you, uncle Milgazia!" Val tackled Milgazia in a hug, then went to show his new toy to Filia. "Look mommy, uncle Milgazia gave me a present!" 

Filia smiled radiantly and ruffled Val's hair. "that's a very nice yoyo." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

In a dark underground laboratory at Wolf Pack Island, Celo was working on a machine that was surrounded by gears. It seemed to be his favorite way to power his contraptions, even if the mechanisms were built for entirely different purposes. In the middle of the gears, which were not as many as in the machine used to call for the power of the Sea of Chaos, there was a glass orb and inside it was Solex. He had become increasingly unstable with the passing of time and he was close to falling appart. 

"We're beings of chaos," Zelas spoke, while Celo occupied himself in recalibrating the magical machine. "We draw chaos towards us and it is because we absorb it that a certain amount of perceived order can exist in between. Yet the components of your chaos were only hastily placed together and should they come undone, you'll dissolved, your chaos being absorbed into the world, fusion child." 

Solex, who was in his young child form, looked up at Zelas from inside the glass. "Is this really the limit of my usefulness, master Zelas? I wish to exist for much longer." 

"Though your power is not much now, it was expected to grow. Yet it seems you won't last that long," Zelas voiced. "It's a pity," she admitted. "You are my minion's minion and therefore my minion. You would have been an interesting minion to have. The world was not supposed to recover to this point. I'll have to cause an extra amount of trouble to correct the miscalculation," she eyed Celo dangerously. 

The monster human chimera finished tuning the machine and bowed. "I once again give you my deepest apologies, Lord Beast Master," he spoke in his usual very respectful tone of voice. "It was because of my miscalculation that a great good has been brought upon the world. I shouldn't have underestimated the amazing and unpredictable power of the Sea of Chaos. My only concern had been the world being absorbed by the vastness of the Sea of Chaos. I did not expect for it to be restored to this point." 

"A terrible miscalculation indeed," Zelas glared. Though Celo was still a useful minion overall, so she had decided to keep him around, to keep him alive. Besides, it was her miscalculation too. "About Solex," she moved on to the topic at hand. "Is there a possibility to keep him alive? If he falls apart, he will be ruined, gone forever from this timeline as far as we know." 

"There is a way, but it is round about and risky," Celo admitted. "This machine cannot keep him stable for too long, yet if his soul was placed into a new vessel, a stable vessel; that would be enough. However, the vessel must be similar to his peculiar nature or the soul will not be able to reside in it." 

"A stable vessel..." Zelas mused. "Valgarv wasn't exactly stable, but he wasn't about to come apart either. A dragon with monster energy inside... Creating such a vessel is not a simple task. I wonder if it will be more trouble than it's worth. Then again," Zelas grinned as she further thought about it. "Xellos' pet, Filia, is quite fond of the child of fusion. She will go to great lengths to save him, no doubt about it. I heard she has been staying with Milgazia's clan lately. Xellos' pet will do the work for me and my little minion will return. Iago!" 

A red monster parrot appeared out of the astral side. It was the same one who was present when Rezo was summoned before. "Yes, Lord Beast Master? Do you have a valuable treasure for me to take care of for you?" 

"As if I would trust you with such a task," Zelas chuckled mockingly. "Go tell everyone to get ready. That information recovered from Rezo's old abandoned laboratory about a certain special type of jar during our earlier investigations will come in handy after all." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

While her minions made the needed preparations, Zelas teleported to Xellos' room and observed the shape lying on the bed among purple cushions. It was a black cone as big as a man, which used to have a few cracks on it, albeit they had faded away over the past few days. He was a monster again, but he had been damaged in a dangerous way. The spell he casted probably caused an adverse reaction because he wasn't originally a human. It was another terrible miscalculation, albeit this one was completely Zelas' own, not that she would ever admit to making a mistake. 

Beast Master tried again to awaken Xellos, calling him with her energy. This time the result was much better than in previous occasions, as she actually got a reaction from him. Slowly, Xellos took on his human-like shape, his hair now purple, as he was truly a monster. He remained still on his bed, without even the simulation of a breathing rhythm, though he was very much alive. "Xellos..." there was no reply. "Xellos..." still there came no answer. "Wake up, brat boy!" 

Xellos immediately sat up, as if bouncing off an imaginary spring. "I'm awake!" Strangely enough, he didn't remember going to sleep in the first place. "Lord Beast Master?" 

"Well, it looks like you're alright after all," Zelas observed him critically; his energy was okay at least. "It took you long enough to recover from that little accident." 

"Accident?" Xellos asked in confusion. "I was in an accident? Last thing I remember I was on my way to follow your orders and choose dare. Am I late?" 

Zelas raised a suspicious eyebrow at Xellos. "That was last summer, back in July." 

"You mean it's not July now?" Xellos inquired in confusion, "or even summer?" What in the world could be strong enough to knock him out? Let alone for such a long time. 

"We're in the spring time, it's December now," Zelas stated somewhat exasperated. As if she didn't have enough to deal with already, now she had to add an amnesiac general priest to the list. Perhaps his pet dragon had amnesia too, since she was so close to him when the explosion happened and was also injured. That would explain why she had not showed up looking for a way to enter Wolf Pack Island and fuss about her dear husband. 

Xellos blinked in confusion. He knew it was best never to question Beast Master, her word was his law. Yet he couldn't help himself and before he could stop it, his mouth ran away with him as he inquired, "spring is in December?" 

"For now," Zelas replied. "A lot has happened and the world nearly ended. Yet unfortunately, it was not by my hand. Albeit I have decided I would much rather torture the world eternally or at least for as long as possible. After all, if I return it to the Sea of Chaos, it will simply be reborn all over again and it might actually turn out more peaceful the next time around. Death is too merciful, chaos is best. Either way, about the seasons, they'll probably fall back into place in a couple of years." 

So the world nearly ended and he didn't remember any of this? Xellos was very disappointed. "Lord Beast Master..." There was a distinct tone of complaining displeasure in his voice. 

"Alright, alright, I'll fill you in on what you missed, you don't need to whine at me like a puppy," Zelas mocked. She would tell him the story of the past few months, but she would edit certain things out and let Xellos figure them out on his own. For the time being, it was best to keep things relatively simple. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The world felt as if it was at a stand still. The miraculous recovery of the land brought a great relief to those who survived, yet they could not soon forget the many losses they had all experienced, as the death toll had been frighteningly high. Yet for now, there was no immediate danger and also no immediate solution to the problem. The Stillness had retreated, hidden itself away and for the time being not even the spell that should grant access to its hideout was working. Attacking with the energy of the Sea of Chaos had been needed to weaken an otherwise impossible to beat enemy, but now that it was done, forcing it to come out for the final fight would not be easy. For the time being, everyone could only prepare, research and try to be ready for the return of the Stillness' attack. Thus the masses continued mostly living in ignorance and for those who knew the truth of the situation, they were living in uncertainty. 

Filia couldn't help it but to stare at the buildings under construction as she made her way down the street in Seyruun. She had spent several more days at Dragon's Peak before finally deciding to return to her shop, albeit she wanted to visit Seyruun first. She was very grateful to Milgazia and Memphis and she let them know. Yet Filia knew that the other dragons were not comfortable with her and Val there. They had not been openly hostile, but they were generally avoidant, afraid. It would take a long time for them to become accustomed to her and Val. Filia thought it was an effort worth pursuing, but the time wasn't right. 

She hoped to return to visit Dragon's Peak in the future when Val was old enough to understand the complexity of the situation enough to not feel hurt every time someone looked at him with fear. That was not how Filia wanted him to grow up, but if possible, when he was older, if he so wanted it, perhaps he could find a way to make peace. Maybe by then Milgazia would have been able to reassure his clan during a time that wasn't filled with danger and uncertainty and it would make things run much more smoothly. 

"Is our town like this too?" Filia inquired in worry, finally breaking the silence that reigned supreme among her, Val, Jillas and Gravos. Being told about the state of the world was vastly different from witnessing it. 

"Yes," Gravos replied with uneasiness. Filia had not yet been told she was no longer welcomed in that town. At least they were safe in Seyruun. 

"I hope everyone is alright," Filia voiced. "I'm especially worried about Hanna. She won't be able to handle repairs of this magnitude at her age and she has no children to help her. Although, I suppose Manna, Anna and Sasha's families are probably taking care of her." 

Jillas and Gravos remained silent for a long moment. Filia didn't remember Hanna's betrayal or her true identity as Venus. She thought of the Venus from the true yet incomplete story she was told as a whole different person. The solemn silence left Filia thinking that they were hiding something from her. Even when they told her many stories about the battles that took place, there were many details that were omitted, the details that were difficult to explain. There were no lies, but there were many blanks that led to convenient misinterpretations that sounded more logical than the full truths would have. 

The quiet was interrupted by obnoxious laughter as a woman in a very revealing outfit approached them. "Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha! Over here, Gravy, everyone!" 

"Gravy?" Filia questioned unsure under her breath. She turned her puzzled look towards Gravos who was... blushing? "You know this woman?" 

"Naga is..." Gravos trailed off into silence, not sure about how to explain it. It was sort of a long distance relationship since Naga was constantly traveling, but they wrote to each other often. 

"Epona!" Naga took both of Filia's hands in hers. "I heard about your terrible case of amnesia. Don't you worry, if you laugh with all your heart, I'm sure that the memories will start flowing back in no time! Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" 

Filia felt her eye twitch, "My name is Filia," she pointed out through gritted teeth. 

To be Continued


	42. Chapter 42

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 124: Suspicious! For You To Find Out

"They're here!" A little fox boy rushed down the Seyruun street to meet the group cheerfully. "Are you feeling better aunty Filia?" 

"Yes, thank you..." Filia replied with a smile, feeling herself calm down a little. She recognized the boy as Palou from Jillas' stories. That meant that his mother, Elena, was probably near by. Filia was let down the street by Naga, who insisted she had something to show her. The golden dragon was still confused about what was going on, but she tried to stay as calm as she could manage, then maybe people would stop sugar coating everything and tell her about the details she suspected they omitted. She found the strength to remain positive seeing how happy Val looked as he showed Palou the yoyo Milgazia had given him. It looked like the two boys were already great friends. 

Turning the corner to a street near the castle gates, Filia spotted a lovely two story building that had already been fully restored and looked as if it was only recently painted. The colors presented beautiful pastel shades, relaxing sky blue walls and glass display windows lined in golden colored frames. The second floor even had a cute little balcony with vases peeking out between the thin golden colored bars of the railing, easily seen but secured from falling. Filia recognized the vases as some of the ones Amelia had purchased some time ago. They contained lovely pink flowers that appeared to have been recently added. The glass displays on the top floor also featured more vases on one side and maces on the other, all of them crafted by Filia. The maces were supposed to belong to the Seyruun army, though Amelia temporarily confiscated them. 

"Miss Filia!" Amelia jumped off the small balcony, joining the others on the street below. "It's good to see you again! What do you think of the new shop? I put up some of my vases up there as samples so people can start looking forward to when it officially opens. Then you can put up your new merchandise and I can put those back in the castle. I added some of the maces from the army we got from your old shop too." 

"New shop?" Filia blinked in confusion. Apparently there was more than she imagined that Jillas and Gravos neglected to tell her. 

"Yes, oh that's right, I guess you wouldn't remember with your amnesia and all, but you had decided to move here to Seyruun." The princess cheerfully pointed at the second story of the building. "That's your brand new shop up there. The shelves inside are empty, but there are supplies and materials ready for use, so you can get creative and start filling up the shop shelves." 

"Wow," was the only thing Filia could manage to voice at first. So she had sold her old shop and moved to Seyruun? That was her logical conclusion at least. "You set everything up for me? Thank you." Although that did leave an unanswered question about what happened to the old merchandise, but Filia assumed that it was probably too troublesome to move everything and she had some kind of massive closing sale. She decided not to complain to Jillas and Gravos about not mentioning the new shop; they probably just wanted to surprise her. "The first floor is a bakery?" Filia curiously peeked at the glass displays with fresh bred, cakes, cookies and other baked goodies ready to be sold. 

"Yes," Amelia smiled, taking in the bakery's scents. "Elena runs a bakery on the first floor; her business is already off to a great start." 

Elena was Palou's mother and if she ran a business so close to Filia's, that meant that she was now living in Seyruun too, rather than simply being there for a visit. That would explain why Palou and Val were so close. It made Filia glad to know the boys would be able to play together often, since they lived in the same city. Plus Seyruun was a strong and safe city; it was really a good place to raise Val. Then there was also the advantage of being close to her good friend Amelia with whom she occasionally exchanged letters in the past. 

Naga had already taken Gravos inside to share a strawberry cake with him while Filia and Amelia talked. Val and Palou were happily snacking on some chocolate chip cookies. Elena was talking with Jillas, who had gone inside. They both welcomed Amelia and Filia as they went in. However, they couldn't talk for a long time as they were interrupted by the voice of an impatient Lina Inverse. 

"Filia! Jillas! Gravos! Val! Elena! Palou! Amelia! Naga!" The redhead sorceress shouted at the top of her lungs. "What's taking you so long? It's bad enough that Phil made us wait until Filia's group came back, now you're all going to make us wait even more? I want to start eating!" Gourry was, predictably, following Lina as usual. 

"Oh, don't be so impatient, Miss Lina," Amelia tried to calm her. "Let's not forget that this banquet is to honor the efforts of all those who participated in the battle that has truly not yet ended. Even though not everyone will be able to attend..." Solex, Xellos and Zelas, along with a few others, would most likely be absent. That would make things simpler, but at the same time, Amelia wished that everyone could be there. She had also learned about what happened to Kally, Kalio and Medusa, which saddened her. Yet she was always ready to persevere and try to make the world better for the sake of those who still remained. 

"But Amelia, the table is set, the triple banquet is ready to start and we're hungry," Gourry whined. 

"I might as well start with the appetizers," Lina took a step towards the bakery, but Jillas stood in her path. 

"I swore to protect these shops and I'll keep my word!" The fox stood unflinching despite facing the deadly danger that was a hungry Lina Inverse. 

"We better go to the castle's banquet hall before things get out of hand," Amelia suggested. "You can get a tour of the shop later, Miss Filia." Thus the group went on their way to Seyruun castle. 

The remainder of the day was spent feasting on a triple banquet that went on late into the night. Everyone knew to keep certain details about the past few months a secret so as to not shock Filia too much. No one really wanted to have to deal with a dragon form temper tantrum if she was terribly offended by the notion of being married to a monster, while not being able to remember first hand what brought about such a plot twist in her life. Filia had a good time, though she still felt like something was missing, but decided not to question it too much. The feeling of missing something was only natural given her amnesia, and the missing details would surely fall into place soon enough. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A time of rest and recovery was upon the world and there was a lot to be repaired. The Stillness could not be reached and it remained inactive for the time being. Everyone went on with their lives all across the land. Amor Resort was repaired just enough to be somewhat functional. Martina, Zangulus and Sylphiel continued working there. They were joined by Phythan and Onyx, doing various tasks around the resort. Celo continued his job as manager and Tiffany completed her training in preparation for the eventual battle against the Stillness. Her appearance had vastly changed because of her chimera condition, but she was otherwise well enough. 

Pokota and his family returned to Taforashia, along with some helpers and supplies from Seyruun to rebuild. Xellos and Solex were still recovering at Wolf Pack Island as far as anyone knew and Zelas had been quiet lately. Fang also remained at Wolf Pack Island, he missed playing with Val, but since the danger of the Stillness using the death of the last ancient dragon to empower itself was, for the time being, not an issue, there was no real necessity to keep Val hidden. At least Fang could still play with Fili and the wolves. 

Philionel became the official king of Seyruun. The coronation was held as soon as things settled down in the city. His royal duties were the same as before, since he had been the acting king for a while. Amelia stayed in Seyruun to finish overseeing the city's full recovery and Zelgadis remained by her side. After Lina and Gourry feasted in the many recipes that Seyruun had to offer, they went off on another journey to hunt down treasures and apprehend bandits, to pass the time until new information about the Stillness came. Maybe they would hear something useful on the road. 

Filia settled into her new life in Seyruun and soon filled her shop with new products. It was fun setting up the vases and maces and polishing them with the scents of the bakery in the first floor in the air. Gravos and Jillas were still helping as always, now assisting both Filia and Elena's businesses. Naga had left on another trip around the world after attending her father's coronation when Seyruun had become stable. She had promised to write regularly. Palou and Val would always play together, enjoying the time of relative peace, as peace could only exist if it was relative. Overall, Filia mused that aside from the looming danger of the Stillness, her life was good, yet there was something missing. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At Wolf Pack Island, Zelas sat on her throne, contemplating the flier in her hands. The world had survived the apocalypse as far as most people knew. Of course, the danger was very much still present, but they assumed it was over. With heavy losses and much mourning over lost love ones, the people of the world united to try to do something that would lift their spirits. They intended to accomplish such a purpose in friendly competition in the form of a world wide brass rackets tournament. 

Most of the lands of the peninsula, which was once inside the barrier, had united to conduct two massive elimination rounds. The two competitions slightly modified the rules of classic brass rackets, making the matches to be played one on one. Each competition was exclusively for men and women respectively. The purpose was to find the strongest team to form the two halves of the classic male and female brass rackets team that would compete in the world wide tournament, which would follow the sport's classic rules. 

Zelas was all too eager to both enjoy the event and make a big mess of it. She could use this opportunity to further prepare for the eventual battle against the Stillness. She would be even more closely linked to the world and in less danger due to her condition of being purely astral if there were that many more people who couldn't stop thinking about her. She would climb the ranks in disguise and reveal herself as Beast Master at the world wide tournament, turning the event into chaotic pandemonium. It was a win-win situation in every way, she would have fun, she would have a feast, she would rain on the world's false parade and she would become stronger. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A few days later, Milgazia made his way through Dragon's Peak, walking to his house, a few golden dragons scurrying out of the way of his path. It was not that they feared or disliked their trusted leader, but rather that they wished they had been kinder to his guests. Just as Milgazia assured, no harm had come from allowing Filia and Val to live among them for a few days, but that didn't seem to sink in until they were gone. That left several of the Water Clan dragons wishing they had shown Milgazia more support when it was really needed. Some just didn't feel like facing him just yet, he wasn't angry, but they were regretful. Admittedly, a few were also glad that the so called traitor and her ancient dragon child were gone, but disagreement was something that could be found on almost any group of any kind. 

Memphis was in front of Milgazia's mountain cabin, trying to towel dry an energetic looking Justice, but the pale yellow husky wouldn't sit still. "Oh fine, you can go play now. Just don't get dirty!" She released him and stood to greet Milgazia. She was dripping wet as it is the fate of anyone trying to bathe a dog. "Hey, I wanted to show you this." From her pocket, the elf retrieved a very wet flier. 

Milgazia received the paper, first taking the time to thank Memphis for getting Justice all cleaned up, then examining the flier with curiosity. The ink was blurred and difficult to read, but from what he could perceive, the flier was advertising the upcoming world wide brass rackets tournament. It also invited the general public to sign up for the men and women's competitions in hopes of earning a spot on what was advertised to be the ultimate classic brass rackets team. Milgazia had a pretty good idea about why Memphis would bring this up, thus he inquired. "Are the rumors true? Has Zelas entered in disguise?" 

Memphis herself had infiltrated the women's elimination tournament and found that Zelas was indeed participating. She had an alternate sporty look, with short orange hair and blue eyes, going by the alias of Yuna Wolf. "Yes, she hasn't even shown her full skill yet, though she managed to best me at the court," Memphis pouted. 

"Zelas wasn't happy with how the energy borrowed from the Sea of Chaos restored the world to better conditions than she calculated," Milgazia reminded. "I was expecting her to try to take back some of that, so to speak. She must be plotting to cause trouble, no doubt about it," he concluded. 

"What can we do?" Memphis asked, she knew that a direct confrontation during one of the brass rackets competitions would bring many innocent by-stander casualties and was thus out of the question. 

"This situation must be handled carefully," Milgazia voiced. "Finding out what exactly Zelas is plotting will be vital to getting the situation under control. They are still taking late entries in the elimination rounds, aren't they?" 

"Yes..." A look of realization soon overcame Memphis' features. 

"Zelas will surely win the women's tournament. In order to keep an eye on her, I'll have to win the men's tournament and become her brass rackets partner." Milgazia knew that it was easier said than done, but he was determined not to allow Zelas to take back the progress that the world had made. She wanted to torture the world more so than kill it, but that was a pretty bad fate in itself and Milgazia needed to make sure the pain didn't get too far out of hand. After all, character building and extreme torture were two entirely different things and he would rather the world have a healthy amount of the former, rather than an excessive amount of the latter. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Later, Filia hummed as she polished a large base at her new shop at Seyruun. A peculiar feeling invaded her senses as a certain monster general priest teleported into the shop. She turned her glaring eyes on him, not showing any outward signs of the fact that she had been secretly wondering if he was really okay. He was an evil monster who deserved to be injured, but if it was the apocalypse itself which had been, at least temporarily, adverted, then the mysterious injury in question could be potentially dangerous, perhaps even mortal. She didn't want him dead; she was not the kind of person to wish death on anyone. Feeling a secret burst of relief only in the privacy of her mind, Filia's suspicious voice spoke the name of her uninvited guest, "Xellos!" 

"It's been a while, did you miss me?" Xellos inquired in the same mocking tone that characterized him. He was a monster again and Filia held no memories of him ever being anything else. 

"Why would I miss your annoyance?" Filia pouted and glared, setting aside the vase she had been polishing before she acted on the very tempting possibility of throwing it at Xellos' face. "Why have you come to bother me?" She placed her hands on her hips and gave Xellos a suspicious look, secretly hoping he didn't bring up any subjects that she was not fully informed about. Sure, it might give her a chance to obtain more information from him, but she didn't want to confess her amnesia. Xellos would surely find a way to tease her and annoy her about it and the missing memories by themselves were annoying enough as it was. 

"Comfort food," Xellos confessed with more truthfulness than Filia could ever guess, though his tone was just as cheerful as ever. 

"I'm not going to feed you!" Filia snapped. "If you're hungry, go buy something from the bakery downstairs and don't cause any trouble!" She felt an odd sense of familiarity in the activity of arguing with Xellos that was almost reassuring. 

"I might get some cake later, but it's not that kind of food that I'm looking for right now." Xellos explained, still grinning in mockery. "Besides, you're already feeding me." 

Wrath... What he wanted was wrath and Filia realized it. She gritted her teeth and mentally counted to ten hoping to calm her anger. She didn't want to feed Xellos. 'Life is wonderful and living is great,' Filia mentally chanted and when it didn't work fast enough, she tried to reason with herself. 'This isn't so bad; he hasn't done anything really bad yet. Maybe he's not fully recovered from his mysterious injury. Maybe he'll go away soon. Maybe I can just ignore him, this really isn't so bad. I have a nice shop in a great city. I'm surrounded by friends and family, Val is happy and I'm happy too. An insignificant detail such as Xellos won't annoy me. I won't let him get to me.' 

Xellos frowned as he felt Filia calm down into peaceful bliss. It didn't bother him as much as it should, but he still wanted her anger, he needed to eat something delicious the monster way after the terrible shock he received. Said shock was not about the near apocalypse that the world had gone through or about his missing memories. It was a shock far greater than the surprises he had received by all other events he witnessed in his life put together. It was a great and terrible shock indeed and he could really use some of Filia's delicious emotional nutrients as comfort food right now. "If I didn't know any better I would say you're happy to see me." 

Filia smiled, determined not to let Xellos win. "I heard you were pitifully injured and I felt so terribly sorry for you." Xellos was prideful and Filia knew it. Albeit he could accept assistance, if the situation so demanded it, pity was a whole different story. Surely he would hate it. 

"Oh really?" Xellos felt his eye twitch involuntarily before he quickly composed himself. "I'm sure you're terribly frustrated over the fact that I'm all better now. Your wish of my death will not be granted any time soon, cruel dragon." 

Filia frowned, that wasn't exactly the kind of counter argument she wanted to hear, not that she wanted to hear any counter arguments at all. "I don't wish death on you, or on anyone." 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 125: Exposed! The Truth Must Be Faced

Grinning teasingly, Xellos focused on the present activity of annoying Filia after finally having been able to go visit her at her new shop in Seyruun. He was feeling better already. "So you don't wish death on anyone? Not even the Stillness?" Xellos threw out the possibility. 

"That's different! I want that fiend gone, but that's only because for as long as it exists, it will try to kill us all!" Filia strongly argued. "That thing is not really a person, it can't change its ways," that's what Filia had concluded based on what she was told. "It took so many innocent lives," many more than she could remember. 

"Yes, I would say about a third, maybe even half, of the world's total population," Xellos stated in a sugar covered happy tone. 

Filia's eyes widened. She didn't intend to bring up the subject of the events of the past few months to keep her amnesia a secret from Xellos, but now that he had brought it up she was thirsty for more information. She wanted to know the kind of truths that Xellos would bluntly state with that inappropriate cheerful tone of his. The kind of harsh truths that her friends knew she wouldn't like to hear, but needed to face. "You're not exaggerating?" 

"Not at all, Seyruun is in grand conditions in comparison to most other places," Xellos informed. "I take it you haven't had time to go around? Of course not, it's not like you care. In fact, you probably didn't even notice the supplies Seyruun has been sending around, because the lives of so many are just not important to you." 

Filia ignored Xellos' teasing. His extreme critiques didn't bother her anymore, she knew better than to take them to heart. Yet the facts where still harshly present. More than ever, she felt the need to check on the town where she used to live. She had assumed that it was recovering just as Seyruun was, but that might not be the case. Had Jillas and Gravos even had time to visit while taking care of Val and her during her coma of several days at Dragon's Peak? Without another word, Filia walked past Xellos and headed downstairs. 

"Walking away in the middle of a conversation and ignoring your guest? How rude!" Xellos exclaimed with exaggerated offence. "I'm not surprised though, you are a dragon and dragons are barbaric brutes with no manners what so ever." 

Still ignoring Xellos, much to his annoyance, as he followed her, much to her annoyance, Filia made it to the bakery downstairs. She arrived on time to see Gravos returning from delivering a large heavy base that the buyer couldn't quite carry alone. "Gravos, could you mind the shop for me for a while? I need to go out for... maybe a few days." 

Gravos was about to agree, at first assuming that Filia was going out for a few minutes or hours at most, but when she said days it took him by surprise. "Days?" 

They wanted to be gentle with her, that much was clear. Maybe a disaster had happened in their old home town which was the real reason that led to their move to Seyruun. Filia didn't want to push her family into reliving the situation and knew they were just trying to protect her by keeping it quiet, which were all the more reasons to go on her own. "It's nothing, I'm just..." She couldn't tell the truth, but she didn't want to lie. 

Xellos wrapped his arm around Filia's shoulders, annoyingly pulling her close to him. "We're going out on a romantic get away for a few days." He grinned with his most sarcastic squinty eyes smile. 

Before Filia could harshly slap his arm away and yell a few insults at Xellos, Gravos nodded with a smile. Perhaps Filia's memories were coming back if she apparently had remembered that she no longer disliked Xellos. "Alright, have fun and don't worry about the shop and Val. We'll take care of everything." With his well wishes stated, Gravos merrily made his way up the stairs to the vases and maces shop. 

Filia stood in frozen shock, her mouth slightly agape. "He believed it..." she concluded in horror. How could Gravos sound so sincere? He didn't sound like he was joking at all and surely he knew better than to make this kind of terrible joke anyway. Then again, it was worse that he would actually think it was true. Didn't he know Filia better than that? 

"Your stupidity must be rubbing off on him." Xellos stated as a matter of fact with some surprise of his own. He didn't think Gravos was this gullible. 

Pushing herself out of her shock, Filia removed Xellos' arm from around her shoulders and went off to say her remaining farewells before leaving. Xellos stood next to her in every occasion and no one question why Filia was apparently going somewhere with him, though she was hoping he wouldn't follow her. The way they were all so calm around Xellos unnerved Filia, but she figured it was all a result of the stress from the recent dangers. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After a long flight, during which Xellos attempted to hop on Filia's back several times, promptly causing her to spin wildly in mid air to throw him off, and a few rest stops along the way, Filia finally arrived at her previous place of residence. The location was terribly run down and the locals were not happy to see her. "Dragon!" They screamed as she landed, though Filia was more focused on finding a suitable pile of debris behind which she could transform into her smaller shape. Her mind was also occupied by the concern of Xellos peeking at her. 

In short, by the time Filia was back in her elf form, she noticed too late that she was surrounded by an angry mob. "Everyone?" She stared at them unsure. "What's going on?" 

"Why have you come back, dragon?" Someone in the crowd asked in a very accusing tone. "Are you here to try to devour us in revenge for burning the remains of your old shop? You're not welcomed here, not you or your beast friends!" 

Filia stepped back in shock. She was unable to find her voice seeing the townspeople like that. "It's true, it is her!" Sasha approached the angry mob, pointing at Filia. 

"That horrible dragon is back!" Anna dramatized. 

"Go away you wild creature!" Manna shouted angrily. "You're nothing but trouble!" 

"No doubt about it, those tree chimera we had attacking the town earlier were looking for her," Sasha accused. "Because of her bringing danger to our peaceful town so many people died, including Hanna who was always so kind to Filia. She's such an ingrate!" 

"Yeah and it was her friend that leveled the mountains just outside of town, they're so violent!" Anna added. 

"It's no wonder the beasts she kept with her turned out to be horrible murderers, one just had to look at them to know!" Manna yelled. 

"Oh yes, she does make weapons for a living," Sasha agreed. "Then when the zombies attacked right before the end of the apocalypse, she was nowhere to be found, the coward." 

Filia's eyes were filled with tears; she didn't understand any of this. She had heard about Lina blowing up a mountain when she was attacked by monsters while looking for some spicy herbs, but she didn't think anyone cared all that much. Filia had heard about the tree snake chimeras and Venus, thinking of her as a whole different person from Hanna, whom she thought was still alive. She had not been told about the visit to Beast Master's Spa in the astral side. She didn't know Venus and her forces had apparently been after her, though in truth they were actually hunting for Xellos that time. 

Hanna was dead? Many of the townspeople were dead? She had put them in danger? Jillas and Gravos' reputations were ruined because of her? This was her fault? They hated her, the whole town hated her. Filia was paralyzed. She couldn't speak, she couldn't' move, she couldn't even feel the abundant tears flowing from her eyes. The angry mob was going to attack her with murderous intent, blaming her unrightfully for all that had gone wrong and she just stood there like a rag doll. 

"Are you going to move, stupid dragon?" As he voice the question with an obvious negative unspoken answer, Xellos teleported Filia away. 

The distance of the teleportation was short, so Filia didn't get a harsh wave of sickness because of it, but she was already feeling terribly sick because of what happened in the ruins of town. She could see the town far away as she stood in a valley that was once a mountain. She was still speechless, still motionless, still trapped in deep sorrow. 

"Honestly, I prefer wrath, but I suppose this will have to do," Xellos teased, hoping to get some kind of reaction from Filia. He stood directly in her line of vision and leaned close to her face with a big smile. "I thank you for the meal." 

Filia felt herself tremble with the pain of the hardships she had forgotten and still could not remember, which only made it worse. "They hate me," she sobbed. "They hate Jillas and Gravos too. They even hate Lina. Why did this turn out so wrong? Why did innocent people have to get involved in my problem, in my fight? Hanna... I cared for her like a mother and she's gone!" Filia's voice increased in volume until she was all out wailing. 

"You really are pathetic, stupid dragon," Xellos criticized unhelpfully. "You knew there was a harsh discovery waiting for you here," though she expected something different, "but you still came anyway. If you couldn't face the truth why didn't you just remain in ignorant bliss like the pathetic fool you are?" This was annoying, Filia's sorrow had a particularly bitter quality to it, he wanted wrath, delicious wrath to feast on, not this overrated monster dish. 

Filia sniffled; Jillas and Gravos were only trying to spare her from reliving the pain. She was upset at them for hiding this, but she could hardly blame them. They probably thought she would fall apart and they were sadly right. She took in big deep breaths and tried to calm down. She was happy up until the point when she got the urge to return to that town. If that idiot Xellos hadn't shown up and brought up the subject of the world wide losses, she wouldn't have gotten that sudden impulse to take off. 

Stupid Xellos, it was all his fault, everything was his fault! Just as for the townspeople everything was her fault. She shook her head. Xellos was a horrible monster, but he had plenty of real facts to get blamed for, thus Filia decided that she did not want to blame him for something that was actually not his fault. He didn't know she had amnesia and as much as she hated to admit it, he was doing her a favor by indirectly making her discover what she had been unknowingly ignoring. 

Filia had decided after her discovery of the ancient dragons' fate that she wouldn't hide from the truth, even when it was difficult to face. She dried her tears and let out one last sorrowful breath, before taking in some fresh air with intentions of speaking. Her words were interrupted before they could even form on her lips as the angry mob from town approached in the distance. The group was now larger with more people having joined the dragon hunt. Filia hurried away, desperately looking for a hiding place to transform. 

"Isn't it faster to fly?" Xellos sarcastically inquired as he hurried after Filia. She had managed to make herself calm down noticeably and stop crying. He wondered what she was thinking of to have achieved that effect. 

"I would fly if you would look away!" The angry mob was still pretty far, and Filia was getting further away from them. From that distance they wouldn't be able to see much if she transformed. Yet Xellos was right there, annoyingly floating next to her as she ran. 

"You want me to look away so you can transform with some privacy?" Xellos inquired the obvious with a look of false innocence. 

"Yes!" Filia shouted. She knew all too well that he would not grant her request. 

"How very considerate of you," Xellos sarcastically replied, grinning in amusement. "It's about time you started minding your manners, but you don't need to worry about me. You've already transformed in my presence before and I've already seen every gruesome detail. If the sight of your horrendous body didn't traumatize me then, it won't traumatize me now." Filia's wrath had returned full force and Xellos was very much enjoying it. This tasted so much better than plain old sorrow. 

Filia's face turned scarlet in embarrassment and anger. Her blood felt like it was boiling. "Xellos!" In a fit of rage, she transformed and tried to hit Xellos. She punched, she kicked, she swung her tail around and even bashed her head into the ground in an attempt to crush him. He took off higher into the skies laughing merrily and Filia was quick to give pursuit. She shot one laser beam after another trying to at least partially decimate the horrible annoyance. It was true that she didn't really want him dead, but she wanted to cause him pain, horrible terrible pain. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia's later return to her shop at Seyruun was filled with exhaustion, both physical and emotional. Unfortunately for her, she was unable to injure Xellos. She greeted everyone, making her return known, then she went straight upstairs to her room in the back of the second floor. She took a bath and lay down on her soft and inviting bed for a nap. She would have a long talk with Jillas and Gravos as soon as she cleared her head a little. 

Xellos showed up again at the bakery for a tangible snack and happily sat at one of the outdoor tables recently added to the establishment enjoying the sweet treat. He was not expecting Jillas to approach him with a most peculiar conversation. "Did you tell her everything?" The fox beastman asked with curious concern. He wondered if Filia's memories were really returning or if Xellos somehow convinced her to go out with him even if she didn't sound so fond of him not long ago. 

"Everything?" Xellos questioned, preceding the action of taking another bite of his delicious chocolate ice-cream pie. 

"You know, about what the boss doesn't remember because of her amnesia." Jillas explain in what was, from his point of view, a very clear way. He assumed that Xellos remembered everything that had transpired leading up to the unusual wedding and beyond. 

"Oh, that," Xellos pretended he wasn't partially in the dark too. Beast Master had only given him the basic summary after all. At least Xellos wasn't the only one with amnesia, though Jillas obviously didn't know about that detail and assumed Filia was the only one missing some memories. "I only told her about a few details about the general state of the world, nothing too shocking. Oh yes, and she also knows the people of her old home town hate her. That's where she wanted to go." 

The fox paled, though it wasn't really noticeable under his fur. He stared at Xellos' ever present grin as he ate his sweet chocolaty snack. "The town..." Filia had looked terribly tired when she returned, but not as emotionally distraught as he would imagine her to be after such a horrible discovery. He assumed that Xellos must have consoled her. "I suppose she had to know eventually. Thanks for being there for her." 

Xellos had to pause, mouth open, a portion of chocolate on the tip of his spoon, waiting to be eaten. He put down the silverware on the plate next to the remaining chocolaty treat, the piece it carried still untouched. Apparently Gravos wasn't he only gullible one. It seemed that Jillas had also gotten it in his head that Xellos was in some kind of romantic relationship with Filia. The thought of relationships made Xellos remember his earlier near mortal shock and it made the thought seem terribly wrong. He was wasting a golden opportunity to tease and embarrass Filia, but given the peculiar circumstances concerning Beast Master, it just didn't seem funny anymore. Thus he clarified, "we're not really dating. I only wanted to see Filia's reaction if I told Gravos we were." 

Jillas blinked in realization. Then that could only mean that Filia's amnesia was still going strong. Xellos knew about it, everyone in the group knew about it, so someone must have gotten him up to speed even before Jillas mentioned it. Xellos was probably trying not to shock Filia too much by keeping their status as a legally married couple a secret from her. "I see... Maybe it's better this way." Because in her current mental state, Filia would probably demand a divorce... while throwing a very dangerous hissy fit. 

"Agreed," Xellos simply stated, still trying to push the thoughts of the shock out of his head. After feasting on Filia's wrath, feasting on some sweets and staying away from Wolf Pack Island for the duration of Filia's trip to and from her previous home town, Xellos felt a bit better. He was still in shock, but his mind was clear enough to actually do something about it. He couldn't directly take action, Beast Master would be most displeased, but maybe if he could indirectly influence the other side, everything would work out. 

Xellos needed a pawn, someone to use in order to influence 'him.' If it happened to be a dragon that would make things easier. Maybe Filia... Nah, she wouldn't be so easily tricked, not to this magnitude at least. Then again, Xellos was certain that Filia would find the terrible discovery just as offensive as he did. He wouldn't need to manipulate her at all, because if she knew, she would willingly help set things right. Rather than a pawn, she would be his teammate. Of course, that would involve actually confessing the terrible thing that had occurred, which he assumed begun at some point while he was unconscious for several days. That would be terribly embarrassing. 

Nonetheless, if Xellos didn't do anything to right this terrible wrong, sooner or later, the mortifying fact would be known by many more people than just Filia. It was difficult waking up with missing memories to a world that was insane. Maybe that chaotic energy that was fed to the planet had some kind of side effect or something, because the occurrence was certainly crazy. Thus it was decided. Xellos would confess the catastrophe to Filia and she would volunteer to influence 'him.' Then finally the world would be set right side up again. Xellos liked chaos, but not this kind of beyond nonsensical ridiculous chaos. Albeit he should probably let Filia cool off for a while longer first. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 126: Shock! Celebrity Couple

Sitting on the roof of Filia's shop as the sun rose over the horizon to a new day, Xellos contemplated the moment when he found out about the shock. He had just recovered at the time and was walking down the hall at Beast Master's palace in Wolf Pack Island, minding his own business. He heard Zelas talking to Galathia as they made their way through a different hallway and stood at the corner hidden from view, listening to a portion of their conversation, cut off and out of context. 

"That's the full report from the monster rumor mill." Galathia finished with a tale that Xellos didn't quite catch. She was in fact talking about him and Filia. "Some are oddly amused, some are surprised and some simply don't believe it. However, other than those who have actually seen visual proof of the matter, many seem to think it's all some crazy rumor." 

"I suppose it is hard to believe," Beast Master agreed. "A monster and a golden dragon together..." 

Xellos was both surprised and curious. Who was Beast Master talking about? What golden dragon? What monster? 

"If it was a low rank monster, maybe even a middle ranked monster, or a monster chimera, then it wouldn't be so shocking," Galathia mused aloud. "But in this case, given the rank..." 

Xellos deduced that the monster in this odd involvement with a golden dragon was of a high rank. Maybe a general or a priest? Perhaps even a monster lord? That certainly narrowed down the possibilities. 

Galathia's next statement made dread start to build up in the pit of Xellos metaphorical astral stomach. "Many have been thinking of your recent behavior as suspicious, but I of course, completely understand." 

It didn't make this sound any better for Xellos when he remembered that Galathia was one of the more lustful monsters around, albeit her literally petrifying face didn't make things easy for her. Thus Xellos couldn't help it but to deduce, taking both the information and the informant into consideration, that a monster of a particularly high rank apparently had the hots for a golden dragon... ew. 

"I'm sure you do," Zelas stated dismissively, moving on to an entirely different topic with little verbal indication. Away from Xellos' view however, she had pulled out of the astral side a black golden lined agenda written in red ink, making it clear to Galathia that she was moving on to a different subject as she turned the pages looking through her notes. "Milgazia should be here soon." 

The dragon elder of the Water Clan had the audacity, not to mention the skill, to win the men's brass rackets elimination tournament and become the partner of the winner of the women's elimination tournament, Yuna Wolf. Such a name was the secret identity with which Zelas was entering the competition. Milgazia was going by something along the lines of Angel Dragon, the first part most likely to annoy Zelas and the second due to the fact that the most obvious disguises were the hardest to see through. 

The tournament only allowed humans and elves to enter, reasoning that the elves were similar enough to humans. Monsters were obviously not allowed to compete. The league claimed that beastmen, dragons and other such beings would have an unfair advantage because of their physical strength, never mind that it was a weak excuse given the fact that brass rackets was more about the strength of the mind. The point was that they would not be allowed to enter. Of course, no one would think that a dragon entering incognito would actually call himself Mr. Dragon. As for monsters, they were labeled as evil, blamed for the almost apocalypse, even if they were also adversely affected during its worse stage, and banned from competing. 

Zelas was very tempted to send Milgazia to an early grave, or better yet, to her oven, but she decided to let him be for the time being. It's not like he could stop her from causing chaotic mayhem by revealing her identity at the upcoming world wide tournament. He would probably be pushed into revealing his true nature as a dragon and that would cause more confusion and chaos. Perhaps having Milgazia as a brass rackets partner wasn't such a terrible thing after all. 

After having reached that conclusion, Zelas decided to follow up with her plans, undergoing some brass rackets training to make sure she put up a believable act on all the public appearances and exhibition matches she would have to go through before the official tournament took place. She couldn't show her true power, she had to run around the court and make the matches look close, as they would be for an ordinary human. Milgazia was, naturally, expected to practice along with her. 

Their coach and advisor, Wizer Freion, who was taking a break from his detective and police work for the time being, thought the odd pair had a long way to go. If he knew about the real identities of Yuna Wolf and Angel Dragon at the moment was anyone's guess. Maybe he had no idea, if he suspected something, he didn't show it. Although there was also the possibility that he was just playing along, feigning ignorance. 

Wizer often remarked that though Yuna and Angel were impressively skilled on their own, their team work was so bad it made amateurs look like champions. He insisted that if they didn't work together, they would be each other's downfall in the official tournament, not to mention they'll embarrass themselves in exhibition matches and interviews to the point that they might not even make it to the tournament. He suggested practicing together until they began to feel comfortable with each other and learned to tune their movements to each other. 

Miss Wolf and Mr. Dragon had in turn assured Wizer that they would practice together privately and tell him all about how it went later, this was to avoid having to put up an act more than absolutely necessary. 

"Have fun playing with him!" Galathia replied to Zelas' comment about Milgazia's time of arrival being close by in a completely non-lustful way with only innocent mischief. 

However, this was Galathia and she was known for being kind of a pervert, so Xellos took her comment the wrong way and questioned her sanity in speaking to Beast Master in such a way. His horror was still growing, pulsating like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode if the terrible theory actually turned out to be true. 

Zelas on the other hand, took Galathia's comment exactly as it was intended and assured, "I will." Which meant that she intended to annoy Milgazia while they practiced brass rackets. 

Zelas and Galathia's voices faded out of Xellos' hearing range as he fell back against the wall and slid down to the floor with his back resting on it. Zelas and Milgazia? No, absolutely not, that was completely and totally insane. Xellos refused to believe it, it was so crazy it wasn't even funny. He paced around in denial for some time, until he could no longer contain the need to rush after Beast Master and ask her to clarify the situation. 

When Xellos teleported near by, the first thing that Zelas noticed was that he looked rather disturbed. "Lord Beast Master, may I ask you a question?" 

Zelas had been making her way through the long hallways of her palace towards the surface of the island at a luxurious pace, having just parted ways with Galathia. Curious about what had Xellos in such an alarmed state of discomfort, she agreed. "You just did, but you may ask another." 

"With all due respect," Xellos hoped that he had misinterpreted what he heard and he also hoped that he didn't get punished for asking something so preposterous. But he needed to know, he needed to put his terrible doubts to rest. "What is your relationship with Milgazia?" 

A look of realization overtook Zelas' face. "Ah, so you've heard." She expected Xellos to be a little upset that Milgazia was the one playing brass rackets with her instead of him. "To put it simply, he is my partner for LIFE." To make it complicated, people cannot actually hear capital letters being spoken. Yet Zelas assumed that if Xellos was inquiring about her brass rackets partner, than he must know that LIFE meant League of International Fellowship on Earth, which was the name of the committee sponsoring the upcoming world wide brass rackets tournament. 

Xellos twitched as Zelas mused that he was taking this harder than she expected. "Seriously?" He stuttered, silently begging for it to not be true, after all, 'partner for life,' without the capital letters, was just a politically correct way to say lover. 

"Yes, for that reason, you must not kill him. Also you can expect to see him at Wolf Pack Island every now and then." Taking note of the look in Xellos eyes as if he had died ten times over, Zelas waved her hand dismissively and chuckled. "Don't be such a baby, Xellos. You're still my favorite minion," she teased. "Now go away, Milgazia and I need to be alone," so they could concentrate on their brass rackets strategizing and practice acting like humans on the court. 

"Alone?" Xellos twitched some more as Zelas continued her path down the hallway, leaving him standing there to twitch away his sanity. Maybe the world had not survived the apocalypse after all, maybe this was it. At least that's what it felt like to him, it was simply too horribly wrong. 

Shocked and appalled, Xellos went to spy on Beast Master outside of the palace, as soon as he composed himself enough to walk more than two steps without shuddering. In the surface of Wolf Pack Island, Xellos noticed the addition of a brass rackets court. Zelas was there, with her alternate sporty look in a brass rackets outfit. Milgazia was also wearing sports attire and they seemed to be talking, but Xellos was too far away to hear them. If he got too close, even if he managed not to be spotted, they would sense him and the suspicious proximity would make it impossible for him to pretend he just happened to be passing by. 

Out of Xellos' hearing range, Zelas approached Milgazia and looked at his ears. She had seen them pointy and elf-like and she had seen them rounded and human-like. As far as the tournament went, Mr. Angel Dragon was supposed to be a human. Even if elves were allowed to compete, humans were generally favored by the LIFE committee. "Do you think you can keep your ears like this?" She curiously moved his hair away from them with the tip of her finger, tilting her head slightly to the side to have a better look at his ears. "Not to mention keeping your tail out of sight?" 

"I can," Milgazia assured. "Pointy ears are a sign of a slightly incomplete human transformation, though sometimes dragons allow them as a show of solidarity for the elves." 

Xellos' pet, as Zelas referred to Filia, was younger, thus less experienced in changing into a human, which was probably why she never got rid of the pointy ears. Plus her tail apparently popped out without her consent rather often. "I see, well then, let's get down to business." Zelas knew Milgazia was doing this to keep an eye on her and she was making fun of him by allowing it. 

While the conversation between the golden dragon elder and the monster lord took place, Xellos watched part of the scene in mute, due to the distance. From his angle, they appeared to be standing closer to each other than they actually were, as it was difficult to calculate the distance of two bodies one behind the other from so far away. She reached over to... take his face in her hand? Xellos turned away at that point and refused to watch any further. If they were going to kiss, which couldn't be further from the realm of possibilities, he really didn't want to witness it. 

The painstakingly frustrated and truthfully horrified purple haired monster teleported to his chambers before he could witness the fact that his crazy theory was very wrong. He buried his face in a purple pillow and screamed into it, trying to let out his tensions in a very non-astral way. His pet, whom he didn't remember adopting or naming but had been told was called Fili Algar Metallium, jumped on the bed next to him and tried to comfort her master. 

Xellos petted Fili's soft fur. The little wolf-dog cub reminded him of Filia with her light blond fur and blue eyes. That's just what he needed right now, to clear his head by indulging in what a monster would call a good meal and Filia was just the one who could provide it. He needed her delicious wrath to feast on, he wanted some comfort food to get over the shock of the horror he just learned about and start thinking of a way to fix it. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Thus that brings us back to the present with the sun rising over the horizon, announcing the start of another day in the kingdom of Seyruun. Upon hearing some sounds coming from the living area below, Xellos realized that Filia was already awake. He teleported inside and waited for her in front of the stairs as she made her way across the area, towards the kitchen, which was located downstairs. 

The kitchen was spacious and comfortable, being equipped to handle the daily needs of a bakery and it was also the place where personal meals were prepared. Filia would cook something to add to Elena's delicious freshly baked bred that the golden dragon could already smell was being prepared. Then the whole family would sit down to have breakfast together. At least that was Filia's plan until she found Xellos blocking her path to the stairs. "Xellos!" She greeted him in the usual fashion of angrily spitting out his name like venom. 

"Filia," Xellos grinned in response in the same annoyingly mocking fashion he always did with an infuriating overly cheerful mask. 

"What do you want so early in the morning, raw garbage?" Filia had her hands on her hips, glaring daggers. 

"I have a business proposition to make," Xellos began to explain. "I must ask that you suppress your violent barbaric instincts for a moment and hear me out. I assure you that you'll see my point and will willingly participate of this alliance as soon as I've stated my case." 

"Alliance?" Filia huffed. "Why in the world would I willingly be your ally?" 

"Dragons and monsters don't really belong together, do they?" Xellos sounded like he was continuing the argument with Filia, but he was in fact beginning to state his case. People were easier to convince when they didn't know they were being convinced. He had thought up some good arguments while he waited for morning so he could talk to Filia without ruining his chances of obtaining her willing cooperation by interrupting her slumber in the middle of the night. Dragons were especially cranky when they didn't get enough sleep, Xellos assumed. Although it also stood to reason that any creature lacking in rest would be cranky. 

"No, they don't," Filia agreed suspiciously. She fully expected Xellos to say something about how dragons were too uncivilized and unrefined to understand monsters or some equally ridiculous argument. Yet the sarcastic remark she was expecting never came. 

Instead Xellos continued his argument, moving forward quickly since Filia appeared to be so responsive this morning. She had not even shouted her latest statement towards him. "It is unnatural and wrong for a dragon and a monster to be together. Maybe they can be acquaintances, maybe even allies if they have a common goal or a common enemy. But they can never, ever, under no circumstances be a couple. Right?" 

On the previous evening, Filia had a talk with Jillas and Gravos. They told her about the less pleasant side of the things she had missed and she managed to stay composed, albeit she still felt a dull ache in her heart. Xellos was still being omitted from the conversation though. Jillas and Gravos agreed that it was best to give him time to make Filia come around slowly so that the revelation didn't appear to be horrible to her. Besides, if despite their constant quarrels they got together once, they could go through the process all over again and end up happy a second time. Thus assuming Xellos was taking care of business in his own way in the romance department, they decided to give him some space. 

Filia blinked in confusion, her defenses disarmed by the sheer oddity of Xellos' argument about how monsters and dragons couldn't be a couple. "Right... Monsters don't love. They don't feel any sort of attraction, not towards other monsters and certainly not towards dragons. Because monsters can't be attracted to anything..." 

"That's not exactly right, but that's beyond the point," Xellos voiced in passing, before going back to his main argument. "The point is that-" 

"What do you mean that's not exactly right?" Filia interrupted. 

"Interrupting people is rude, stupid dragon," Xellos pointed out with a cheerful smile that didn't quite match the statement. 

"Answer me, raw garbage." Still feeling emotional, Filia was not in the mood for trickery. 

Letting out an annoyed breath, Xellos explained in a matter of fact, rushed tone, so as to not delay the more important matters too much. "Monsters can feed on lust," it was simple, precise and concise factual information. 

"Oh," Filia blushed and she expected Xellos to tease her, but he didn't. In fact, he looked rather uncomfortable himself. "Xellos?" She curiously prompted. 

"Anyway, as I was saying, it is completely nonsensical for monsters and dragons to be romantically involved," Xellos emphasized. He really didn't want to think about the possibility of Zelas feeding off a certain golden dragon elder's.. l... l... 'life is wonderful!' Xellos mentally shouted at himself, flinching as he did. 

"Yes, we agree on that much..." Filia nodded unsure. She shifted uncomfortably, feeling rather awkward with the subject at hand. Strangely, Xellos looked like he was suffering from discomfort himself, though not for the same reasons as Filia. "Um... are you alright?" 

"Perfectly fine," he grinned, while Filia stared at him, not with anger, but with concern. She noticed his change in behavior and it confused her. He let out a tired breath; there was no use in going in circles. Filia would know about Zelas and Milgazia soon anyway, so he might as well come out with it. 

Yet before Xellos could speak any further, Filia interrupted with an unexpected question. "What's your favorite monster food?" 

"Monster food?" Xellos curiously inquired. "As in my favorite negative emotion to consume?" Filia nodded. "It's wrath," Xellos truthfully replied without pausing to think about it. 

"And your least favorite?" Filia tried to stop herself from looking away shyly. This was silly; it was none of her business. Besides, she should have guessed wrath was his favorite. 

Xellos considered the question for a moment, "I find the flavor of sorrow to be the least pleasant, it's either overly bitter or kind of shallow, lacking in taste. Fear is pretty good, but wrath is still my favorite. Wrath is... kind of like high quality barbecued meat with a great secret sauce." 

"Oh," Filia was more interested in the conversation than she thought she should be. Somehow, when she thought that Xellos was just trying to sustain himself by annoying her, it sounded less horrible, albeit it was still very much wrong. Although it was almost, but not quite, excusable if it was out of necessity. "Can't you monsters feed on something pleasant to the one giving it?" 

Xellos paused and gave that question some thought too. He was allowing himself this little distraction only because Filia's curiosity amused him. He would have to tease her about it later. "Yes, actually," and now he was back down that road again. 

"Really?" The light of undue hope shone in Filia's eyes. "If you must constantly feed on me, why can't you feed on that instead?" 

"Such a direct offer," Xellos feigned shock, focusing on teasing Filia. 

"What do you mean?" Filia didn't like the way Xellos' grin grew. 

Xellos opened one eye, making it look like he was winking, sort of. "You're offering me your lust." 

To be Continued


	43. Chapter 43

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 127: Discussions! Fortune Cookie Wisdom

As it always happened, it didn't take long for Xellos to annoy Filia into raising the volume of her voice. "That's not it!" Filia yelled, quickly covering her mouth to avoid waking Val and Palou. "You know that's not what I mean, raw garbage." Surprisingly it was Filia who got the conversation back on track, only because she wanted to get away from the embarrassing topic of her nonexistent attraction towards Xellos. "What were you saying about business?" 

Right, it was time to go out with it. "I want you to talk some sense into Milgazia." 

That took Filia by surprise. "What do you mean?" 

"I know this sounds crazy and believe me it is, but the truth of the matter is that Zelas and Milgazia are... well... a couple," Xellos painfully push the words out with a clear look of intense disgust on his face. 

"Excuse me?" Filia blinked. 

"You heard me," Xellos insisted. "I'm not repeating such a nasty thing." 

"Calumny!" Towards both sides, ironically. "I should wash your mouth with soap!" Filia reproached in the same tone Amelia used for her justice speeches. 

"I'm tempted to let you," Xellos considered, quickly dismissing the silly thought. "I wouldn't say such terrible things about Beast Master if it wasn't true. You know I wouldn't, don't you?" 

"I suppose..." Filia mused. "Then that means..." Her eyes widened as her expression turned shocked. "It's true?" She finished in an almost fearful whisper of disbelief. 

Xellos nodded solemnly. "Beast Master won't listen to me. I can't argue with her about this, but maybe you can bring up a convincing argument to Milgazia. This is bad for both of us. I know you're not really involved with the golden dragons anymore, but I heard rumors that you've been to Dragon's Peak recently, so you must have spoken to Milgazia." 

"Yes..." Filia admitted. Being open minded about Val was one thing, but being open minded about nonsensical inappropriate relationships with high ranking monsters was crossing the line. "You're honestly not lying about this?" Filia knew he wasn't, this was too much, even for Xellos. "Alright, I'll talk to Milgazia and try to give him some advice, I'll head out today." 

Good, now Xellos only had to wait for Milgazia to realize how stupid he was being, breakup with Zelas and possibly end up as the main ingredient of her next batch of dragon cuisine. This was turning out better than Xellos expected. Now that it was all said and done, he was actually glad he went to Filia with his problem. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

This time, Filia told her family where she was going, albeit she didn't say why she was going to see Milgazia and everyone assumed it was a simple social visit. Filia began to address the difficult subject over a cup of tea, she and Milgazia were inside his house, alone, where no one could overhear their conversation. "I've been thinking..." Filia shifted uncomfortably and fell into silence, staring at her tea. 

"Yes?" Milgazia gently prompted her to continue after a long silence, but it wasn't working. "Filia, it's alright, you can be honest. Say whatever is on your mind, I won't take it badly. Don't be afraid to be direct. Honesty is the best way to say things." 

Filia nodded and took a deep breath. "Alright, here goes. I've been thinking about dragons and monsters and how different they are. To put it directly, no offense, with all due respect..." After much stuttering and stumbling over her words, Filia finally let it out. "I don't think a romantic relationship between a monster and a dragon could work out!" 

"I see," though he was surprised by Filia's outburst, ever the diplomat, Milgazia took it in stride. "I admit I agree with you. Although it is important to respect each individual's decisions. Every person has the right to be the architect of their own future." Naturally, Milgazia assumed that Filia was talking about herself, going to him as a fellow golden dragon for advice. He didn't know if her memories were back or not, but she had to be informed about her marriage to Xellos if she was talking about this. 

"Yes, I can agree with that too," Filia admitted, feeling like she wasn't going anywhere with this. "It's just that... well... making things work out..." She fell into another long and uncomfortable silence. 

"If it is that uncomfortable, there's always divorce," Milgazia suggested as gently as he could. "But that's a very personal decision, as is marriage. It is important to be careful about who you hold on to and even more careful about who you let go." 

Filia's jaw dropped. Milgazia was thinking about marrying Zelas already? "That's fast, don't you think?" 

"Excuse me," Milgazia apologized, interpreting Filia's surprise as if it were offense. He didn't want to make her feel pressured when she had come looking for support and he did want to offer her friendship. "Maybe it would be best to move slowly and see how things work out before making a choice. Considering every possibility is a vital part of careful decision making." 

"Yes," Filia paused, realizing what she was agreeing to. "I mean no! The choice should be obvious. I mean really." 

Diplomacy was one thing, but romantic advice was a whole different challenge. Milgazia wasn't sure what to say that didn't sound biased. "Sometimes the obvious turns out to be a mistake and the real answer is revealed later." 

Filia tried to come up with a counter argument but she couldn't. Why did Milgazia have to sound ever so wise, cool, calm and collected? He didn't sound like someone who was being manipulated by inappropriate desires towards a monster lord. At that point Filia blushed and lowered her face to stare at her tea. 

"Filia?" She still obviously liked Xellos, or so Milgazia assumed. "Follow your heart; I've heard that's the best advice." 

"Yes..." Filia nodded and that was the end of her mission. She couldn't do this; Milgazia had a counter argument for everything and that made her go in circles. He was like a less obnoxious and more diplomatic version of Xellos in that she couldn't argue with either of them. Then again, they really weren't similar and they would probably both be offended if she said they were. The rest of Filia's short visit to Dragon's Peak went by uneventfully. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A few days later, Filia was at her shop at Seyruun one fine afternoon when Xellos showed up unexpectedly. "Filia..." He said in an overly sweet sing-song tone through unfitting gritted teeth right in Filia's ear, making her drop the vase she was holding. "I thought we had a deal." 

"Don't sneak up on me!" Filia snapped as she began to clean up the broken vase. "I tried, I really did." This wasn't a complete surprise, she expected Xellos to show up to criticize her incompetence in persuading Milgazia to join the sane side of the world. She just didn't know when he would come. It figured his timing would be just right to make her drop something breakable. "Milgazia has a counter argument for everything and I don't mean smart-aleck comebacks like yours." Why did she ever think of comparing them before? "I mean deep wise sounding stuff that could be written in a fortune cookie." 

"If you can't argue with a fortune cookie you really are stupid," Xellos grumbled in annoyance. "So much for our alliance." 

"It's not over," Filia threw the broken pieces of the shattered vase into the trashcan. "First of all, you're paying for the broken base, and second, we're going to sit down and strategize. We have a common goal to achieve, to make Zelas and Milgazia breakup as quickly and quietly as possible. After all, it would be bad for both their reputations if their relationship was known." 

Not commenting on the part about the vase, Xellos grinned mischievously and extended his hand. "Partners?" 

To his surprise, Filia actually shook Xellos' hand, "partners." Thus a new alliance was formed, by two peculiar partners in crime with a single goal in mind, to make Zelas and Milgazia breakup. If only they knew that in reality their relationship was professional with slight hostility and not at all romantic. But alas, they didn't know and they were about to go well out of their way for the sake of righting a wrong that didn't even exist... which made it all the more difficult to correct. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

That morning, Xellos ended up having breakfast with Filia and her family. Val knew they were still playing that odd game about not telling Filia about certain people, so he refrained from calling Xellos, dad, daddy, father or any other such variations in Filia's presence. Nonetheless, the little ancient dragon was very happy to see his father again and celebrated by sharing his tricks with him. Although, Val was so excited over the return of his dad, that he didn't even bother being sneaky. 

That led to Xellos with a face full of toast, butter side of course. Which in turn led to Filia attempting to scold Val for trying to create a food fight and failing to sound scolding because she was laughing so much. From that point on, breakfast went on without incident, except for Val's yoyo colliding with Xellos' forehead every now and then. Xellos had a thing or two to say about Filia's parenting skills every time Val misbehaved and Filia always tried to scold Val between giggles, which wasn't very effective. If it was Xellos he was annoying, maybe she could let it pass. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After breakfast was done, Xellos and Filia headed over to Seyruun castle, as Filia insisted that Amelia's romantic novel expertise could be very useful in the process of strategizing. They agreed that the couple in question would be kept a secret because really, the less people knew about them the better. 

"I don't know if Val is really fond of me or really dislikes me," Xellos mused aloud as he and Filia made their way past the castle gates. The guards already knew them and no one tried to stop them from freely exploring the royal residence. 

"I don't think Val actually dislikes anyone," Filia truthfully replied. "He just gets a little mischievous now and then. You should have seen what he did to Milgazia." 

"I'm curious," Xellos grinned, encouraging Filia to share the story. He really wanted to hear about Milgazia's misery right now. 

"Val played a whole bunch of pranks on him," Filia frowned, remembering her shock at finding out her son was misbehaving so much. "Everything from doodling on his face, to sabotaging his shampoo and even the classic water bucket on top of the door and more! But it all worked out in the end and Milgazia even gave Val a yoyo. I'm telling you, that dragon has the patience of a saint to put up with all that." 

"So that's where Val got that yoyo," Xellos grumbled, though another detail also caught his attention. "Milgazia forgave all of that?" 

"Yes," Filia nodded. 

"I see..." That meant that Xellos playing the role of the impossibly bratty step-son and bombarding Milgazia with a multitude of pranks would not work to make him breakup with Zelas. It was a pity, because that sounded like a pretty good plan, but if Milgazia forgave everything, then it wasn't worth the risk of annoying Zelas with the interference. That was one more plan down the drain, so Xellos really hoped that Filia could use Amelia's information to come up with a good strategy. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos and Filia arrived at Amelia's room, the door was closed and odd noises could be heard from inside. "Almost there!" That was Zelgadis' voice and he was out of breath. 

"Don't stop!" That was Amelia's voice and she was also panting. 

"What are they doing?" Filia thought aloud before she could stop herself. 

"Isn't it obvious?" Xellos replied with more than Filia wanted to hear. "Spring is early and apparently so is mating season." 

Filia's face turned scarlet. "I think we should leave them alone." 

Xellos considered it, "maybe..." But he was not the most considerate person around. "Or maybe we should let them know that we're here and we know what they're doing. I can imagine their embarrassed red faces." He grinned in mischievous amusement. 

"That's mean!" Filia scolded. 

More suspicious noises came from beyond the closed door to the princess' room. "Let's try this, you go on that side and I'll go on this one," a breathless Zelgadis. 

"Wait..." Amelia panted. "I have a better idea, let's both go on top." 

Xellos blinked, "both on top?" 

"That's... well... um..." Filia stuttered. 

"How is that even possible?" Xellos inquired to no one in particular. 

"I don't know," Filia admitted. "I guess we're still pretty innocent by comparison, aren't we?" 

"It's a sad day when a monster is more innocent than a human." Xellos frowned and after a pause he knocked on the door. 

"Xellos! Don't interrupt them!" Filia tried to stop him, but it was too late. 

"That's it!" Zelgadis let out a breath of tired satisfaction. 

"Yes..." Amelia sighed happily. "Thank you so much Zel!" 

"You're very welcome," Zelgadis replied with a love-struck smile that neither Xellos nor Filia could see from behind the door, but somehow knew it was there. 

"I thought I heard someone at the door, come in!" Amelia called out. Xellos and Filia looked at each other, then Xellos bravely opened the door. Filia was ready to cover her face with her hands, but instead she stared. There were Zelgadis and Amelia sitting on top of a large tightly packed suitcase. "Miss Filia, Mr. Xellos, hi!" Amelia cheerfully greeted. "Oh my, I'm still a little out of breath. That was quite a work out." 

"Tell me about it," Zelgadis breathed. "I thought we would never get this suitcase to stay closed." 

"It's because of all the diplomatic stops daddy asked us to make when we go on our trip in a few days. We'll need formal clothes for the occasions and those take up a lot of room," Amelia explained. Turning back to her visitors, she inquired with a smile, "would you like some tea?" 

Both Xellos and Filia nodded and joined Amelia and Zelgadis around a table. Xellos discretely leaned close to Filia and whispered so that only she could hear. "Your mind is in the gutter." 

"You thought the same thing," Filia snapped under her breath, blushing bright red. 

Amelia sighed happily as she served the tea. Filia's memories were gone, but Xellos was, according to her interpretation, trying his best to win her heart again. It was so cute how he whispered sweet nothings in her ear that made her face turn such a lovely rosy color. From Amelia's point of view, the odd pair was making wonderful progress in getting back together. "By the way, Mr. Xellos, it's good to see you're back in good health. Life is wonderful, isn't it?" His hair was purple, he was a monster, but he should have developed a resistance to positive feelings. Of course, that only meant something if he actually believed he had it. "You know what they say; true perseverance shall always bear fruit!" It was secret encouragement for his apparent progress with Filia. 

"Wonderful," Xellos replied with heavy sarcasm. "Absolutely wonderful." All else aside, he tried to focus on the difficult explanation at hand. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"I refuse!" Amelia's voice echoed through Seyruun castle in righteous fury after Xellos had shared his story. The princess crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "You should be ashamed of yourselves!" She scolded adamantly. Filia had just requested use of her knowledge in helping breakup a couple, without saying who the couple was of course. Amelia had in turn reacted with extreme indignation. "How dare you interfere with true love? Don't you know they love each other? The caring looks in their eyes, the calm and peaceful strolls hand in hand through the park, the passion put into every kiss! They should be free to let the world know that they're in love!" Amelia was now standing on her chair, her right hand raised, pointing towards the ceiling in a heroic pose. Never mind that she had no idea who the couple was. 

After a moment of silence, Amelia got down from her chair and sat down again. Filia was shocked, Zelgadis was okay, Amelia was appalled and Xellos was muttering something under his breath. "Is he chanting a spell?" Zelgadis asked suspiciously. 

Filia curiously leaned towards the purple haired monster, trying to hear what he was so quietly whispering. "No..." She finally replied, surprised by what she heard. "He's saying that life is wonderful." 

"Really?" Zelgadis blinked while Amelia's pout turned into an encouraging smile. "Hey Xellos, did you turn into a masochist all of a sudden or are you just immune now?" The chimera inquired. 

Ceasing his chanting, Xellos replied, "I'm not a masochist. I'm just trying to create a distraction from a terribly horrifying mental image brought about by a certain someone's speech." After the cheerful explanation, he observed with a touch of perplexity, "although, it doesn't sting as much as it should. Maybe I have gotten stronger somehow." 

Amelia's eyes shone with great joy, "even if you're a monster, you can still enjoy the positive things in life. Life really is wonderful!" 

Filia sighed hopelessly, "I don't think they're going to understand unless we tell them the specifics." 

"We can't," Xellos refused. "Too many people know about this already." 

"How many?" Filia curiously inquired. 

"You, me, the pair at the center of the problem, obviously, and a few monsters." Xellos gave it some thought and found that he didn't like the possibility of many people already being aware of the circumstances. At least he reasoned that the lack of uproar in the monster and dragon races meant that not too many people knew, or at least the higher ups didn't. 

"What's two more? I trust them," Filia encouraged. She wasn't going to break her promise of keeping the secret, so it was up to Xellos to decide. 

After some consideration, Xellos finally agreed. "If it'll be helpful in this... But if Lina comes by we can't tell her, she'll blackmail me for food." 

"I agree," Filia nodded, while Amelia and Zelgadis remained in the dark about the peculiarities of their conversation. 

"I don't think it's such a great idea to tell Zelgadis either." The purple haired monster eyed the chimera suspiciously. 

"Zelgadis can keep a secret," Amelia insisted. Her curiosity for the secret was growing more and more by the second. 

"Of course I can," Zelgadis assured. 

Xellos remained silent and unsure for a while longer, before deciding to be daring and get the vital piece of information out in the open. "Zelas and Milgazia are dating." 

A vast silence invaded Amelia's chambers. The princess and the chimera stared in quietude for a long moment, until Amelia's capability of speech returned to her and she exclaimed happily, "that's wonderful!" 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 128: Development! The Procedures Of Forbidden Love

Filia twitched, musing that she should have guessed Amelia would look at the positive side with a very potent metaphorical magnifying glass. Xellos' reaction was far less quiet than Filia's as he snapped, "it's not wonderful! It's terrible! A monster lord and a dragon elder? That's insane!" Zelgadis opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it and closed it again. Though no sounds escaped the chimera, the action did not go unnoticed by Xellos. "Got something to say?" He demanded, feeling like an idiot for letting Zelgadis in on this terribly mortifying piece of information. 

"Well," Zelgadis calmly began. "It is alarming, given their positions," he stated truthfully. "But it is their choice in the end and we'll all have to accept it. They're a lot more experienced than all of us; they've been through a lot in their long lives. Don't you think that they must already be aware of the risks of their relationship? I don't think we should interfere. Just let them be, I'm sure they'll figure out a way to work things out." 

That was not the kind of verbal vengeance Xellos expected from Zelgadis. Wasn't the chimera supposed to hate him? He did last time Xellos checked, which was before the time period that was missing from his memories. Then why did Zelgadis look so supportive, so positive? "Amelia is rubbing off on you," Xellos finally concluded. Zelgadis was supposed to be gloomy and bitter, but he wasn't. Yeah, the world was going insane alright. 

"Zelgadis is right, we should let them work things out," Amelia smiled from ear to ear. "No offense Mr. Xellos, but maybe you shouldn't meddle, this is their personal business." 

"They're a monster lord and a golden dragon elder!" Xellos insisted on his main argument. "Of course it's my business. I'm Beast Master's only general and priest, I'm her top ranking ally, this is my duty!" Xellos defended. 

Another moment of silence passed after the strong argument until finally, Amelia reached across the table and took both of Xellos' hands in hers. "Mr. Xellos, don't worry, I understand completely now. I promise I will do all that I can to help you." 

"You will?" Xellos was taken by surprise. He was starting to think he wouldn't be able to reason with Amelia at all. 

"Of course I will," Amelia assured. "After all, I went through this myself too!" She started down the path of memory lane, though her story was still quite different from Xellos' situation. "After mom passed away, daddy never really showed any interest in other women, but women showed an interest in him, since he was a prince and all. Instead of letting him handle the situation I thought it was my duty to protect him and swiftly dispatched all his potential dates with fists and fire. Looking back on it, I wish I hadn't. Maybe most of them were just mean ladies trying to take advantage of daddy's status, but some of them might have actually been nice. It wouldn't be a bad thing for daddy to have a companion, I'm sure mom would understand." 

By then Xellos was really dreading the comparison as he slipped his hands out of Amelia's. "It's not the same thing!" He firmly argued. 

"You're right, it's not," Amelia admitted, to the relief of Xellos, though it was short lived given her next statement. "It's not the same thing because back then I was a little girl, I didn't know any better. But I think that by monster standards, or any standards for that matter, being over a thousand years old means being a grown up and that means you should have the maturity to deal with this, Mr. Xellos. Miss Zelas must have gone through difficult times as a single mom-" 

Interrupting, Xellos argued. "Monsters are born from their master's energy, if you call a minion a child, then all monsters are single parents." 

Ignoring the argument Amelia continued. "No matter how old you get, I'm sure Zelas will always see you as her precious little boy, but right now she needs your support. She has the right to have some romance in her life too! I'm sure she'll still care for you as much as always. You're not losing a mother, you're gaining a father!" 

Xellos was twitching and he looked rather pained. Filia thought about the fact that monsters were purely astral beings and psychological warfare had an acute effect on them. As twitchy and pained as he was looking, it made Filia think that all of this was actually painful to him in more ways than one. Well he certainly had to be deeply disturbed by Amelia's final statement about gaining a father, because Xellos was once again singing the life is wonderful song under his breath in a desperate effort to either distract himself, or knock himself out. He would do anything to stop the scary thought process going through his aching head. 

Filia sighed hopelessly. Maybe telling Amelia about this was a bad idea after all. She was far too optimistic to understand the horrors of the situation. As for Zelgadis, well he was probably just agreeing with Amelia. "Let's give Xellos some time for everything to sink in, okay? I'll make sure to give him lots of... emotional support." Filia offered in an effort to end the conversation that was becoming so painful for Xellos. "Can you at least lend us your knowledge in figuring out how far along their relationship is, so that we know how serious this is?" 

"Sure," Amelia smiled. "As long as no sabotage takes place, I'm all too happy to help. Let's see now..." The princess paused, going over a list in her head. "I think it's fairly easy to conclude that the type of love they share is forbidden love. It is one of the most intense types of love there is, as it becomes stronger with each conquered obstacle, although it is also one of the most difficult to deal with. As for the stage it is in... Forbidden love tends to go through different stages such as hatred, dislike, attraction, confrontation, acceptance, understanding and closure. Because of the strong emotions involved through the process of the development of the forbidden love, all the stages are full of passion." 

By this point, Xellos was resting his aching head atop his folded arms on the table. Telling Amelia about this was a very bad idea, this is what he got for listening to the advice of a stupid dragon. Albeit said dragon looked like she was sincerely regretful for his suffering, if the fact that she was patting him on the back in a supportive fashion was any indication. 

Blissfully ignorant of the true intensity of Xellos' predicament, Amelia continued with her explanation. "First, there's hatred. At this stage, the potential couple has their first meeting and it's not a pleasant one. Right away they antagonize each other and possibly drive everyone around them insane with their fights. As they continue to interact with each other, that hatred simmers down to dislike, that is the second stage. They still have adverse feelings towards each other, but they learn to tolerate each other. Then comes the third stage, attraction. After the hatred has been conquered, mere dislike doesn't stand a chance against the power of growing attraction. They start to see the better side of each other and begin to realize they enjoy each other's company. The attraction stage can be interpreted by many as a friendship, though it has deeper underlying feelings that, at that point, the couple may not be aware of themselves." 

The whole thing about hatred turning into dislike, which could be interpreted as growing tolerance, reminded Filia of Xellos and herself during the whole Darkstar ordeal. Of course, that was as far as it went, because she was in no way attracted to a monster, goodness no, that was both unnatural and terrible, a sinful catastrophe. 

"I think it's fair to say that the couple in question has already gone through those stages and experienced the forth as well, the confrontation," Amelia theorized. "Unable to contain their feelings any longer, the couple acknowledges them. This does not always happen at the same pace for both of them. Sometimes one manages to deal with the situation sooner than the other and that one must continue to guide the process along. Yet being aware of feelings doesn't mean they'll be immediately accepted. The confrontation stage often involves a stubborn state of denial that must be slowly broken, leaving no doubts of the fact that love is growing between them and there's no stopping it!" 

After pausing for breath, Amelia went on. "The fifth stage is acceptance. Shows of affection often begin to appear during the confrontation stage even if the feelings are not fully sorted out. It is very difficult to wait because of all the accumulated passion. That often leads to heartache as a full acceptance has not yet been reached. Then finally, once the facts are accepted and a compromise is reached, that's when the really deep development beyond the passion truly begins. The stage of understanding, I suppose you could say is the test of disenchantment. The illusion of new love fades away to give way to either heartbreak or true love. They see each other for what they are and they are able to accept each other with all their differences and faults." 

If Amelia had to take a guess, though she wouldn't voice it, she would conclude that the stage of understanding for Xellos and Filia truly began after they got together again following their difficult break up after leaving Seyruun. That time in the town where they fought Narcissus and most likely during their strange trip to the past, they had progressed considerably. It was a pity that Filia didn't remember it, but Amelia had heard from Jillas that Xellos was working hard to try to charm Filia all over again, even if he was obviously a little distracted by his family situation at the moment. 

"Finally, there's closure," Amelia finished her explanation. "The couple's bond has conquered all the hardest challenges of forbidden love and they have formed a stable relationship. I don't think Miss Zelas and Mr. Milgazia are quite at this stage yet. Given their high ranks and vast political influence, I don't think they'll be able to go all the way through the process this quietly. It's hard to say without more information, but I think they might still be at the stage of confrontation. They're allowing their mutual passion to show, but they still need to get to know each other better to fully accept each other. The stage of confrontation is usually characterized by passionate love scenes in novels." 

Xellos was starting to pale and Filia was really becoming concerned for him. As far as psychological attacks went, this was stronger than all the life praising melodies in the world. The golden dragon smiled casually. "Thank you very much for all your help," she voiced politely. "This has all been very insightful and we appreciate it. I think I'm going to... um... take Xellos out for cake to help him relax and get used to the idea of having someone new in his family." After goodbyes were exchanged, Filia and Xellos made a swift retreat out of Amelia's room and out of Seyruun castle, not stopping until they were out of the castle gates. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Walking through the streets of Seyruun, Xellos tried to clear his head and recover. He honestly didn't want to think of Beast Master as a character in a romance novel, especially with Milgazia as the other protagonist. He made his way down the street in silence next to Filia until finally, he spoke, "chocolate, a la mode." 

"Pardon?" Filia questioned curiously, not quite understanding what his words had to do with anything. 

"My cake," Xellos reminded. "The cake you offered to get me, remember?" 

"Oh..." Filia did remember saying something along those lines while making excuses to retreat. He should be thanking her for getting him out of there when he was obviously in pain and too stubborn, or prideful, or both, to go on the retreat of his own accord. "Fine, let's go to Elena's bakery, we'll be able to find some good cake there. Afterwards, we can confirm if what Amelia theorized is accurate. The confrontation stage of forbidden love would be the perfect time to go on the attack. We cannot allow them to reach acceptance, it's for their own good." 

Filia's statement caught Xellos attention as he inquired. "What do you mean confirm?" 

"The signs should be clear," Filia stated as a matter of fact. "With the information Amelia gave us, we can interpret our observations much more accurately and come up with a better plan of action. Of course, before we can interpret anything, we need to actually observe." 

"You want to spy on Zelas and Milgazia?" Xellos concluded. "What a naughty dragon." 

"It's for a good cause!" Filia defended. "Besides, we shouldn't start with something as direct as espionage. Let's observe their environment first. I was at Milgazia's house not long ago and I didn't see anything out of place. However, Milgazia might be purposely trying to hide all indications of his relationship at this point, so as to avoid a confrontation with his clan. Zelas would probably be able to act more freely in her home, right?" 

"No one dares to enter her chambers at Wolf Pack Island without permission," Xellos confirmed. 

"Then that's where we need to go," Filia decided. She couldn't believe she was actually planning to snoop around a monster lord's room, but it had to be done. It was all for the sake of restoring order to the world and ending that insane forbidden love before things got out of hand. 

"I'm not sure if you're very stupid or very suicidal," Xellos mused aloud. "But I suppose we'll need a proper investigation if we are to take effective action." Knowledge was important, awareness, accuracy, it was all a part of being a spy and Xellos had plenty of experience in that department. There was a certain trill to it that he had not felt in a long time. He was doing something he knew he shouldn't do, something he could get into trouble for, but if he had the skills to do it without getting caught, then everything would work out. He grinned in anticipation, his terrible mood giving way to the delight of misbehavior. 

"Milgazia and Zelas like to play brass rackets together," Xellos informed. "Their matches get pretty intense sometimes. If we do the spying while they're playing, Zelas should be distracted enough not to sense our presence in her chambers. We'll have to be very careful though. It's bad enough that I'm sneaking you into Wolf Pack Island without permission, but I'm also sneaking you into Zelas' room. If we get caught we'll probably both be dead, or at least you'll be dead and I'll be agonizing for the next few months." 

"Then we can't get caught," Filia agreed. She felt a certain thrill in all of this. She didn't want to admit it, but this was pretty exciting, like those novels about secret agents. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After Xellos got his cake, the purple haired monster and the golden dragon, headed out to Wolf Pack Island. Just as Xellos thought, the brass rackets match between Zelas and Milgazia was going strong. They snuck into the palace that gave Filia a feeling of deja vu, even though she couldn't actually remember being there before. They had not teleported directly to the island, thus Filia had some time to get over her teleportation sickness as they traveled the rest of the way there. 

"We'll have to sneak into Zelas' chambers on foot," Xellos had explained. "I'll have to keep my energy hidden and not use my power so that I don't get Zelas attention; that means no teleporting while we're here." 

"Understood," Filia nodded with excited determination. She waited as Xellos peeked down the hallway discreetly and saw that the coast was clear. They advanced swiftly but quietly, avoiding being seen by anyone as they made their way through the massive, elegant maze that was Zelas' palace, towards the forbidden territory of the monster lord's private chambers. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos and Filia quietly made their way through Zelas' palace at Wolf Pack Island with the daring intentions of investigating her personal chambers. Footsteps were heard approaching, but teleporting was out of the question, as it would make Xellos' energy and thus his current location, far too obvious. Once Zelas noticed him, she would surely notice the presence of a golden dragon other than Milgazia too. That would mean big trouble for Xellos and Filia. While Filia remained frozen in place, Xellos tried to look for a way out of this predicament. He spotted it in the shape of a near invisible compartment on the wall, which he swiftly opened pushing Filia inside, then going in himself and closing it. 

Filia found herself face first against an assortment of cleaning supplies with Xellos pressed against her back behind her. One of his hands held the compartment closed behind him, just in case, while the other rested on the edge of the shelves on the opposite side of the supply closet, next to Filia's shoulder. Xellos felt a tug on the closet door, but kept a firm grip on it from the inside, while a lesser monster on clean up duty grumbled about how long it could possibly take to house train wolf cubs. The lesser monster in question kept pulling at the door that blended in with the wall to no avail, obviously no match for the strength of a much higher ranked monster. 

Xellos assumed this would just be a matter of waiting for the weak monster to give up and try to obtain the needed cleaning supplies elsewhere, but it seemed that things would not be so easy. Life was never easy really, especially not lately. Xellos noticed that Filia was face to face with a feather duster, making odd expressions as if trying to contain a sneeze. Her features contorted in discomfort as she fought a losing battle against the tickle in her nose. 

Finally, it happened, "achoo!" Along with the loud sneeze, Filia's concentration gave way and her tail popped out without her consent. The appendage stretched out suddenly, passing between Xellos' legs, as he was directly behind her, and colliding with the door, almost making Xellos lose his grip on it. 

A moment of awkward silence passed as the world stood still and the lesser monster out at the hall wondered if it was wise to continue trying to open that particular supply closet. Then finally, Xellos felt the need to point something out, "Filia, your tail is touching-" 

"I know where my tail is!" Filia grumbled with a scarlet face. 

"You're such a naughty dragon," Xellos teased. 

Growling something inaudible and most likely insulting, Filia tried to turn herself around to move her tail away from where it should not be. With some difficulty, she managed to do it, noticing even more just how close she and Xellos were. She wanted to reach for her mace and hit him, but she knew that would only cause them to be discovered and who knows what that would lead to. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 129: Detectives! Close Calls And Clandestine Investigations

After a seemingly eternal minute, the lesser monster on clean up duty at Wolf Pack Island decided to give up and walk to the next utility closet for supplies. As the footsteps faded in the distance, Xellos cautiously opened the door and went out, followed by Filia, who released a breath of relief. "That was close." 

"In more ways than one," Xellos reminded in his most teasing tone. 

Filia glared with her face still crimson in embarrassment. "That was an accident and you know it!" 

"Oh, I'm not so sure..." Xellos feigned offense. "I think that can be classified as sexual harassment." 

"Shut up, raw garbage!" Filia snapped as she hurried down the hallway. 

Realizing that provoking a temper tantrum in this situation was a very dangerous idea, Xellos hurried after her. "Don't forget where we are, stupid dragon! We can't get caught, keep your temper in check!" 

Filia stopped, mentally counted to ten and tried her best to be less furious. "It would be easier if you weren't purposely making me angry." 

"You have no sense of humor," Xellos critiqued. 

Filia pouted and huffed. "Fine, I'll try to have more of a sense of humor then." Maybe if she teased him back the next time he tried to tease her, he wouldn't find it amusing anymore and would stop. Of course, she would have to keep her temper in check and a semi-clear head in order to test that theory, which wasn't easy. The pair of detectives of relationship sabotage continued on their way towards Zelas' room in silence. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, Chaos, one of Zelas' wolves and the mother of Fili and her siblings, had stolen Milgazia's sports bag while he was busy playing brass rackets. Zelas didn't want her chewing on her things and Xellos didn't want her chewing on his things, but no one had said anything about chewing on that dragon's things. Chaos took the prize to her master's room and shook it in her mouth. The bag came open and with the movement, its contents, which included a spare brass rackets uniform, became spilled all over the room. 

Amused, Chaos dropped the bag and picked up a shoe, she rolled on the bed making a wrinkled mess of the once perfectly laid out black silk sheets until she rolled off it and chewed on the shoe some more, before tossing it under the bed. A peculiar scent invaded the wolf's sensitive nose, it was a golden dragon, but this one was a female. Chaos let herself out of the room and made her way down the hall. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Hearing the approach of someone else, Xellos and Filia ducked behind a corner and Xellos cautiously peeked out. He saw a large black wolf with golden eyes heading towards them and walked out of his hiding place. Interpreting that there was no danger, Filia followed him. "Hey Chaos," he petted the large wolf, who went up on her hind legs and licked his face. "You're going to be quiet and pretend you didn't see us, okay? That's a good girl." 

With the possible crisis of having a wolf howling an alarm adverted, Chaos went quietly on her way doing as she was told, while Xellos and Filia continued towards the forbidden chambers. 

They finally arrived in front of the double doors that led to Zelas' room, noticing that the golden doors were slightly parted. Xellos said that no one dared to go in there without permission anyway, so Filia didn't find the lack of lock surprising. The monster and dragon carefully made their way in. Filia felt her feet sink into the plush carpet. There was a lot of black in the room with golden details that stood out. The decor reminded her of the Lord of Nightmares, the gold that shone upon the Sea of Chaos. It made Filia wonder if that's where Zelas got the inspiration to design her room. 

The chambers were very spacious with a very high ceiling, a colossal sitting room, then the bedroom further in, though the bed was more so a decoration than anything else since Zelas didn't need sleep and rarely indulged in it. There were shelves lined with magic tomes that looked valuable and rare, reaching up endlessly into the ceiling that seemed to depict outer space. There were diamond chandeliers impressively glowing with magical light and there were... dragons? Filia raised her hand to point at the dragon statues because she simply couldn't find her voice at the moment. 

"They're dissected," Xellos stated as a matter of fact. "Trophies from the War of the Monster's Fall. That one over there..." He pointed at a majestic golden dragon with an intricate assortment of horns upon his head like an impressive crown. "He was the elder of the Aqualord's clan before Milgazia took over." 

"You... you did this," Filia stuttered. She told herself not to cry, but she knew her eyes were watering. 

"Yes," Xellos admitted, "gifts for Beast Master." Before Filia went crazy with her mace in the worse place possible, Xellos tried to distract her attention towards something else. "Look at this!" He hurried to the coffee table in the middle of the sitting room. It looked like it was made of pure gold decorated with diamonds. On top of it, there was a black vase with shiny golden paint and diamond-like rhinestones decorating it in swirling patterns. "I gave this to Beast Master too." 

"A vase I made?" Filia stuttered, trying to stop her tears. "It's so mockingly ironic..." 

"It was my Christmas present last year," Xellos continued trying to distract her from a ferocious hissy fit. "Christmas is just around the corner now. I wonder what I should get her this year?" He wrapped his arm around Filia's shoulders and pulled her close, the side of his face against hers. "Such soft skin, your pretty golden scales are nice and smooth too, aren't they? Maybe I can turn you into a dragon skin purse; Beast Master has been hinting that she wants one." Filia still looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown and to top it all up, now Xellos' face was wet with her tears from having pressed his cheek against hers, which didn't even get a reaction from her anyway. So much for distractions. "C'mon, stupid dragon, it's a little late to mourn their deaths, don't you think? Besides, it's not like you didn't know about the results of the war before." 

Filia had made herself a promise not to fall apart, to be strong and to face hardships in stride. Yet she didn't expect her resolution to be so harshly tested so soon. Getting back into the subject at hand, Filia stated with certainty. "Milgazia has never been to this room. If he had seen this, then he wouldn't still be with Zelas. If he saw it, it would be over for sure." 

"He already knows about how the war went too," Xellos reasoned. "He was there after all." 

"The past can't be left behind like this," Filia motioned towards the dissected dragons. "It's obvious that Zelas isn't serious about Milgazia, otherwise she would have removed them from here." 

Xellos felt a wave of relief wash over him. Of course Zelas wasn't serious. Maybe the unusually early spring time just went to her head, though he really didn't want to think about that either. The point was, that after she was done playing with Milgazia, she would probably kill him and everything would be right in Xellos' life again, the insanity would end. "I guess you have a point," Xellos was about to call the investigation done, but he paused as he spotted something. 

The suspicious item was peeking out from under the luxurious curtains that separated the sitting room from the bedroom area. Xellos approached and picked up the thing. It was a white headband very much like those that athletes wore while playing sports. It smelled like dragon, like a male golden dragon to be specific. Like a moth to a flame Xellos peeked into the bedroom and immediately wish he hadn't. He stumbled back in shock as if he had seen something terrifying. 

Filia dried her tears and approached Xellos to investigate his unusual reaction. She looked into the bedroom beyond the soft curtains and found a most disturbing sight. Shocked beyond words, she stepped inside. There was a shirt lying on the floor near by. She looked at it, examining it without touching it so as to not disturb anything in the room. Her unmistakable conclusion was that the shirt did not belong to Zelas, it was not the right size at all and it was obviously men's clothing. 

Filia ventured deeper into the bedroom, closer to the bed. She found some shorts that matched the shirt completing the sports outfit on the floor not too far away. Her eyes traveled from the discarded article of clothing towards the messy black silk bed sheets. There were black golden and white cushions messily occupying a portion of the bed, while others were on the floor next to it. Her mind conjured up scenes that she did not want to imagine as she fought with herself to decide if she should be angry, disappointed or pitying Milgazia. 

Finally shattering the long silence, Xellos voiced softly, "I think I'm going to be sick." 

"Me too," Filia agreed. How could Milgazia do this? He must have seen the dissected dragons on his way to the bedroom and he still did this? It was terrible. Yet he had been so kind to her and Val, Filia couldn't think of Milgazia as a bad person. They did say that love could blind people and twist their judgment. She had to save him; she didn't want Milgazia to go through what she went through being regarded as a traitor. He had worked too hard over the years to keep the Water Clan together after the fall of the Aqualord. She couldn't allow him to throw it all away now in a fit of nonsensical passion. His clan needed him, the dragon race needed him; she had to save him. 

Footsteps were heard as a lesser monster entered Beast Master's personal chambers. It was true that no one would dare to invade Zelas' room without permission, but it wasn't really trespassing for someone who was given permission for the purpose of performing basic cleaning duties. 

"I thought you said no one would come here," Filia whispered. "Is that Zelas on her way? Her energy still feels like it's on the surface of the island." 

"That's certainly not Zelas," Xellos confirmed. "It's the cleaning monster. Let's hide!" They dashed into Zelas' closet, which was, unlike the utility closet in the hall, very spacious. 

Filia looked around the walk-in closet that was like another room. "Why does Zelas need so many clothes, she can materialize herself wearing whatever she wants anyway." 

"Inspiration, I suppose," Xellos theorized. Filia made her way deeper into the massive closet towards the shoe section where she gasped and pointed at a pair of black boots with a feathery trim on top. "What is it? Do you want them? Too bad, because you can't have them. I know Zelas owns a ridiculous amount of clothes and shoes, but she'll notice that something is missing if you take anything." 

"Those boots are made of ancient dragon skin!" Filia angrily exclaimed, with Xellos rushing over to cover her mouth. 

"Do you want to get us killed?" He half growled in her ear. 

Filia shook her head and Xellos released her. Frowning, she spoke in a much quieter volume. "Just how many dragon trophies does Zelas keep around here?" 

"Plenty, Beast Master has been collecting trophies since before the war," Xellos admitted. "This is a monster lord's room; you can't expect it to be pink and frilly like your room is," he reasoned. 

Frowning in disapproval, Filia questioned quietly but fiercely. "What's your room like?" 

"Purple," Xellos stated as a matter of fact. 

"I want to see it," Filia demanded. "Take me to your room." 

"Isn't this going a bit fast?" Xellos teased. 

The meaning of his words went over Filia's head in the middle of her rage and she once again demanded. "Take me to your room now!" She considered stomping her foot for emphasis, or better yet, hitting Xellos on the head with her mace, but both possibilities were dangerously noisy. 

"I don't think I'm quite ready for that," Xellos teased. "Would you settle down if I just give you a kiss?" 

Realization invaded Filia's features along with a bright red blush. "You know I didn't mean it like that!" She growled, the volume of her voice rising dangerously. 

"Do you, perchance, come from a family of kamikaze?" Xellos inquired in a warning tone. 

This time Filia caught the meaning of his words right away and quieted down. "As soon as that cleaning monster is gone, you're showing me your room." Filia growled threateningly. "And I mean that in a completely innocent and non-perverted way," she quickly added. 

"Fine, fine," Xellos agreed at last. "If it means that much to you... stalker." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After waiting for the cleaning monster to go away, Xellos and Filia emerged from the large closet and snuck out of Zelas' room, noting that the bed had been tidied up and the clothing that was scattered around was gone, probably taken away to be washed. They snuck out without incident and made it to Xellos room, which was, as he had said, purple. Filia looked around critically, "where are your dragon trophies?" 

"I don't have any," Xellos informed. "Beast Master kept them all. It's okay though. Dragons are ugly; I don't want any dragon statues in my room anyway." 

The room in question was quite large, though certainly smaller than Zelas. Filia's exploration was interrupted by a wolf-like puppy approaching her wagging her tail. Xellos found it odd, as he held no memories of Fili ever meeting Filia. "Hi there," Filia petted the little cub. "Aw, she's so cute," she took note of the fact that the pale yellow cub had a purple ribbon around her neck and a smaller pink one on her tail. Such a little cutie was the last thing she expected to find in Xellos' room. 

"Her name is Fili Algar Metallium," Xellos stated. 

"Fili?" Filia questioned in surprise. "Fili A.?" 

"Yes," Xellos didn't remember why he named her such, as it had apparently been his idea. He did notice, wondering if it was a coincidence or not, that her middle name had the forth letter of the names Zelas, Amelia, Zelgadis, Lina and Gourry. As for her first name, it sounded a lot like Filia's name. Xellos reasoned he must have named the pup that as a joke. He wondered if Filia would get mad at him for naming her like that. He waited for the rage that never came. 

"You actually named her after me?" The golden dragon held the little cub in her arms. "That... well... it's" 

"Terribly offensive?" Xellos suggested. 

"Actually... it's kind of sweet," Filia confessed with a slightly rosy tone on her face. 

Xellos blinked in confusion, where was his delicious wrath? "You're weird," he concluded. 

Filia made a soft 'hmp' sound, though it didn't really carry any reproach. "So are you," she countered. Letting out a somewhat tired breath that carried the pressure of the day's strain, she concluded. "I guess we can call our investigation of Zelas' room done." She didn't want to go back in there. "I'll talk to Milgazia again; maybe I'll be able to reason with him if I try harder." 

"Right, don't let his fortune cookie wisdom distract you from your mission," Xellos teased. 

Although Xellos was joking and teasing as usual, Filia took the advice seriously. Poor Milgazia must have been brainwashed or something and she had to save him. With renewed determination, Filia put Fili down and smiled at her. "It was nice meeting you Fili." The resolute golden dragon headed towards the door. "Let's sneak out of Wolf Pack Island." 

"Aren't you going to snoop around my room, roll around on my bed, cuddle my pillows and smell my shoes like a stalker?" Xellos inquired with a mocking teasing grin. 

Filia glared, "I'm not a stalker!" She snapped. "Besides, who would want to smell your shoes? They probably stink of raw garbage!" 

Thus Xellos and Filia snuck out of Wolf Pack Island, thankfully without incident. They were still determined to set things right and dissolve Zelas and Milgazia's nonexistent relationship, though they might end up getting a little distracted by the holidays, after all, Christmas shopping is a very time consuming activity. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Later, Xellos concluded that it didn't matter how many times he called Filia a stupid dragon. The fact of the matter was that this time he had to admit that she had outsmarted him by a lot. There she was, happily humming a cheerful tune as she gift-wrapped a vase and handed it to her customer on Christmas Eve. He had seen the Christmas tree that she shared with the fox family, which was overflowing with presents. Xellos on the other hand, still had not obtained the thing that Beast Master had been hinting she wanted, a dragon skin purse. He had gone out and slain a white dragon, carefully removing and cleaning her hide. Zelas had caught him in the act, but humored him by pretending she didn't see the big dead dragon in the middle of her garden. 

The problem was that the purse had not yet been crafted and it had to be done by tomorrow. Minions were supposed to give their masters presents; it was the way Christmas worked for monsters. At least Xellos didn't have that many people to shop for, since he was the second in command of Beast Master's forces, next to Beast Master herself. The lesser monsters were in real trouble, trying to find gifts for all their superiors. Even so, Xellos knew he couldn't just pop into Filia's shop, hastily pick a vase and pretend it was the perfect present again this year. Beast Master humored him last year, but this time she had clearly hinted at what she wanted, so he knew he better get it. 

It wasn't that Xellos was careless enough to forget to commission a major fashion designer to craft the purse. He had gone to see Marty Lenford a few days ago with a big roll of white dragon hide and explained that he wanted her to design a purse, crafting it from the material. It was true that the woman looked like a clown in a bikini, but she was still a famous fashion designer. Unfortunately, the purse turned out to be a disappointment. 

The dragon hide was purposely ripped, showing the red fabric inside the purse, with red paint dripping all over the white scales. The design of the purse reminded Xellos of the mess he made in the garden trying to skin the white dragon he had hunted. It didn't matter that he was a purely astral being, he still spent a good five hours scrubbing himself clean in the bathroom, convinced that he still smelled like bloody dead dragon. 

The whole ordeal left Xellos at quite the predicament. The designer purse he had wasn't good enough for Beast Master and he knew it. He had been contemplating such thoughts as he walked down the streets of Seyruun with the purse in hand. 

To be Continued


	44. Chapter 44

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 130: Holidays! The Peril Of Last Minute Shoppers

Lina was back in Seyruun for the holidays along with Gourry. She spotted Xellos walking down the street and had to make a peculiar observation, "nice purse." The redhead giggled. "How come you're carrying two purses today?" 

Realizing that Lina was referring to his bag, Xellos defended, "this is not a purse," he pointed at the bag, then held up the purse, "and this is not my purse. It was supposed to be for Beast Master, but it's too crude, it lacks in elegance." 

Lina observed the purse; the theme seemed to be bloody murder. The design fit a monster lord, she mused, but at the same time it didn't quite fit Zelas' elegance. Then again, a really strong beast didn't go around coated in blood; a skilled hunter was neater than that. "I see what you mean. By the way, what's that material it's made of? It looks scaly, strong and shiny." 

"It's white dragon hide," Xellos stated dismissively. 

Lina grinned greedily. "Since you've already decided that the purse isn't good enough for Beast Master, why don't you just give it to me?" 

"I didn't know you liked purses," Gourry observed. 

"I'm not going to carry that thing around; I'm going to sell it!" Lina happily explained as if the purse was already hers. "It's made of dragon hide; that has to be expensive!" 

Xellos observed the purse once more, he intended to get a replacement for it anyway and he already had a plan. "Alright, you can have it as a Christmas present on one condition." 

"What's the condition?" Lina questioned suspiciously. 

"Would you run an errand for me at Zephilia?" Xellos innocently inquired, trying to make it sound as easy as possible. 

"Zephilia, that's my home town..." A terrible realization suddenly overcame Lina. "Luna! Oh no! I thought I was done with my Christmas shopping, but I completely forgot about Luna. I kept putting off getting her present because nothing seemed like the perfect gift and I never actually got anything. Why did I have to be so picky? I should have just gotten the first thing I thought of! I have no time for errands now; I can't risk making Luna mad. But it is Christmas, so I'll accept your present anyway." Lina snatched away the white dragon hide purse from Xellos and ran off. "I have to go now. I have some very important last minute shopping to do!" 

"Lina, wait for me!" Gourry dashed after her. 

"Hurry up Gourry; this is a matter of life or death!" Lina called out as she disappeared down the street. 

"There goes the purse..." Xellos didn't give chase. He didn't need that purse anyway and he did have another plan in regards to obtaining a better designer purse to gift Zelas. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After his run in with Lina, Xellos made his way to Filia's shop and waited for her to acknowledge his presence. The place was so busy that even little Val was playing shop keeper. Leaving her family to tend to the rowdy last minute shoppers, Filia pulled Xellos aside to the little balcony. "I really don't have time to deal with you right now, it's Christmas Eve and I'm very busy. If you're going to ask about how things went with Milgazia, don't, because I haven't had time to speak to him again yet." 

"Actually, I was just going to ask you to accompany me on some errands," Xellos innocently asked. 

Filia didn't believe it was that simple for a second, "what are you plotting, raw garbage?" 

Xellos considered saying that it was a secret, but that would only make Filia more stubborn and he didn't have time to deal with that. Thus he reasoned that it was better to come out with the honest truth. "I need to get a present for Beast Master and I want you to come with me." 

"You want me to help you shop?" Filia remembered what Xellos said about Zelas wanting a dragon skin purse. Although she wouldn't put it past the monster lord, she thought he must have been joking about that. After all, he wouldn't ask her to help him with something like that. Filia never considered the possibility of Xellos making truth of his threat to turn her into a purse. She had never been afraid of him and she certainly wasn't going to start fearing him now. 

"I already know what I'm buying, I just want you to come with me," Xellos explained. 

Filia's suspicion grew. "Why?" 

With no more time to waste going in circles, Xellos was direct. "The item I'm buying is a custom made purse I'm commissioning from the formal fashion designer Tatjana Dayward. After the near end of the world, Tatjana's previous atelier was destroyed. She recently established her new business in Zephilia, the hometown of Lina Inverse and her sister Luna Inverse, who happens to be the Knight of Ceifeed. Naturally, she's not too fond of monsters. I need to speak to Tatjana without interruptions and she needs to be able to focus on crafting the designer purse I intend to give Zelas. So you see, if I go to Zephilia on my own, Luna will notice and there might be a fight. That will waste precious time, discourage Tatjana from doing business with me and the materials for the purse might be damaged in the battle." 

With a critical glare, Filia demanded to know, "do those materials include golden dragon skin?" 

"No," Xellos truthfully replied. 

"I see..." Filia thought about it. If Tatjana, a human, was crafting the purse, then maybe the materials were normal after all. Then again, those high profile fashion designers were known to use peculiar materials at times, yet Tatjana was so formal. She wouldn't use dragon skin, would she? 

Xellos' interrupted Filia's voice with a very important point. "It is better for the whole world if Beast Master is not disappointed." He stated a valid fact. "Besides, it won't help our mission if whatever Milgazia gets her as a present doesn't have proper competition. It might help us progress in getting them away from each other if his gift is not her favorite." 

Filia acknowledged all the arguments with a nod. "I understand... So basically, all I need to do is escort you in and out of Zephilia to reassure Luna that you're just there for some last minute shopping and won't cause any trouble." 

"That's the basic idea," Xellos confirmed. "Shall we go then?" 

"I really hate long distance teleportation, but I guess there's no choice." After letting her shop helpers know she had to leave for a while, Filia joined Xellos and he teleported them away. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos and Filia reappeared in the outskirts of Zephilia rather than directly in town, so as to not alarm the Knight of Ceifeed if she sensed him too suddenly. While Filia took a moment to compose herself, Xellos disappeared again, making a short trip to his room at Wolf Pack Island to pick up some materials. Once that was done, Xellos reappeared with a big roll of white dragon hide, properly concealed from Filia's view. 

While Filia eyed the parcel suspiciously, Xellos decided it was a fine time for a distraction. "Why don't you go say hi to Luna while I talk to Tatjana?" 

Filia considered it for a moment and figured that, given the delicate situation he was in, Xellos wouldn't risk making a mess of things. "Alright, just make sure to stay out of trouble." She went on her way to the cafe where Luna worked as a waitress, leaving Xellos to take care of business. 

With Filia gone, Xellos entered the boutique, on the second floor of which the atelier was located. There were several outfits, purses and accessories on display which were barely visible among the many people doing their wild last minute shopping. The owner of the place was trying to keep her business running as smoothly as possible with the help of several shop keepers. The prices of her products were very high, but that was how it worked for major designer brands. 

"Miss Dayward, may I have a moment of your time?" Xellos uncovered the white dragon hide slightly to make sure that Tatjana could have a small peek at it. 

Intrigued by the material, Tatjana agreed and led Xellos to the back room. "Please, come this way." The back room was quieter than the front of the store, which was buzzing with unruly shopping activity. "That material you carry..." Tatjana eyed the covered parcel curiously. 

"It's white dragon hide," Xellos removed the parcel's cover and allowed Tatjana to stretch the material over a long table. 

The formal designer's eyes shone with admiration. Her hands caressed the material of smooth but strong scales pleasurably. "A young female, just barely beginning to enter adulthood. She's so beautiful..." 

Taken by surprise with the accuracy of Tatjana's deduction, Xellos commented. "I take it this means you have experience?" Marty was employed by Zelas, through one of her minions, or so Xellos had heard. Due to that, it made sense that she would have some experience in working with dragon skin, but he wasn't expecting this from Tatjana. On the bright side, this meant it would be easier for her to craft the purse if she had worked with dragon hide before; it was not the most user friendly material that could be found. 

"Naturally," Tatjana replied with a hint of forbidden pride. "I am a world class formal designer; I should have experience with all kinds of rare and exquisite materials, Mr. Metallium." 

Then Tatjana knew who he was? That made things even easier for Xellos. "This does make conducting business a lot easier, Miss Dayward." 

"Indeed," Tatjana nodded. "This is of course, a secret from the world, but it was actually one of my ancestors from over a thousand years ago who crafted a pair of ancient dragon boots for Lady Beast Master. I believe that event occurred even before your birth, general." 

"How very interesting," Xellos grinned; it looked like his problem had been solved after all. "I see now beyond a doubt that your credentials are flawless. Can I count on you to craft a purse worthy of Beast Master?" 

"I would be honored!" Tatjana exclaimed, though she quickly composed herself. "Although, you are taking a great risk by making such a request here. If you had written in advance, we could have arranged to meet elsewhere. This town is the home of the Knight of Ceifeed after all," she warned. 

"There is no need to worry about that. I have a golden dragon ally with me that will reassure Miss Luna Inverse that there is no need to interfere with my business," Xellos assured. "I need the product to be finished by tomorrow in the early morning at the latest. Do you think you can manage that? It will be worth the pay." 

Tatjana nodded, eager to get to work. As she continued speaking, she picked up a notepad and pencil, sketching possible designs for the purse. "I'll begin right away and work through the night. I should have the finished work of art by three in the morning at the latest. This is a very tough material after all, so it takes a few hours to properly craft a masterpiece out of it." Not to mention that special tools were needed, but Tatjana already had those. "I just got a shipment of diamonds that would look lovely on this." 

"Diamonds... I'm sure Beast Master will like that." At least Xellos knew he could count on Tatjana to make a good product. He would have the perfect gift for Beast Master after all and it would all go without incident, or so he hoped, because he really didn't have time to deal with a fight right now. 

"As for my payment..." Tatjana requested, sounding almost feverishly demanding. "I do not require a monetary compensation, instead I want a trade. This dragon was obviously only recently slain. You must still have plenty more material left. I want a generous portion of her hide, also her fangs and claws, as I can craft jewelry from those. However, I must ask that you do not deliver them to this atelier. I will provide detailed directions to the location of my other atelier, which I expect you to keep a secret." Tatjana looked up from her sketching, meeting Xellos' closed eyes with an unblinking stare. "Are these terms acceptable, Mr. Metallium?" 

"Miss Dayward," Xellos grinned, slightly opening his eyes, his long pupils revealing his true nature. "You have yourself a deal." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

While Xellos was discussing business with Tatjana, Filia had gone over to the cafe where Lina was working. The place was certainly not as busy as the stores, since no one had time to relax at a cafe when there was hectic last minute shopping to be done. Luna spotted Filia right away and went over to her with a menu. "It's been a long time Filia. I don't believe I've seen you since the time you visited with Lina, her fiance and friends." 

Filia wished she actually remembered that visit. At least she knew that Gourry and Lina were engaged and learned of how it all began, though it was still not the same as remembering. "Yes, it's been a while. I'm just passing by along with..." What could she call Xellos? An evil monster? A not so evil monster? A piece of raw garbage? An ally in the mission of relationship sabotage? "An acquaintance... shopping." 

"Funny," Luna commented with that piercing stare of hers that rarely made itself obvious beyond the curtain of her long bangs. "I thought Xellos was more than just an acquaintance. Although, last time he was here, he was in no position to cause any trouble." Luna was smart, that went without question, yet she was smarter than Lina knew. Her younger sister saw her as completely lacking in tolerance, though the Knight of Ceifeed could be more tolerating at times than she was given credit for. Sometimes, it was okay to overlook certain details, unless the details made themselves too obvious. 

"Ah... well..." Filia stumbled over her words. It wasn't that she was afraid of Luna like Lina was. The real issue was that she didn't know how to go about her end of the agreement with Xellos. "A friend, he's my friend," Filia blurted out, to try to sound as if she was more in control of the situation. "Anyway, he's not here to cause trouble, he's just shopping for his mother, that's all," she insisted. 

"You seem uneasy," Luna observed, which only made Filia even more uneasy. 

The golden dragon shifted uncomfortably as if debating with herself. Finally, she sighed and spoke sincerely. "I can't really explain it, but could you please overlook Xellos' visit this one time?" 

"Very well," Luna agreed much to Filia's relief, though of course there were conditions. "As long as he keeps a low profile and doesn't cause any trouble in town, I'll let this pass." 

"Thank you," Filia breathed. 

"Now on to more important matters..." Luna paused dramatically, before her face relaxed into a friendly smile. "What can I bring you?" 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The trip to Zephilia transpired mostly without incident. After Xellos was done with his business, he went to meet Filia at the cafe. Luna seemed eager enough to pretend he was just another customer and Xellos was all too happy to pretend she was just another waitress. Although, just as they were leaving, Luna warned disguised as a farewell, "please come to our cafe again... both of you." Xellos knew right away that it wasn't an invitation for him to return, far from it. It was in truth Luna's way to say that she didn't want a monster general priest walking around her town without an escort. That was just fine; he could arrange that all for the sake of preserving the prized present intact. 

Thus Xellos and Filia left Zephilia in relative peace and returned to Seyruun. However, Filia was very quiet, as if fighting a battle with herself to hold back a very big temper tantrum that was waiting to explode like a time bomb. It made Xellos wonder if it was somehow related to something Luna said, though in reality the cause of Filia's uneasiness was not Luna at all. 

Cautiously, Xellos carefully informed, "Tatjana said the purse would be done by three." 

"Isn't it almost three now?" Filia reminded. "We could have waited for her to finish, if she was going to work this fast. 

"Not three in the afternoon," Xellos explained. "Three in the morning." 

Filia huffed in annoyance. "I take it this means you're going to ask me to get up at three in the morning and go back to Zephilia with you?" 

"You know Luna doesn't trust me to stay out of trouble if I visit alone," Xellos reminded, trying to sound as if it was a terribly unfair accusation. "If it was any other occasion I wouldn't care, but I can't risk my gift for Beast Master getting damaged if a fight breaks out. For the time being, I'll unfortunately have to play by Luna's rules." 

Filia sighed hopelessly, though it was obvious that the prospect of getting up at three in the morning wasn't the only thing that was bothering her. "Fine, I'll go with you. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go help deal with more insane last minute shoppers at my store." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Elsewhere... Wizer Freion was really regretting taking a break from his detective work right now. He thought that being a coach to an unusual team of brass rackets players that were skilled enough not to actually need a coach would be an interesting an enlightening experience. To be fair, it was, but it was also incredibly frustrating. "How do I put this..." He sighed in frustration as he ran his hand from his forehead down his face. "You haven't improved at all." 

It was a lovely afternoon and Zelas and Milgazia were practicing at an indoors private brass rackets court away from the prying eyes of the fans and press that they were, according to their coach, not yet ready to face. 

"It's his fault," Zelas Metallium, under the guise of Yuna Wolf with her alternate look, pointed at Milgazia with her racket. 

"How is it my fault?" Milgazia, who went by the name of Angel Dragon, diplomatically argued. 

"It's both your faults!" Wizer threw his arms in the air in exasperation. "It looks like you've been practicing how to make it look like you're working together, but you're not actually working together. Even if you are both tremendously skilled on your own, if you play one against two, against three given how you seem on the verge of turning on each other, then you will surely lose. That, or you'll expose yourselves." 

A long silent pause passed until Zelas grinned and ended the quietude. "So you know. You knew all along who we are." 

"Yes, that is why I insisted so strongly in being the one to become your coach. I had to move quite a few bargaining chips for this," Wizer admitted. "You both wish to stay undercover, don't you? Well, let's try acting more human towards each other, okay? I have a very good idea that might just help break the very thick and tall wall of ice between you. I suggest that you give each other Christmas presents!" 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 131: Crossfire! A Flawed Plan

Another moment of silence passed between Zelas, Milgazia and Wizer, this time interrupted by Zelas' mocking laughter. Much to Wizer's surprise, Milgazia laughed too, although he did so in a much less mocking tone. "Good joke, coach," Zelas gave a thumbs up. 

Wizer frowned, "I wasn't joking. Can you try this idea? Please!" 

Yet another moment of silence passed as Zelas and Milgazia eyed each other critically. Wizer was certain that they would adamantly refuse, yet suddenly, they simultaneously agreed, "sure." 

The single word gave Wizer a strong feeling of foreboding and he questioned how wise it was to have made such a suggestion. When it came down to it, he concluded that he might not want to know what kind of presents those two got for each other. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

It was three in the morning at Zephilia as a very sleepy Filia made her way towards Tatjana's shop following Xellos. "You're not sick?" The purple haired monster inquired. 

"I'm too sleepy to be sick," Filia pointed out. "Besides, there are times when I don't get teleportation sickness. It happens most of the time with long distances though. I think it started after the Darkstar incident, or rather, I noticed it then. It's not like I had monsters carry me through the astral side regularly before." Or during, but that was not the point. 

"Is that why you looked so disoriented that time with Valgarv?" Xellos curiously inquired. "I thought you looked more shocked than sick though." 

"Yes," Filia replied, remembering the occasion. "That's when it all started, actually that might have been the cause of it." She frowned with a look of accusation. 

"How so?" Xellos asked with real curiosity. 

"I was so shocked, so sick... I couldn't believe a monster saved me and that just made me terribly sick," Filia confessed. 

"Interesting," Xellos mockingly observed with a grin, while Filia prompted him to continue with her critical gaze. "Have you ever thought that it could all be in your head? That you get sick because you think you should feel sick being transported by a monster? Astral side motions are not really harsh; it shouldn't be enough to make you sick in that sense. Besides, those who can fly rarely have motion and balance related problems anyway." 

"It's not like I want to be sick!" Filia argued. 

"I'm sure you don't, but you're very skilled in self-sabotage. If you put your mind to it, you might not get sick anymore," Xellos theorized. 

"Fine, prove it," Filia stomped her feet and crossed her arms stubbornly. 

Xellos glanced at Tatjana's shop. Light was coming from inside it. The shop was still in business even at that late hour, or early hour depending on how one looked at it. Well, it's not like the atelier was going to get up and walk away; he could give Tatjana a little extra time just in case. Of course, Xellos didn't know that the atelier could in fact get up and walk away, as it came equipped with full battle golem capabilities, but Tatjana had no reason to activate it at the moment anyway. "Okay, I'll prove it, but it'll only work if you put your mind to it." 

"Fine, you have my word," Filia assured, though it was difficult to keep such a promise when it meant being wrong. She didn't think about that detail though, because she was sure she was right. Xellos stepped behind Filia, holding her by the waist. "What are you doing?" She protested. 

"Taking you to the astral side," Xellos stated. "We'll stay there for a few seconds. It's like teleporting in slow motion. Usually, when physical beings are taken to the astral side they actually end up in the pockets of astral space that are like small alternate dimensions. The laws of physics are similar to the physical world on those spaces, or they are made to be by the influence of the mind within the space. The top layer of the astral plane that connects all the pockets of space is a little different though. That's where we'll stay, ready?" 

"Okay..." Filia wasn't sure she should be doing this, but she was secretly curious. The next thing she knew there was a swirl of colors and everything finally settled. The scenery of the town around her looked distant and distorted, though air still filtered in sufficiently to breathe with ease. There were pockets of astral space like bubbles that could be used to enter a wider area, the astral spaces Xellos mentioned before. Filia floated through the street, reaching the park in the middle of town with Xellos still holding on to her. 

Filia saw a tree coming closer, she reached to touch it but her hand went through it. Then she was moved forward, passing through it completely. She saw the pond at the park's center coming closer until her feet could touch the water, but it didn't feel wet. Down she went until she was completely submerged, but she could still breathe and she was still dry. She was moved up again until she floated a few feet above a flower bed. 

"Ready for landing?" Xellos whispered in her ear. Then he released her and she returned to the physical world, where the laws of physics, gravity included, did fully apply. 

Filia stumbled a little, but quickly regained her balance. It was odd, feeling the soft breeze, hearing the crickets more clearly and sensing the pull of gravity after it had been completely gone. Those details were things she didn't even notice a few minutes ago. Yet after experiencing floating without wind, everything sounding distant and having no weight, all those things were all too obvious. The astral plane was peculiar. For one who was used to the physical world, Filia knew that she would miss the extra sensations that came with it, but visiting the astral plane in such a slow calming pace was certainly an interesting experience. It was so fascinating, so ethereal. "Xellos... Do you feel things the same way I do?" 

"That sounded like a really cheesy question, so I'll go with no," Xellos teasingly replied. 

"I mean physically," Filia tried to clarify, succeeding only in making things worse. 

"Are you admitting that you want me?" Xellos teased with an amused grin. "Oh wait, that's right, you've already admitted that before, stalker." 

"You know that's not what I mean!" Filia shouted, red faced. "Stop twisting my words around, raw garbage! I mean to ask about things like tact and smell and taste. I know you can taste things, smell things and interact with the physical plane, but for an astral being, does it feel the same?" 

"How should I know? It's not like I've ever been anything but an astral being." Or rather, he didn't remember being anything different. "I would assume that it's the same or similar enough. Except I won't sneeze if I smell the pollen of these ugly flowers that are all over the ground around here and I don't get any annoying itches. That aside, I suppose it's the same." Oh great, now she had made him curious, how stupid. "So, are you feeling any teleportation sickness?" 

"Not really," Filia admitted. "Maybe it really was all in my head and I only got sick because I thought I was supposed to, because you're supposed to have that effect from the sheer discomfort of being near you." 

"Except now you like being near me," Xellos teased. 

"I do not!" Filia argued with a pout. "I would rather be in bed," taking note of his smirk, Filia quickly added, "alone!" 

"Than let's get this errand done and I'll take you home, nobody likes a cranky sleepless dragon." Xellos mocked, which produced more annoyance in Filia than he expected. Wordlessly, she started walking towards Tatjana's shop. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos and Filia entered Tatjana's boutique. The atmosphere was much quieter than during the day, as a customer exited the shop with some very last minute purchases. Tatjana's assistants were occupied in replenishing the displays that had been emptied during the day. "Welcome!" One of the shop keepers rather loudly greeted them. "How may I help you?" The young woman looked like she was in a caffeine high, twitching slightly. 

"I'm here to see Miss Dayward about a custom piece," Xellos voiced with his usual deceiving friendly look. 

"Ah, you must be Mr. Metallium. Miss Dayward is upstairs in the atelier, she told us to send you up when you arrived." The shop keeper replied. 

"I'll be right there," Xellos glanced at Filia, who seemed intent on following him, with more anger in her eyes than he could explain. Was all of this really because he dragged her out to go shopping at three in the morning? Her emotions didn't taste so strongly of rage not too long ago. It was as if she had decided she was angry, got distracted, then realized she should be furious and acted in turn. But why did she want to be angry? Was it because she felt she was supposed to because he was a monster? How stubborn could that perplexing golden dragon be? "Filia, why don't you browse around the shop and pick something you like. I'll get it for you as a Christmas present." Xellos offered as a distraction. "I'm sure the nice ladies will help you choose something that's perfect for you." 

As if on cue, the shop keepers immediately attacked Filia with their prospective sales, suggesting that she should try on this and that, becoming very insistent upon it. With Filia being held back by the employees, Xellos headed up the stairs to the atelier where Tatjana waited. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"You are late," Tatjana Dayward, world class formal designer, sat on a chair staring at her latest masterpiece. "It is alright though, I enjoyed being able to admire this beauty for a while longer. Please inspect the product and ensure it is up to your expectations, Mr. Metallium." 

Xellos approached the table where the purse was. The white dragon hide was smooth and perfect with a shine to it as if it was made of melted pearls. The handle was made of swirls of gold encircling more of the white dragon scales. A line of diamonds was round about the purse's opening and another line in the middle of the bag. Inside, there was golden silk that could be seen protecting the inner side of the purse when it was open. The seams were completely invisible, unlike the barely noticeable seams of Marty's design. "How did you do that? It's as if the hide was originally shaped this way, but it wasn't." 

"I merged the hide where the seams would be with a regeneration spell," Tatjana proudly confessed. 

"Regeneration? It's not alive," Xellos pointed out. 

"A regeneration spell modified with necromancy, as for the specifics... that is a secret," she unknowingly stole his quote. 

Xellos chuckled, "I'm sure." 

"All of the materials have been magically enforced to measure up to the resistance of the dragon hide. Does the product meet your approval?" Tatjana inquired. 

"It does," Xellos agreed. 

"Good, shall I gift wrap it?" She offered. 

"Yes," Xellos handed the purse back to the designer. "As for your payment, I delivered the requested compensation to your other atelier earlier tonight." 

"I was informed." Tatjana confirmed as she carefully placed the purse inside a shiny golden box with ivory paper within. She closed the box's lid over it, tying a white ribbon around the golden box. "It was a pleasure doing business with you. Please come see me if you have any other projects such as this." 

Xellos received the box, "I'll keep that in mind." He better not risk keeping the box anywhere near Filia, least she get curious, actually manage to somehow snatch it away and see what was in it. She was moody enough as it was. Thus Xellos disappeared from before Tatjana, making a quick trip via the astral side to his room at Wolf Pack Island, where he safely deposited the box and left it there to give to Beast Master later. With the number of minions she had, she had a lot of presents to open. Just as quickly as he disappeared, Xellos reappeared, though Tatjana didn't seem to be alarmed in the least. He headed downstairs to see how Filia was fairing with the shop keeper's quest for an extra sale. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

While Xellos was upstairs, Filia had been given a dress, insisting that she should try it on. After she was trapped in the dressing room, she knew she wouldn't be allowed out until she humored the shop keepers. Thus she changed out of her usual pink dress and into the light blue one that they had suggested. The tone of pale blue made her eyes look a deeper shade of blue. The garment was comfortable. It had a white top and a thin blue ribbon that went from the waist to the chest in a zig-zag pattern on the white part, which gave it a very form fitting style. 

The dress began just below the shoulders with two blue ribbons resting loosely on each shoulder. The third piece was like a little shawl shaped like a miniature cape resembling the top of Filia's usual white cloak, without the long part. The fabric was of the same blue color of the dress with a white ribbon. It gave the outfit as a whole a less showy look, which characterized Tatjana's conservative designs. Filia exited the dressing room, meeting with the approval of the shop keepers. 

"This dress is definitely you!" One of the assistants exclaimed. "Just don't forget that this dress is meant to be worn with the shawl, not without, that's what Miss Tatjana said." 

"Oh yes, you should keep it on!" The other agreed. "Here, let me get you a bag to carry your other clothes," she offered. 

"This ribbon would look great on your hair and it matches the dress perfectly," a light blue ribbon was offered. "Let me braid your hair, miss!" 

Filia made a mental note never to underestimate the power of caffeine, as it kept the girls so terribly energetic even after a long day of dealing with the mayhem of last minute shoppers. Actually, Filia could use some caffeine in her system herself. It was too bad the cafe where Luna worked wasn't open at such a late hour, or she could have stopped there before Xellos took her back to Seyruun. Xellos... That's right, she was angry at him and for a good reason! 

xoxox xox xoxox 

By the time Xellos made his way downstairs, having finished his business, he found that Filia was no where to be seen. He glanced in the general direction of the changing rooms but found that the doors were all open, revealing the fact that they were all empty. "Your bill, sir." One of the caffeine high shop keepers handed him a piece of paper with an amount that carried an impressive number of zeroes to the right of less circular looking digits. Tatjana's boutique was certainly pricey. 

Xellos wasn't sure what happened to his account during the time of his missing memories, but he was a whole lot less rich now than he had been before. None the less, his spying budget income had been restored and he was able to pay the bill without incident. With that done, he exited the boutique and went off to find Filia. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Fortunately, Filia had not gone too far. Xellos found her walking back to the park in a huff. Her long blond hair was pulled back on a loose braid tied with a light blue ribbon that matched the color of her new dress. Xellos secretly observed that it fit her well, though he didn't make any immediate comments on the subject. "Wait up, stupid dragon. Where are you going in such a huff?" 

Filia paused, looked back at Xellos, glared murderous metaphorical poison coated daggers at him, then continued on her way. Predictably, Xellos kept up with her pace quickly. Unpredictably, he placed his arm around her shoulders; once again predictably, he teased her. "You're such an ungrateful dragon, I get you a Christmas present and you ignore me in return, even glare at me." Refusing to speak to him, Filia escaped his grasp by freeing herself of the shawl, untying the bow and quickening her pace towards the park. Xellos was left holding the pale blue garment, following after the upset Filia in confusion as she reached the park and just stood there solemnly. "I didn't think Tatjana sold dresses like that." 

Realizing that it was useless to try to ignore Xellos, Filia snapped, "like what?" He followed his gaze and soon found herself tugging up the fabric of her dress. "This dress is meant to be worn with the shawl, not without." She snatched away the garment and put it back on. 

"I thought it looked good without it, it's not like it's cold anyway," Xellos teased, receiving no reply. This was getting rather frustrating. "Hey, moody dragon, what's your problem? You were fine for a while and now you're angry again. What's with all the mood swings? Are you mad that I was right about your teleportation sickness being in your head? You lost the argument, but at least you can start getting used to not being sick. Isn't that better anyway?" 

"That's not it," Filia sighed hopelessly. "I think I understand now," about what she thought was going on with Milgazia's possible brainwashing. "Monsters are so tricky, so... distracting. I have a good reason to be angry at you, but you keep distracting me from it and for a moment I actually forgot and that was terrible of me." 

"Would you care to share that reason?" Xellos asked with true curiosity. 

"Why her?" Filia inquired with a heavy tone of accusation. 

"Why who?" Xellos returned the question in confusion. 

"Why her? Why that white dragon girl?" Filia insisted. "I'm not stupid; I know what you had in that parcel you delivered to Tatjana. It was for Beast Master's dragon skin designer purse, wasn't it? Her scent was still so fresh, she was killed recently. I'm a dragon too; I have the right to be upset about this. Why, Xellos? Why her? What did she ever do to deserve becoming one of Beast Master's trophies? You didn't even know her, did you?" 

"It's not like you knew her," Xellos argued. 

"That's not the point!" Filia shouted; her rage increasing. 

"Answer me!" Filia angrily demanded, her voice echoing across the Zephilia park and disturbing the quiet of the very early morning, that could still be called by many night. 

"You already know the answer," Xellos replied with a serious tone that was a sharp contrast from his usual mockery. "I had to give Beast Master a good present, that's all there is to it. It's not like I hurt anyone you knew, so you can stop being so overly dramatic." 

Filia glared with tears in her eyes. "Why didn't you just use me instead? Why that poor innocent girl that surely had absolutely nothing to do with you? I'm the idiot that humors you more than I should, so why didn't you just turn me into a designer purse for Beast Master?" 

Trying to get back into a teasing argument and away from this drama, Xellos replied, "because you're too ugly to be good enough. I chose to hunt her because she was beautiful and that's all there is to it." 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 132: Presents! Gift Wrapped Hidden Desires

"You stupid piece of raw garbage!" Filia screamed in frustration, her voice echoing through Zephilia. "Why do you have to listen to Beast Master all the time? How can you live with yourself being a slave to someone like her? How can you tolerate your own existence?" 

Angered by the path the argument was taking, Xellos shouted back. "Stupid dragon, it's my terrible existence that's keeping you alive!" 

"What's that's supposed to mean?" Filia demanded. 

"Beast Master is sparing your life allowing me to keep you as a sort of pet," Xellos explained. "If I displease her, my punishment might be to lose my pet. If I wasn't there to convince her that it's convenient to keep you around, she would have killed you and taken the last ancient dragon as her slave." 

Filia was taken aback by the revelation and was definitely upset by it. She didn't want to be protected like that, but she didn't want to risk Val either. "I don't want sacrifices," she voiced in a quieter tone. 

"I'm not particularly bothered by this sort of thing but... Sometimes you just have to choose what is most precious and hold on to it. Sometimes you can't have it all," Xellos stated truthfully. "I thought you weren't sheltered and naive enough to believe that anymore." 

Filia did not reply. She just let his words spin around in her head continuously until they were so overanalyzed she didn't know what to think anymore. 'What is most precious...' Filia thought. Was he telling her to hold on to Val and forget about everyone else, to ignore the suffering of strangers? Or was there a deeper hidden meaning to it? "Take me home," Filia finally broke the long uncomfortable silence. 

Without saying anything more, Xellos teleported Filia to her shop at Seyruun and left. Filia stepped out to the balcony and admired the sunrise; it was the start of a new day... 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Earlier that night at Dragon's Peak... "Wake up!" The sudden voice made Milgazia jump out of bed and land on his feet in an alarmed automatic motion. He glared at the source of the voice, Beast Master Zelas Metallium, who had the daring audacity to teleport right into the middle of dragon territory, specifically to the dragon elder's house, to his room no less. 

"What are you doing here and why at this hour?" Milgazia fought and successfully defeated a yawn that had attempted to make its way out. He maintained a serious stare despite standing there wearing only shorts... hey, it was a warm night. At least Zelas seemed to be gracefully ignoring his lack of full apparel. 

"It's one minute past midnight, it's morning and it's about time to get up, even for someone as lazy as you. I'm here for my present," Zelas stated in a demanding tone as she tossed a box at Milgazia, who caught it. "Here's yours. Give me my present, I have to go back to Wolf Pack Island and start opening the many presents I'm getting from my minions. Some of us do get busy during Christmas, unlike you whom I'm sure no one would care to gift anything to, except for the coach's suggested pity gift. Hurry up, you're making me hungry." 

Okay, so maybe she did notice his lack of apparel after all, in a purely culinary way. Before she got any ideas about turning him into dragon cuisine, Milgazia quickly retrieved the gift box containing Zelas present, which he thought was very fitting for her. "Ladies first." 

Did she just detect a hint of sarcasm in his otherwise diplomatic tone? She decided to ignore it and tore the wrapping paper apart, curious to see what this mysterious present was. "Coal? Really Milgazia, I knew you were cheap but not this cheap." 

"That's the only thing a naughty monster should get," Milgazia stated. 

"I'll give you points for foolish bravery," Zelas chuckled. "It's your turn to open your present and I'm not as cheap as you are." 

Milgazia dreaded opening the box, but he knew he had to. The suspense was interrupted by insistent knocks on the door. "Lord Milgazia, we sense a monster in there! Are you alright?" A dragon called from outside. 

"Not a monster, a monster lord!" Another dragon corrected. "And of course he's not alright, there's a monster lord in his house!" 

"Everyone calm," yawn, "down," Memphis tried to make the dragons settle down. "I'm sure Milgazia is perfectly capable of handling this. Zelas is probably just here to discuss brass rackets strategies or something." 

"In the middle of the night?" A random dragon questioned. 

"Monsters don't sleep," yet another dragon dramatically declared. Quite a few dragons were gathered around Milgazia's house. 

"Everything is alright!" Milgazia called out as he hurried to open the present and get this over with. Inside the box he found a scarf... made of white dragon hide. "This is..." 

"Stylish, isn't it?" Zelas hopped over to stand directly next to him in amusement, taking the scarf and wrapping it around Milgazia's neck. He did not look amused. "I actually stole the material from Xellos, but I'm sure he'll overlook it. I bet he hunted that white dragon so he could order that custom made designer purse I've been hinting I wanted. I can't wait to see it! Last year Xellos gave me a vase for Christmas, I think he got it at his little dragon pet's shop. Honestly, he never knows what to get me unless I practically spell it out for him. I guess you're the same way, aren't you? You're completely hopeless at choosing a gift for a woman unless she tells you exactly what she wants. By the way, I made myself a scarf like this too. We should wear them next time we play brass rackets. You know, to get into the team spirit." Never mind that the weather was like that of a warm spring. "Well I must be going now. Merry Christmas!" The holiday wishes were of course, filled with heavy sarcasm as Zelas faded away to the astral side at last. 

Milgazia was having a pretty hard time refraining from making any comments, as he was taught at a young age that if he didn't have anything nice to say he shouldn't say anything at all. He grumbled and growled under his breath as he promptly removed the scarf and tossed it back in its box. He would say a prayer and properly dispose of it later. Just when Milgazia didn't think the very early beginning of his day could get any worse, a battalion of golden dragons invaded his house, with one elf among their ranks. They all stood there, staring at him while Milgazia's face turned red. "I told you I was fine!" 

"Yes sir!" The invaders chorused as they hurried to get out. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

During the whole day on December twenty fifth, the Christmas celebrations went very well in Seyruun. The monster lords spent the day receiving presents from their minions and had no time to cause trouble. Amelia and Zelgadis were planning to go on their trip after Christmas, but they delayed it for after New Year's. Lina and Gourry had a lot of fun with the banquet. Many friends from all across the land came. Naga, Martina, Zangulus, Phythan and Onyx all showed up at Seyruun. 

Gifts were exchanged in abundance and it was hard to believe that the world almost ended not too long ago. Filia even found that some presents from Xellos for Val and Palou mysteriously appeared under their tree at some point in time that Filia couldn't quite precise. She watched the gifts cautiously and finally relaxed, realizing that they were harmless art supplies. Her relief was short lived, as she realized that the finger paints would most likely end up on every surface and cleaning would be terribly difficult. They were gifs from Xellos, of course there had to be a catch. 

The good news was that despite Filia's early rising and rude awakening to reality, the holiday cheer was so present in Seyruun that it made her forget her troubles. The whole day went by pleasantly with festivities, music and food. There was even mistletoe, under which Lina and Gourry got caught. For a second, Filia considered running for cover because surely Lina would be terribly embarrassed and Dragon Slave Seyruun castle, but it wasn't necessary. The red haired sorceress blushed, stood on her tip toes while Gourry bent over, and kissed him without making a major fuss. 

The mistletoe scene made Filia think about how close they were and made her wish she had someone too. Xellos popped into her thoughts uninvited and made her become guarded around mistletoe, least he should decide to embarrass her by conveniently teleporting in when she was passing under one of the mistletoes that were scattered about all over the castle's party hall. It also reminded her about how he tried to sneak up on her with mistletoe on his staff last year. She broke a vase on his face for that stunt and charged him for it along with the one he bought. She also remembered building a snowman with a purple wig and a black cone for a nose, then smashing it with her mace to let out some tension. However, this time Xellos didn't show up. 

After the party was over, Filia looked at the grand Christmas tree in the middle of the party hall, admiring it for the last time before heading home with a sleepy Val in her arms, late into the night. There was magically generated snow out in the garden and Jillas had been lighting up some sparklers there earlier. Filia had a lot of fun, surrounded by people she deeply cared about. Yet there was a certain detail missing, but she couldn't, or didn't want to, figure out what it was. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After the Christmas party was over and the kingdom of Seyruun was once again still, Filia found that, despite having woken up so early, she couldn't sleep. She stood at the balcony of her home looking at the city streets which were not busy anymore, but still held a few late partiers and bar goers, most of them already heading home. 

"Why are you still awake, stupid dragon? You're going to get uglier if you don't get any sleep." Xellos appeared floating in front of Filia before joining her on the balcony. 

"Where were you all day, raw garbage?" Filia cut right to the chase in addressing her curiosity. 

"Watching Beast Master open presents," Xellos truthfully stated. "She's still opening presents, actually, but I already gave her mine and hung around for long enough, so I'm excused to leave." Filia frowned at the thought of sour memories that she had overanalyzed to the point of mental exhaustion before giving into the temptation of focusing only on the holiday cheer and blocking out everything else. "Are you still mad at me?" Xellos interrupted her thoughts. 

"Maybe," Filia admitted, because honestly, she wasn't even sure anymore. Their situation was... very peculiar. None the less it was Christmas, or at least the day after Christmas since it was already past midnight, so she might as well continue procrastinating on her worries in favor of paying attention to the holiday for a while longer. "Just a moment," Filia went inside, returning swiftly with a small box in her hands. She gave the box to Xellos, "merry Christmas." 

"You actually got me a Christmas present?" He wasn't expecting that, given how angry she had been before. Filia really was a box full of surprises, a very nicely wrapped box of surprises. 

"You gave me a present, so I thought I should correspond." Filia smiled; maybe she wasn't so angry at Xellos after all. "Are you going to open it?" 

"I am curious," Xellos opened the gift and pulled out a plush dragon keychain. 

"It's a purse charm for your purse," Filia smugly stated. Though the topic of purses was drenched with sour memories recently, she had been looking forward to teasing Xellos with this gift since the hectic day when she realized that the holidays were upon her and she wasn't done with her shopping yet. She couldn't resist. 

"It's not a purse!" Xellos snapped, though he did hang the plush dragon on his bag. "This little one kind of looks like you, it's so ugly, I bet I can scare people with it." 

Filia blinked, "what? You're actually using it?" 

"Why not?" Xellos innocently inquired with a hint of mischief reflected in his one open eye in a sort of reverse wink. "You're using the present I gave you." 

"I guess so..." Filia voiced. Now she wondered if it was such a great idea that she made the keychain plush look like her true form. It even had the blond hair and a little pink bow on its tail. Then again, she was kind of amused by the idea of Xellos walking around with a miniature doll of her attached to his bag. It made her wonder for how long he would keep it there. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The days went by and the time eventually came for the New Year celebration at Seyruun. Once again, the city was filled with visitors, perhaps more so than in Christmas because of an interesting fact. The League of International Fellowship on Earth, known in short as LIFE, was throwing a New Year party, which was being sponsored by Seyruun and was thus to be held at the castle. The grand party hall was buzzing with activity as journalists from across the land made a fuss and asked questions about the oh so secretive training regimen of the rising stars of the brass rackets' world, Yuna Wolf and Angel Dragon. 

They put up an admirable human act, though it seemed that most of the journalists were having problems with suspicious bouts of sudden clumsiness. They dropped things and things were mysteriously dropped on them. Some had started to wonder if Seyruun was haunted, though that should have been quite difficult. Of course, they weren't counting on the fact that it would take a lot more than this to suppress the power of a monster lord. 

The journalists were not the only ones who were having some coordination issues, as several men seemed to be having problems of their own, albeit it wasn't Zelas' secret doings. "What's wrong with them?" Filia curiously inquired from her place next to Xellos, her arm linked with his. Zelas and Milgazia were both expected to attend the New Year ball as Yuna Wolf and Angel Dragon respectively. This was due to their involvement in the LIFE sponsored upcoming world wide brass rackets tournament. It only made sense that their personal team of relationship sabotage agents should tag along and keep an eye on them. 

Xellos would be required to play his part as Zelas' backup if she got too tired of dealing with the press, to assist her in the effort not to blow her cover so soon in the game. Other than that, many of the business associates of the Metallium family were also present, occasionally asking Xellos about the whereabouts of his mother, who was secretly not too far away playing the role of a different identity. "I don't know," Xellos replied in perplexity as he followed the trail of love struck looking men prone to random acts of clumsiness as well as finding themselves in the receiving end of slaps courtesy of their respective dates. 

The purple haired monster finally spotted the source of the men's fascination and the women's anger. It was a beautiful woman whose silver hair reached all the way to her ankles, cascading in stunningly beautiful waves. Her very long pointy ears were visible sticking out left and right as she made her way across the party hall. That was not what he expected to find, because when one kills someone, one does not expect that someone to show up alive again and in no way undead. Xellos was certain that the white dragon girl he thought was near by was supposed to be very dead. 

The white dragon turned her face slightly towards Xellos with stunning golden eyes. Golden, not green... That's when he realized that this was not the dead white dragon after all; it was the girl who had been guarding her. She simply looked different with her hair down; he didn't even notice it was that long when he saw her before. Either way it was trouble, because they had a vengeful dragon in their midst. That meant that, as much as he would rather spend the rest of the night with Filia, not that he would ever admit it, it was time for Xellos to get to work before the dragon girl caused a troublesome commotion. 

The dragon female, what had she said her name was? Ah yes, Kirei, she looked away and kept moving. She was purposely letting Xellos know that she had seen him; perhaps calling him to follow her into a trap that he was confident would be unsuccessful. He better investigate and put a stop to her plot before things got out of hand. He glanced discreetly towards Zelas, their eyes meeting with silent communication. Then Xellos' eyes went back to watching Kirei's every move, wondering if she had brought backup. 

Xellos' concentration was finally broken when Filia harshly removed her arm from his. He looked at her, as she glared intensely; producing the unmistakable taste of her delicious wrath mixed with... jealousy? "I guess a pretty face can stop even you in your tracks!" Throwing her head back in anger, Filia walked off in such a hurry she nearly tripped on her long elegant dress. Trying her best to ignore the stumble, she hurried away angrily without looking back. 

Xellos chuckled in amusement. Filia was jealous, this was priceless! It filled him with an odd sense of pride that he wasn't sure should be provoked by something like this. He considered going after Filia and teasing her about this, though the truth was that he was not looking at Kirei that way. He was only surprised by her presence and rightfully concerned about her plans, which could expose Yuna Wolf's true identity. 

Xellos knew he didn't have time to deal with Filia now; it was time to do his duty like the secret bodyguard of a celebrity. Thus Xellos gave Filia one last glance as she took up a seat at the bar and walked a few steps in pursuit of Kirei. Then he looked back and had to do a double take. Luna was the one serving the drinks at the bar, Luna Inverse, the Knight of Ceifeed. Great, just great... If a fight broke loose everyone would jump in and then Beast Master might be pushed into jumping in herself. That would certainly give things a very interesting twist, but her undercover plans would go down the drain and there would be consequences to pay. Xellos knew he couldn't allow things to go that far. 

To be Continued


	45. Chapter 45

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 133: Reminders! You're Everywhere To Me

"You're looking healthy." Xellos greeted his target with a mocking grin. The people around them were oblivious to the tension in the air as they went about their business, staring at the pretty pointy eared girl or getting slapped by jealous dates. 

"You're looking smug." Kirei glared at Xellos with a great fury in her golden eyes. "You have no idea how much trouble you caused for my clan by killing Jewel." 

"I thought you weren't fond of the brat," Xellos responded with mock innocence. 

"She was... necessary," Kirei growled. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Several days ago, close to midnight in the outer lands across the sea from the peninsula, a monster general priest with a peculiar mission appeared in the gates of a mansion on the outskirts of a secluded white dragon settlement. Quiet and sneaky, Xellos approached the mansion, standing before its front entrance. It didn't look like there were guards around; there was no reason for the owner of the mansion to expect intruders. Yet there was in the end at least one guard... 

"Stop, you monster!" A white dragon female with fiery golden eyes and long silver hair in a folded ponytail, that made it look half as long as its true ankle length, approached. She was wearing what looked like some kind of martial arts uniform and looked ready to fight. "Why have you come here, insect?" 

"I came here for you, Jewel." This had to be her, Jewel, the legendary beauty of the white dragons. For a moment Xellos thought she was only a rumor. She was said to be quite young, just barely entering adulthood. She was betrothed about a century ago, but was too young to marry. Thus she was kept protected and hidden, as her fiance, a black dragon from a family of prominent political influence among the dragon race, was extremely protective of her. As a result of that, few had laid eyes upon her, but those who had, spoke wonders of her beauty. She would make a grand addition to Beast Master's collection. 

"My name is Kirei," the white dragon girl corrected. "I am Jewel's protector. If you're here for the spoiled brat you'll have to get through me!" 

"Spoiled brat?" Xellos questioned. "That's not how I would expect a bodyguard to refer to her superior," he mocked. 

"My opinion of her does not matter." Was that a hint of jealousy in Kirei's voice? "I am her protector; it is my duty to my family. I must repay them for raising me as a child by protecting the one they treasure." 

Xellos chuckled, "if the guard is this cute, then the treasure must be a real beauty. I'm sure Lord Beast Master will be very pleased with her new dragon hide designer purse." 

"You want to turn Jewel into a fashion statement?" Kirei considered the possibility in her imagination. "Well, it is kind of fitting for such a manufactured beauty..." She shook her head, remembering her duty and trying to firmly hold on to it. "What am I saying? I'll fight you to the death to protect Jewel if I must, insect!" Without any further warnings, Kirei charged towards Xellos, who disappeared into the astral side. 

Xellos reappeared behind Kirei, with a ball of black energy ready to shoot it at her. She jumped, flipping backwards as the ball of energy passed harmlessly through the now empty spot where she stood a split second ago. She attacked with magic even before she landed, managing to catch Xellos before he faded away completely. Before he reappeared, Kirei continued on the attack, hitting the areas where he intended to fade into the physical world. Finally, Xellos appeared floating high above the mansion. 'I see now why they thought one guard was enough,' he mused. For a young white dragon, this girl was exceptionally strong. Play time was over... 

With another ball of black energy surrounded in purple lightning, Xellos went on the attack. Kirei didn't move, his blast hit her head on and when the dust that was lifted when the energy collided with the ground settled, there was no one there. 'An illusion!' Xellos realized. She must have sensed him moving up to reappear several feet in the air. She predicted that he would attack from above and left an illusion below in her place. Where was the real one? 

Xellos looked in every direction; Kirei was gone, just gone, he couldn't even sense her intense emotions anymore. Did she run away like a coward? Maybe she was smart after all. He looked towards the mansion that looked so exposed to infiltration. He was there for Jewel, not her bodyguard, so it didn't matter if Kirei ran away. Xellos faded into the astral side with intentions of teleporting straight inside the mansion. As he entered the astral plane, he caught a glimpse of a most unexpected sight. 

There was a white dragon with black energy that pulsed through her, surrounding her in black lightning. She looked as if the dark force within her could not be contained by her body, as if it would rip her apart from the inside. He only saw her for a split second before a blast of magic made him go on an emergency retreat. 'What... what is she?' That blast point blank actually hurt a lot. Yet somehow, she kept her emotions completely hidden as if she wasn't even there. 

Kirei reappeared in the physical world, going all out with rapid blasts of energy, which Xellos was quick to dodge, until she exhausted herself and had to pause to catch her breath. Her senses where blurring, she had pushed herself too much. It was too late by the time she sensed the blast of dark energy surrounded in purple lightning heading towards her. Her damaged dragon body was not responding, she couldn't dodge it and was knocked out. 

Finally victorious, Xellos approached his would-be victim. "So that's what you are, a poorly made chimera. The monster fused with you was never fully integrated." He was reminded a little of Valgarv. A combination of dragon and monster that was actually stable, did such a creature even exist? Valgarv could not fully transform into a dragon, though a partial transformation could give him extra power. This girl forced herself to transform and paid the consequences. "You're bearly in control..." 

Xellos raised his hand as if to finish her off, but soon the dark energy in his palm faded to nothing and he lowered his hand. "Such a little firecracker..." Her temper reminded him of Filia. Leaving the injured unconscious dragon girl on the ground in front of the mansion, Xellos went inside. He knew he wouldn't run into any further interruptions. Surely the dragons in the near by village sensed all this. If their strongest warrior fell in battle, they would know there was nothing they could do. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The inside of the mansion was elegantly decorated with emerald curtains that stood out on pale pink walls, plush carpets and expensive looking art. Xellos paused as he spotted a pink vase splashed with drops of glittery green. Filia was trying to glue some clear rhinestones to it. She arranged the glue in swirling patterns, but before she could pick up even the first rhinestone, Xellos showed up and dumped a jar of green glitters on the work in process. He wanted purple, but he couldn't find it, so he settled for annoying Filia with the first jar of glitters he found. "Her vases are everywhere..." 

Xellos continued towards the room at the center of the mansion where he sensed a presence. He pushed the elegantly carved double doors open, cherry blossom pictures parting left and right to reveal the inner room. There was a lot of pink to go with the cherry blossom theme; Filia would probably like all the pink. In the middle of the room among many soft pastel colored cushions, there sat a young white dragon woman in front of a large mirror, admiring her reflection. "Jewel..." 

At the mention of her name, she turned around to face the unwelcome invader. "Monster..." Her voice was clear melodious and beautiful, as was she. Her hair flowed in amazing waves as if it was crafted from the finest silver. It seemed long enough to reach her ankles. Her ears were long slender and pointy, sticking out left and right and slightly upwards, rather than straight up. A few shorter strands of hair framed her flawless face and light pink makeup highlighted her delicate features. Her eyes held various shades of green as if peridots, jades and emeralds had been fused together in impressive swirls of melted gems. 

"What a disappointment," Xellos voiced. 

Jewel showed no change in her neutral expression. "What words do you speak?" She inquired with detachment. 

"You are Jewel, are you not? I had heard you held legendary beauty, but I don't see what the fuss is about." Xellos stated, unimpressed. "Your bodyguard is cuter than you." 

Jewel merely blinked, "unreasonable," she stated in her quiet melodious voice. "My elder sister holds no beauty; she is damaged beyond repair, overtaken by a terrible monster. She is destined to die if she does not free herself and free herself she cannot." 

"That fact doesn't seem to bother you much," Xellos observed. 

"My only concern is my duty," Jewel replied. 

"Your duty?" Xellos questioned with mild curiosity. 

"For as long as my beauty mesmerizes all, my clan shall remain prosperous." Jewel stated emotionlessly. 

"You're pretty dull," Xellos observed. There was a hint of indignation, mixed with fear and annoyance, perhaps a hint of rage, yet it was all so downplayed he wasn't even sure. She was a superficial beauty, a cultivated beauty; she was manufactured in a sense. When it came down to it she was nothing but a living doll with barely the hint of a spirit in her. She was trained to be beautiful, trained to be the image of perfection, nothing but an image, nothing but falsehood. "Quite dull indeed, a disappointment." 

"An astral being with no definite appearance would not understand the meaning of beauty," Jewel stated with indifference. 

"You think so?" Xellos pretended to look perplexed, then he gave her a mocking grin. "Maybe it just takes a little more than what you're capable of achieving to make me understand." He wasn't sure why the image of Filia popped into his head, but he tried to leave such thoughts for later and focus on his mission. "It doesn't matter, not for you at least, because you're about to die anyway." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

In the present time at Seyruun castle, the New Year's ball continued. Kirei's intense anger invaded the atmosphere around Xellos. The emotion was slightly bitter, as if mixed with sorrow, unlike Filia's pure, almost innocent, fury. "The only reason for which someone as tainted as myself was kept in the clan was to protect Jewel. When she died I was regarded as a disgrace because I lived when she did not. Jewel's fiance is disappointed and my clan has been abandoned. She was to marry in a mere few months; the Ivory clan was to become one with the Ebony clan." 

"So much for political power," Xellos chuckled mockingly. "Why don't you marry Mr. Ebony yourself? Oh wait, that's right, you're dying as a side-effect of the monster inside you. You're an imperfect chimera." 

"I would rather the monster kill me than completely fuse with me. I will resist it even if I die." Kirei snapped angrily. "Even if I cannot reach happiness, my family could have if you haven't shown up to collect another trophy for Beast Master." 

"So now you want revenge? Fine, let's take our fight outside, shall we?" Xellos suggested. 

"You don't want to cause a commotion do you?" Kirei correctly concluded. 

"If you do," Xellos slowly opened his eyes threateningly. "I guarantee you will regret it." 

"We shall see," Kirei walked away. 

Xellos paused, debating if he should follow her or not. She didn't seem stupid enough or suicidal enough to cause trouble. No, not that one, she seemed to be a cunning fighter, she would probably assess the situation further before making a move. She was heading towards the line where autographs were being signed by Yuna Wolf and Angel Dragon. So that was her plan, she probably intended to gain some support from Milgazia, but he should know not to make a troublesome move, especially given his... relationship. 

In conclusion, it was fairly safe to say that Kirei wouldn't be causing any immediate trouble. Xellos would keep a cautious eye on her, but for the time being he could afford to let her go about her useless business for a short while; it wouldn't get her anywhere anyway. He looked around the grant party hall until he spotted Filia sitting at the bar talking to Luna. Great, just great... Couldn't she just hang out quietly on her own until he returned from his unexpected duties? If she was really bored, couldn't she go play the third wheel for Amelia and Zelgadis for a while? Or go pig out at the buffet table with Lina and Gourry? Though she might be risking her limbs on that last option... Of all the things Filia could have done to entertain herself in his absence, why did she have to go talk to the Knight of Ceifeed? Without further ado, Xellos tried to look harmless as he approached the bar. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Zelas discreetly watched as Xellos went off to the bar where his little pet and the Knight of Ceifeed were. As for the white dragon girl, she was approaching the autograph table, her eyes fixated on Milgazia while he tried to avoid her gaze. "She knows who I am," Milgazia whispered under his breath to Wizer. 

The coach was sitting between the two athletes like a human wall of peacekeeping. "Not good..." Wizer glanced at Zelas, who was playing the part of Yuna and seemed well aware of what was happening. 

"If she blows our cover..." Zelas' plan was to disappoint everyone when they looked up to Yuna as an inspirational sports heroine. Perhaps some of the fans would even become her followers and form troublesome cults that worshiped Beast Master. It would be so chaotic, so fun, she couldn't allow her cover to be blown now. 

"Don't worry, I have a plan," Wizer whispered discreetly. "As the athletes that I coach, it is my duty to assist you in any way I can. Let us create a diversion." The detective turned coach suddenly stood up, addressing the crowd that was standing in line waiting for their autographs, among which Kirei was. "Hey everyone! Wouldn't you like to see Yuna and Angel dance a passionate tango? I know I would!" 

"Yeah!" The crowd, excluding Kirei, cheered. 

"Will you give the crowd what they want?" Wizer encouraged Milgazia and Zelas to play along, though they did not look amused. 

"He's insane," Milgazia stated. 

"He's suicidal," Zelas differed. 

Wizer's acted cheer faltered for a second before he put a rose in his mouth and with a brand new resolve he spoke between his teeth. "If Mr. Dragon is too shy to dance, then I will happily dance with the lovely Miss Wolf," he volunteered. 

Zelas looked back and forth between Milgazia and Wizer. "Are these my only options?" She seemed displeased. "Move it dragon boy, we're dancing." 

"Huh?" The next thing Milgazia knew he was being pulled away from his chair and dragged to the dance floor. 

"Just do what I do and don't step on my feet," Zelas warned. 

"Fine," with a serious face, Milgazia had no choice but to accept the unexpected invitation. 

Wizer sighed in disappointment. 'She chose to dance with her sworn enemy instead of with me? Hmp! Monster lords, who understands them? Hmp! Women, who understands them? Hmp! Monster lord women, who understands them?' Leaving the fans to fuss about the sport idols' dance, Wizer went off to nurse his broken pride at the bar. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, Xellos sat down next to Filia, leaning on the bar to look at her face past the curtain of blond hair that partially covered it as she stared down at her half empty, or half full, depending on one's perspective, glass. "Elbows off," Luna half ordered and half pretended to politely request as she wiped the glossy black bar counter with a white cloth, even if it was already clean anyway. 

Xellos continued trying to look harmless. He noticed that Lina had momentarily paused in her eating at the buffet table to curiously glance in her sister's general direction. Xellos smiled at the gluttonous redhead sorceress, hoping that it would further help to make Luna settle down and not cause a commotion. Lina however, promptly went back to her eating without returning the gesture and pretended she didn't know the purple haired monster. Some support. 

Filia was doing a fine job of ignoring Xellos so far and Luna was doing a fine job of giving him nasty looks. Just what did Filia tell her anyway? The golden dragon's attention was moved away from whatever was so fascinating about a half full and half empty glass of wine and towards a small commotion taking place at the dance floor as the melody of tango invaded the sound waves. Her eyes widened as she pointed at the pair, "they really know how to tango," she observed. 

Curious, Xellos followed Filia's pointing finger. He was going to tease her about how it was rude to point at people, but the phrase died on his lips before he could breathe a word of it. Then he clenched his teeth and glared. Milgazia was dancing with Zelas; Milgazia was dancing a tango with Zelas. "No one dances with Beast Master like that!" Xellos growled in a threatening and territorial tone. He stood up and started marching over to them. Then he realized he would cause a commotion if he so openly interfered and resolved to approach them more discreetly, with some cover in the form of a dance partner. "Filia, we have a mission to accomplish." 

Contemplating the peculiar dancing pair, Filia set aside her anger for the time being and nodded. She reasoned that putting up with Xellos was something that she would have to do for the sake of the greater good. "Fine, it's a truce, but I'm still mad at you." She followed him towards the dancing area. 

Wizer arrived soon after and sat at the bar, sighing deeply. "Give me something strong, Miss Bartender, I need to drink away my frustrations." 

"Right away," Luna prepared a particularly powerful drink and set the glass on the bar counter in front of Wizer. 

The frustrated coach downed the full contents of the glass, feeling the burn of liquor traveling down his throat in a stinging way that was almost instantly revitalizing. Yet his worries were still vividly present in his mind. "I'm a failure as a coach," he confessed. 

"Isn't that a little harsh?" Luna went into psychological counselor mode, as it was the alternate function of most bartenders. "I hear your athletes are quite talented." 

"I'm sure people will soon see through their act," Wizer sighed, revealing a little too much, as his senses became slightly blurry and his speech slurred. What was in that drink anyway? It was exceptionally strong. "They are amazing on their own, but terrible as a team. They hold no passion for each other, no interest in each other, not even a slight hint of a connection. Just look at them dancing there, so stiffly." 

"Stiffly?" Luna questioned. "They're movements appear to be fluid and precise." 

"Tango isn't about precision," Wizer insisted. "It's about passion and those two have no passion. He's so serious and she's so cold. They are talented and have fast reflexes, but it's all an act. Look there for example," Wizer pointed. "He's not even really holding her waist. If you look very closely, you'll notice that his fingers are just barely brushing the fabric of her dress." 

"You're very observant," Luna acknowledged. 

"It comes with years of working as a police detective." Wizer revealed with pride. "There wasn't a case I couldn't solve, or a criminal I couldn't apprehend. But this is different..." His expression became sad and frustraited. "Getting those two to even remotely work together beyond a poorly constructed act is a real challenge." 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 134: Insanity! Welcome to Wonderland

The New Year's ball progressed merrily at Seyruun castle. Amelia was dancing with Zelgadis. Martina was dancing with Zangulus. Lina and Gourry were eating. Naga and Gravos were drinking themselves silly and laughing insanely, yes, both of them. Jillas was dancing with Elena. Palou, Val and Fang were playing tag with Philionel, which was pretty amusing. Onyx was looking rather bored standing around and glaring at the walls because she didn't particularly fit in at parties. Phythan was getting more attention from the ladies than his innocent mind could think of what to do with. 

Wizer's eyes traveled to the pair dancing not too far away from Zelas and Milgazia. They looked like they were fighting for control of the dance, shoving each other not too discreetly. They couldn't make up their minds about in which direction they were going, pulling and pushing constantly, which led to slight stumbles and constant physical contact. "Now that's dancing!" Wizer exclaimed, pointing at Xellos and Filia. "To the untrained eye it looks like they're stumbling around like clumsy drunken idiots, but you can practically smell the passion!" 

"Interesting," Luna observed. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Kirei watched the dancing couples with a glare. Several men had attempted to ask her to dance, but she had refused them all. She didn't know what was going on, but there was definitely something going on with Milgazia and Zelas. Deciding that it was best to study the situation further before making a move, Kirei retreated for the night. She might have acted rashly for the sake of her immediate duty, but now that her duty was dead, she had to plot her vengeance properly. She couldn't take too long though, not with that creature eating away at her very life. That peculiarly mysterious thing inside her, which she assumed was a monster. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Your potential conquest is leaving," Filia harshly whispered to Xellos. 

"Jealous, are we?" He teased. 

"I feel sorry for her if she managed to capture your interest," Filia growled. The tango continued and they had made no progress in cutting into Milgazia and Zelas' dance. 

"Xellos..." Zelas' voice was barely heard above the music. She gave her general a look that screamed 'get over here, now.' 

"I think I'm being called," Xellos observed. Filia humored him by allowing him to lead the dance instead of stubbornly trying to push and pull in the opposite direction to where he was trying to move. 

As soon as the two pairs where in range, Zelas declared, "switch," and they exchange dance partners. This was an infuriatingly long song. "What took you so long? Is your pet that much of a distraction? Do I need to get rid of her?" Zelas, still in the guise of Yuna, growled discreetly but harshly. 

"My apologies, Lord Beast Master," Xellos whispered back. "I wasn't distracted, it's just that I did not realize you wanted me to cut in," he excused. It was only partially true and it made him wonder why she would want her dance to be interrupted. 

"If you had not come I might have done something..." Zelas admitted, "inappropriate," like murder. 

Xellos questioned, unsure if he actually wanted an answer "Inappropriate?" Like making-out in public or more? 

"Yes," Zelas confirmed, "very inappropriate," very bloody murder. 

"Very inappropriate?" That had to mean more... "But there are so many witnesses," Xellos pointed out almost desperately. 

"When the need comes," to commit a violent bloody murder, "it comes." Zelas explained, much to Xellos' horror. She didn't know what kind of thoughts were going through his head and she didn't understand why he was so horrified. "Is there a problem?" She inquired. 

"Of course not," Xellos forced himself to smile. "Anything that you decide to do is what is best. I would never, ever question your actions." 

"That's a good general priest. Now do me a favor and as soon as this stupid dance is over go fetch me a drink," Zelas ordered. "I would go and demand it from the Knight of Ceifeed myself," because she was most certainly not afraid to do so and they all knew it. "But I'll probably get stuck signing autographs again." 

"Yes, Lord Beast Master," Xellos agreed, trying to completely erase from his mind the images of his wild, and very inaccurate, imagination. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, Milgazia was now dancing with Filia, while Zelas and Xellos moved further away. "Are you... um... alright?" Filia shyly asked. 

"Yes, I'm fine now," Milgazia admitted. "I'm glad you came, things were getting rather tense." 

"Tense?" Filia questioned, she wasn't stumbling around anymore now that she wasn't opposing any directional resistance to the dance, instead loosely following Milgazia's movements. 

"Yes," Milgazia confessed. He was pretty sure Zelas wanted very badly to go on the attack, even if he tried to keep his distance as much as he possibly could while still putting up a half decent act of pretending to dance. "It would not have been suitable for the eyes of young children," because it would have been very violent. 

Filia's eyes widened, "really?" Just how much bottled up passion for each other did those two have? "I had no idea it was that... intense..." She felt terribly awkward right about now. 

Milgazia interpreted Filia's discomfort as worry, which was perfectly justifiable. "It's okay. After this song ends, we'll go sign autographs separately and I'm sure the atmosphere will cool off after a while." 

"Right..." Filia nodded, all too eager to end the conversation. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Fortunately, the New Year's ball ended without any major incidents, unfortunately, the troubles that awaited Xellos, Filia and the world were far from over. Zelas, being the prideful, egotistical monster lord she was, decided that Milgazia better improve his brass rackets skills if he was going to be her unwelcome costar at the court. Thus she sent Xellos to hunt down some tea leaves that had been supposedly previously extinct, but were restored into the world after the whole incident that borrowed power from the Sea of Chaos. 

The leaves were supposed to be good to make some energy drink tea with, though their existence was surrounded by a number of peculiar rumors. "Take your pet along, she might be able to sniff them out. Plus this tea is good for dragons, so you can give her some as a treat." 

Xellos was not happy to have been sent off on an errand to find tea leaves for Milgazia, but none the less he went and he did take Filia along. Hence they found themselves in a big open field with various small forms of vegetation all around. "Why do I have to help you find the tea leaves?" Filia complained. "I don't think encouraging tea parties between Milgazia and Zelas will help break them up." 

"That's not the point," Xellos, just as Filia, was also bent over looking at the ground trying to discern one leaf from another. This was far more difficult than it looked. "This is a mission from Beast Master; it's a direct order so it must be done." 

"And she specifically told you to bring me along?" Filia complained. 

"Yes," Xellos replied. "You shouldn't complain so much, lazy dragon. These tea leaves are good for your kind, you can have some." 

"Why don't you get your new friend to come with you?" Filia inquired in annoyance. 

"Who?" Xellos picked up some leaves to examine them more closely, but soon realized that they were not what he was looking for. 

"The white dragon girl from the ball, you're obviously quite fond of her," Filia huffed. 

Xellos grinned, "I don't really know where she is right now. But you're right, I am becoming quite fond of her," but that was only because she made Filia jealous and he was ever so amused by that. 

Filia growled something incomprehensible. It was none of her business who Xellos hung out with. If he found a new dragon to annoy, then maybe he would leave her alone. If she never saw him again it would be too soon! She walked off in anger, stomping her feat as she went. 

"Don't step on the tea leaves, clumsy dragon!" Xellos called after her in a teasing tone, but Filia didn't stop. Turning behind a large tree, Filia sat down and crossed her arms angrily. Since it didn't look like she was willing to be helpful anymore, but didn't have any intentions of leaving either, Xellos let her be for the time being and resumed his search. 

After a while of glaring angrily at nothing and asking herself why she was so terribly annoyed, Filia concluded that she simply did not like being pushed into spending time with Xellos, though deep down she knew that wasn't true. She shifted and realized that the bark of the tree on her back slightly bent inward as if it was thin and hollow. Curiously, she examined it more closely, finding a hole on it to look through, but it was too dark to see inside. She pushed it a little and it gave in, she pushed it a little more and it gave in some more. Finally she pushed it harder and the whole piece of bark sunk into the hollow tree before becoming detached from it and falling in. 

Filia leaned into the hole that was hidden below the tree. She squinted at the darkness until she felt something poking at her tail. The appendage had made its appearance a short while ago without her notice during her little argument with Xellos. She turned her head to find a little rabbit looking at her as if asking for passage. Filia moved aside and the fluffy white bunny hopped past her and jumped into the hole camouflaged by the tree. The small creature disappeared in the darkness as it fell, making Filia wonder if it was alright. Well, she couldn't abandon a cute fuzzy bunny all on its own, though it did look like the rabbit knew exactly what it was doing. 

Curious about what kind of odd rabbit hole this was, Filia jumped in, levitating so as to not plummet to the ground below. She used a light spell to see where she was going and safely landed in a small cavern underground. She saw the same white bunny making its way to an underground pond to drink some clear crystalline water. The rabbit then climbed out through a smaller hole, most likely making its way to the surface. So it was only here for a drink. Filia was about to levitate back out the way she came, but paused when she saw a peculiar leaf. It was a deep green color with red specs on it and thin sections similar to the shape of a feather. 

Filia closely examined the plant with the peculiar leaves, taking in its scent which was like a mix of mint and vanilla. This was it; the leaves matched the description Xellos obtained from Beast Master perfectly. Filia considered taking some and showing them to Xellos, bragging about finding them before he did, but she didn't feel like it. Let him run around in circles up in the fields for a while longer looking for the elusive tea leaves. As for Filia, she was going to make some tea. She could really use something to relax with and the tea was supposed to be good for dragons. With her mind set on tasting a new tea recipe, Filia pulled out her small portable tea set out of a pocket in her cloak and started making tea with the use of magic to heat it up. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile in Seyruun castle, Amelia went over her luggage one last time as she and Zelgadis would be leaving on their trip on the very next morning. She looked through her comic and novel collection, wondering which she should take along. She picked up a particular novel and opened it to the first page which contained some notes from the author. "Make sure to set your imagination to high definition mode, because this is a fan service filled story!" 

Amelia giggled as she remembered what the novel was about; it kind of made her wish it was a comic instead. A picture is worth a thousand words, especially when it's the kind of picture that would probably leave anyone speechless. In the end deciding against packing the particular novel, Amelia placed it back on its shelf and picked out a different one instead. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Back in the little underground cave, Filia woke up and stretched with a yawn. She didn't remember falling asleep. That tea she drank was good and it must have relaxed her more than she thought if she actually fell asleep on the ground. She started to pick up her tea set to put it away in her cloak, but soon found she didn't have her cloak, or her dress. Instead she was wearing an odd bikini made of pink hearts. Boiling with anger and embarrassment, Filia immediately assigned a culprit to her predicament. "Xellos!" 

A figure faded into existence from the astral side, floating a few feet above the ground. The shape became clearer until Filia recognized him as Xellos, except he wasn't the same way he always was. He still had the same purple hair and the same infuriatingly overly cheerful squinty eyes and big grin. The two main differences were that, number one; he had a pair of purple cat ears on his head along with a purple tail and number two, his clothes were... mostly missing. The ears were a deep purple with lavender at the tips and the tail was striped with deep purple and lavender. As for his apparel, or lack thereof, he wore only a purple spade symbol covering what vitally needed to be covered. "You called?" He purred. 

Filia's jaw dropped as she stared red faced. The nerve of him. "You!" She pointed accusingly. "You did this, you monster!" 

"Did what, Alice?" Xellos inquired with a purr as he landed next to Filia, on all fours and started rubbing against her bare legs purring. 

"Stop that, you pervert!" Filia jumped back several feet in furious indignation, "and my name is not Alice!" 

"Sure it is, Alice, meow," Xellos faded to the astral side again. He reappeared again next to Filia, first his grinning face and then the rest of him. "I would remember my own master's name, purr." 

Filia angrily levitated out of the little cave and peeked out of the tree trunk, hoping that the fields above were just as deserted as before. When she got her mace back, Xellos was really going to get it. What Filia saw was not what she was expecting at all. Instead of the normal fields she had been at before, she found a very strange place with pink grass, orange skies, blue trees, dancing green mushrooms and smile faced white clouds. At least the clouds were a normal color, but clouds were not supposed to have faces. "Where am I?" Filia finished climbing out of the tree trunk in disbelief. 

Xellos faded into existence next to her again. "You're in wonderland, meow. Where else would you be, Alice?" 

Was this all Xellos trickery or was she going insane? Honestly, Filia was starting to dreadfully suspect the latter. "If I'm your master, then I order you to call me Filia." The least he could do was call her by her proper name. 

"Whatever you say, Filia, purr," Xellos agreed, attempting to get cuddly again, but Filia quickly stepped away. 

"Now I order you to take me home," Filia demanded. 

"Right away, meow, follow me purr," Xellos kept disappearing and reappearing a few feet away, moving by way of short range teleportation. 

"Can't you walk like a normal person?" Filia snapped, soon changing her request. "Or better yet, just teleport me home!" 

"I can't do that, meow," Xellos insisted. "You have to follow me, purr." Seeing that she had no choice, Filia let out an exasperated breath and moved along. She really hoped no one would see her like this. She really wanted to hurt Xellos right now. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After walking for a while, the scenery wasn't getting any more normal, it was getting stranger; Filia could have sworn those green dancing mushrooms were staring at her. Things that shouldn't have faces had faces, such as those odd yellow rocks Xellos was sitting on kitty style. One of the rocks just winked at her! 

"Alice?" A small voice called from the ground among the tall pink grass. Filia looked down at the being that took flight on small golden wings. It looked like a dragon, sort of. Yet its head and golden eyes were unusually large. His head was almost the same size as the rest of his body and his wings were far too tiny to keep him in the air according to the laws of physics. To put it simply, he looked like a caricature of a golden dragon, like a cute drawing that shouldn't exist outside of comics, a chibi. "I'm glad you're back!" 

"Who are you?" Filia asked the tiny dragon in curiosity. She was embarrassed, given her current apparel, but also very surprised by the creature. "And by the way, my name is Filia," she added in an annoyed tone. 

"You want to be called Filia? Very well," the little golden dragon agreed. "You can still call me by my usual name. I hope you weren't seriously asking who I am. Have you forgotten your own brother?" Filia was pretty sure she never actually had a brother, but she could say nothing as she watched the small dragon glow with perplexity. The golden light stretched into a human-like shape until finally the light faded and there stood Milgazia, wearing a similar attire to Xellos, except his was a blue heart. "Surely you remember me, dear sister. I am Milgazia, the king of hearts, brother of the queens of hearts, Martina and Alice, who is now called Filia." 

"You... you..." Filia couldn't even find the words to say. There simply wasn't a word in her vocabulary that expressed a sufficient amount of surprise. Milgazia was in on this craziness too? How did he even turn into that chibi dragon thing? How did the whole scenery change? Nothing made sense! 

"Xellos, why have you not yet escorted Filia to the trial grounds?" Milgazia inquired, he didn't seem to be at all bothered by his lack of clothing or Filia's. 

"She doesn't seem up to it, meow. She's acting really strange, purr, she won't even pet me." Xellos complained. 

"How odd," Milgazia observed. "Usually my dear sister wants to do nothing more than to caress her beloved pet all day and night," he innocently stated. 

Filia's face turned red at the thought of cuddling Xellos, repeatedly, all the time, with that odd attire of his... "That can't be!" She shouted embarrassed. 

"Your face is red, are you ill?" Milgazia inquired. "Sadly, there is no time for you to recover. You must attend the trial right now. This trial will decide which of my two sisters will keep the title of queen of hearts, while the other will be the jack of hearts. Let's not forget that all the jacks are required to serve as slaves to Zelas, the queen of spades, for seven hundred years before they can go free. Hurry to your trial now, Filia, if you are late, it will be assumed that you wish to forfeit the title of queen of hearts." 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 135: Panorama! Minimal Dress Code

"Serve Zelas for seven hundred years?" Filia's eye twitched at the thought. She didn't know what kind of insanity was going on and she didn't like it at all. She wondered if this was related to the use of chaotic energy to revitalize the planet. Maybe calling upon the power of the Sea of Chaos was crossing the line and it was only a matter of time before the world morphed into this nonsensical place. Filia didn't know what was going on or how to get things back to normal, but she did know one thing, she did not want to get stuck as Zelas' slave for a single day, let along seven hundred years. "Which way are the trial grounds?" 

"This way, meow," Xellos disappeared and reappeared a few feet further away. "Follow me, purr." Without any further delays, Filia hurried after Xellos as he continuously teleported, leading the way. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Xellos! Wait up!" Xellos' continuous teleportation had increased in speed until Filia was running to keep up with him. Given her current attire, or lack of attire, she thought it best to transform into a dragon. Her human-like shape was one thing, but her dragon form was a whole other story. She didn't mind running around with nothing but a ribbon on her tail in that shape. It was a bit ironic, but that was simply how it worked. She looked around, feeling as if the odd mutant vegetation was watching her. That aside, there seemed to be no one else around. Thus she focused and attempted to transform. 

After several seconds of absolutely nothing, her tail finally popped out with a bell ring at the end instead of her usual bow. Filia didn't understand why she couldn't transform, but it's not like anything else made sense anyway. So much for making following Xellos easier by flying. She examined her tail, tugging at the bell ring. How in the world did it get there? The upside-down heart shape of the end of her tail was too big to allow the ring to get to the thinner area of her tail. But once again, it's not like anything else made sense anyway. 

Letting out a breath of exasperation, Filia continued on her way in the general direction that she last saw Xellos teleport. The bell ring on her tail made a continuous sound as she walked, but she found herself unable to retract the appendage. Trying her best to ignore the sound, Filia kept on walking, until her missing guide appeared again. 

"Bell..." Xellos' purple and lavender striped cat tail moved from side to side as he watched Filia's tail intently. His posture was similar to that of a feline waiting to pounce. "Bell... bell... bell! My bell!" He dashed towards Filia, running in circles around her on all fours until he stopped behind her and started chewing on the end of her tail. 

Xellos didn't bite hard enough to cause Filia any pain, but his nibbling was... tickling her, to say the least. "Stop that!" From lack of mace on hand, Filia used her foot and kicked Xellos away. 

Xellos made a sound like a hurt kitten and looked at Filia with sad amethyst eyes. "You don't love me anymore!" Then he disappeared once more. 

"You don't know the meaning of personal space!" Filia shouted angrily. She waited for several seconds, but Xellos did not return. "Xellos? Oh, come on, don't be such a piece of raw garbage and come back already! Xellos!" After several more minutes passed with Filia's calls being ignored, she even tried using the bell ring on her tail to attract Xellos again, but it didn't work. 

Seeing as getting her guide back was not working out, not that he was of that much help anyway; Filia continued walking in the general direction she was heading before. With some luck and more patience than she knew she could realistically muster, maybe she could figure out a way to restore a shred of sanity to that chaotic nonsensical world. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After walking for a while, Filia spotted something moving in the distance. Assuming that it was some sort of vehicle, she quickly headed towards it. If there was a kind of transport there, then someone should be driving it. That person might be able to give her directions, a ride and maybe even provide her with some decent clothes if she got over her embarrassment enough to actually approach. Then again, Milgazia was dressed, or rather undressed, in a similar fashion, so maybe this was the normal dress code in that new crazy world. Chaos had no modesty. 

When Filia got close enough to the moving vehicle to clearly perceive what it was, she realized it wasn't actually a form of odd carriage after all. It was a piece of furniture, a table to be specific. The table's brown wooden legs were moving as if it were a horse on a calm and quiet walk, the white table cloth blowing in the gentle breeze as it went. On the path's side, Filia stood staring. Just when she thought this world couldn't get any stranger, it did. 

Filia recognized the three passengers that the moving table was carrying. They were Xellos, Amelia and Zelgadis. Amelia and Zelgadis were also dressed, or undressed, in the same fashion as everyone else, with Amelia wearing pale blue diamond symbols and Zelgadis wearing white clubs. In both cases the fabric that looked like a censoring sticker on an otherwise too high rated photo, only covered what vitally needed to be covered. Yet by now, Filia figured it was silly to be embarrassed, because everyone was wearing as little as she was anyway. Of course, that didn't stop her from feeling terribly awkward. "Wait for me!" Filia ran after the moving table. 

"Oh how wonderful!" Amelia exclaimed as she extended her hand to help Filia climb onto the table. "A local from this land has come to join our tea party! We are travelers from far away, our tea party is always moving. I am Amelia the justice hare." Aside from the bikini, Amelia was also wearing a pair of bunny-like ears on her head. 

"And I'm Zelgadis the mystical hatter," Zelgadis took off his big green top hat to salute Filia. She noticed that he had a pair of antennae under the hat, but didn't say anything about it. Really, it wasn't the strangest thing she had seen so far anyway. 

"I'm Filia," she introduced herself, watching Xellos suspiciously from the corner of her eyes while he sat there kitty style without a word. Apparently this version of Amelia and Zelgadis had not met her before. 

"It is good that you should join us, miss Filia, because this is a very special tea party!" Amelia exclaimed as she served Filia a cup of tea, which the golden dragon gladly drank in hopes that it would help calm her. "We are celebrating the arrival of our child!" 

"Your child?" Filia was so shocked she almost choked on her tea. Amelia certainly didn't look pregnant. It was easy to see that she wasn't, given her current apparel. Then that meant that the baby was not on its way, but instead already born. Then again, it might not be their real child, but someone else entirely. After all, family relations were certainly messed up in that world from what Filia had learned so far. Milgazia as her brother she could certainly live with, but Martina as her sister? No, just no. 

"Yes, this is our child," Amelia patted Xellos on the head. "We adopted him today. This poor sweet kitty's previous master was mean to him, refused to return his affection and even kicked him, so he ran away. How could anyone be so heartless to a kitty? It's okay now, Beloved, you're safe with us." 

"I'm so very happy, meow, you're so good to me, Master Amelia," Xellos purred. 

"Be... Beloved?" Filia stuttered. 

"That's his name, Amelia thought of it," Zelgadis clarified. "Would you like some milk, Beloved?" 

"Yes, Master Zelgadis, meow, I would love some," Xellos purred, still pretending he didn't know Filia. 

Zelgadis poured some milk into a bowl and set it in front of Xellos. The purple haired, monster? Cat chimera? Freak of chaos? Filia wasn't sure anymore, licked the milk from the bowl happily. Though it probably was an unimportant detail, given all the other random occurrences that were going on, Filia observed that the milk had come from the same tea pot that Amelia used to pour her tea before. It made no sense, though Filia would probably be surprised now if something did. 

Trying to stretch her patience and sanity well beyond their already broken limits, Filia inquired. "Could you be kind enough to direct me towards the trial grounds?" 

"The tea party goes where it goes," Amelia replied. "We know not where we're going, where we came from or where we are." 

"That's right," Zelgadis agreed, "we just go." 

"I see..." So they were basically lost, Filia concluded, but they didn't care. "What about you, Beloved," Filia spat out the name like venom. "Would you happen to be able to direct me towards the trial grounds?" Xellos paused his activity of drinking milk kitty style to take a moment to hiss at Filia, then he resumed what he was doing. 

"That's odd, Beloved is usually such a sweet kitty." Never mind that Amelia had only known him for less than an hour. "What's wrong, Beloved? Why don't you like our guest?" 

"Filia was mean to me, meow. She kicked me, she doesn't love me anymore, mew..." Xellos complained. 

Amelia gasped, "you are Beloved's past master? How could you be so mean to him?" 

Filia started becoming very nervous; she didn't like the murderous looks that Amelia and Zelgadis were giving her. "I'm sorry!" She pleaded. "I'm really sorry, it'll never happen again!" 

"Well, if you're really sorry," the murderous looks went away, as Amelia considered Filia's supplication. "What do you say Beloved? Do you want to go back to your previous master?" 

"Purr, only if she loves me again," Xellos meowed. 

Amelia and Zelgadis gave Filia expectant looks. The golden dragon smiled nervously. "Oh yes, I love him very much... really..." 

"Okay, if you love him, then kiss and make up," Amelia suggested. 

"What?" Filia stuttered. "Kiss?" 

"I don't think you really love him," Zelgadis theorized. 

"If that's the case, then we can't let you take Beloved away and be mean to him," Amelia warned. 

Why was Filia trying to recover that stupid monster, cat, chimera... that raw garbage thing? Just as she was considering leaving Xellos behind with the tea party travelers, she noticed that the walking table had stopped in front of a tall platform. On top of the platform there was a woman wearing a black diamond bikini. Given the fact that this was Naga, she looked pretty normal in the peculiar attire, or rather, normal for her anyway. "Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha! The court is in session! Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" Naga hit the platform with a very familiar looking mace. 

"The court?" Filia blinked in confusion, then recognized the mace. "That's my mace!" 

"Ah! Ha ha he ha ha! So you decided to come after all?" Martina stood beside Naga's platform in a red heart bikini. "Then what's the first thing you do? Accuse the judge of stealing your mace. That was not a very smart move, my dear sister. Ah! Ha ha he ha ha!" 

"My mistake," Filia grumbled, "that's not my mace." She tried to correct herself, even if she knew that was indeed her mace. Or at least it was her mace back when the world was somewhat normal. 

"Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha! Order! Order! Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha! Order I say!" Naga yelled as she hit the platform with the mace again. 

Zangulus arrived wearing only a dark blue club symbol in the same style as the attire of the other scantily clad men Filia had seen so far. "Yes, I'll take your order now." 

"Bring me a cheeseburger and fries and don't forget the rum!" Naga ordered, culminating her request with her signature laugh. "Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" 

"Yes, your honor." Zangulus winked at Martina, who batted her eyelashes flirtatiously, then went off to fetch Naga's order. 

"Now then, let us proceed with the trial. Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" Naga declared, hitting the platform with the mace once more. "I have already heard Martina's laughter, it is your turn Alice, laugh with all your heart and soul." 

"I... have to... laugh?" The golden dragon took a deep unsure breath, not even bothering to ask them to call her Filia. "Ah! He ha he ha he!" 

"Order in the court!" Naga shouted as she bashed her mace into the platform again. "A verdict has been reached! Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha! Alice is guilty! Guilty! Her laugh is so pitiful that she will not even obtain the title of jack of hearts, she will instead be executed! Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" 

Unexpectedly, two men jumped out from behind the tall platform Naga stood upon. The first man was wearing a red diamond symbol while the second wore a green club. They were both human-like in appearance, save for certain small details, and rather well built. 

The first man had redish-brown fox ears on his head, the same color as his hair, and a fox tail in a similar style to Xellos' cat ears and tail. "I am Jillas!" He exclaimed as he made a silly pose. 

The second man had green hair, long pointy ears and a long tail, the tail covered in green scales. "I am Gravos!" He joined his teammate in the silly posing. 

"We are the executioners!" Jillas and Gravos exclaimed in perfect unison. 

"Jillas and Gravos?" Filia stared in disbelief. "What's wrong with this indecent fan service filled world?" If the Lord of Nightmares was watching this, surely she was having a ball. 

Just as Zangulus was returning, carrying a tray with Naga's order of a cheeseburger with fries and a bottle of rum, Xellos suddenly jumped to his feet, standing upright for the first time since Filia first saw this crazier version of him. "Run away, Master Filia!" He took her hand and led her away. 

"She's escaping!" Naga pointed at Filia with her mace, before bashing it into the platform again. "Go after her! I would join the hunt, but I'm on lunch break right now. Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" 

With Naga staying behind to eat and drink, Martina, Zangulus, Amelia, Zelgadis, Jillas and Gravos dashed after Filia and Xellos. "Hurry Master Filia, we must get to the bridge!" Xellos pulled her along, since he, apparently, was only able to teleport himself in that odd twisted version of the world. 

"They're heading to the outlands!" Zangulus pointed ahead. 

"Stop in the name of justice!" Amelia shouted. 

"We're almost there, hurry, Master Filia!" Xellos and Filia continued running until they crossed a seemingly normal bridge. However, the scenery on the other side of the calm flowing river over which it stood varied drastically from the scenery from where they came. Instead of pink grass, orange skies, blue trees, dancing green mushrooms and white clouds with happy faces, everything was gray, black and white. 

The sky was dark gray, the clouds were white with sad faces, the grass and trees were in lighter shades of gray and there were no dancing green mushrooms or suspicious yellow rocks. "They're in the outlands!" Zelgadis pointed in alarm. 

"They have gone too far," Jillas observed. 

"We cannot pursue them there," Gravos agreed. 

"Ah! Ha ha he ha ha!" Martina laughed victoriously. "Now that they've crossed the bridge, they have become queen Zelas' property with the action of stepping into her land. They will not be able to return here for at least another seven hundred years. Ah! Ha ha he ha ha!" Martina and the others gave up on the chase and went away. 

Filia looked at the bridge after waiting for her pursuers to leave. "Are we really stuck here?" She tried to cross the bridge but somehow found that she was once again heading towards the gray scenery. "What? When did I change directions?" 

"This bridge is enchanted, it lets people in, but doesn't let them out," Xellos explained. "We will not be able to leave the outlands unless we get Zelas' permission." 

"Which means that she'll make us her slaves for seven hundred years after all!" Filia grimaced. "Just when I thought that this insane world couldn't get any worse!" She took note of a peculiar fact and inquired. "How come you're standing normally now and not meowing and purring after every other word?" 

"You are quite capable of making me purr if you want to, sweet Filia." Xellos purred seductively. 

"Never mind," Filia stuttered, "just forget I asked." Changing the subject in a hurry, she inquired. "What can we do now?" 

"Zelas will send her ferocious warriors of carnage after us if we don't report to her throne immediately. She notices everything that happens in her domain and must already know we're here. Our best chance of survival is to go to her," Xellos concluded. "If she unleashes her warriors of carnage on us, we will be devoured for sure!" He warned. 

"It sounds like we have no choice," Filia sighed. "I take it you know which way to go to reach Zelas' throne?" 

"Of course," Xellos ascertained. He and Filia started walking into the seemingly endless gray scenery. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After a long walk, Xellos and Filia reached a black stone castle with torches of silver fire. They entered the castle and walked to a spacious room with a large golden throne in the middle, upon which Zelas sat. She had her usual monster lord appearance with the tanned skin. Her hair was waist length and silver, matching the color of her eyes, which held a sinister glare. She, like everyone else, was barely dressed, her bikini consisting of golden spades. 

Beside the throne, left and right of it, there stood two people that Filia assumed were the infamous warriors of carnage that Xellos mentioned before. A cold chill ran down Filia's spine and it wasn't really because of the temperature. Lina and Gourry looked totally ferocious, as if they really wanted to devour her, and Filia didn't want to become dragon cuisine! Lina wore pink diamonds, while Gourry's symbol was a blue club. They were, not surprisingly at this point, also dressed in the same minimal coverage style as everyone else. 

"Can we eat them?" Lina growled. 

"Can we? Can we? Please?" Gourry added. 

"Settle down, my warriors," Zelas waved her hand at them in an 'at ease' signal. Then she addressed Xellos with disapproval. "Why have you returned here?" She demanded. "I exiled you for your crime of having fallen in love with the daughter of the supreme emperor of the peninsula across the river. I condemned you to live as the brat girl's pet so that you would be tortured by spending your days with her, but being unable to have her!" 

Just when Filia thought she was cured from being surprised after all the shocks she received, she was left speechless again. Wasn't Xellos supposed to be her pet? 

"I apologize that I was unable to meet your approval, mother, but I do not apologize for my crime!" Xellos defiantly declared. "Do as you please with us, in the end, I am grateful to you. Because you exiled me and condemned me to the rank of a mere pet, I was able to live with my love. Even if she only cared for me as her pet for some time and no longer holds any regard for me anymore, I regret nothing." 

To be Continued


	46. Chapter 46

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 136: Actors! All The World's A Stage

After a very strange journey, Filia ended up being sentenced to execution and just when she thought the situation couldn't get worse, she became trapped in Zelas' domain. She should have learned by that point that when it looked like things couldn't get worse, it meant that they were about to get worse. 

"You will regret Alice's death for bringing her here, Xellos!" Zelas dramatically declared. "My warriors-" Before Zelas was able to give Lina and Gourry the order to devour Filia, a green parrot with rainbow colors at the end of her wing feathers and long yellow tail feathers arrived with a package. 

"Delivery for Alice!" The parrot, who had a golden crown with a pair of blue ornaments attached on its sides as if simulating earrings, gave Filia the package and flew away. 

"Open it, meow! Open it!" Xellos purred urgently with curiosity. "There might be catnip in there, open it, meow!" 

Filia tore the brown paper off the box and opened it. Inside, among small pieces of white paper that served to cushion the box, there was baby Val. "Val?" She looked at the brown wrapping from the box and read the return address. "This is from the Mother of all Things?" 

"The Mother of all Things!" Zelas gasped. 

"The Mother of all Things!" Xellos cheered. "You do love me!" Xellos started cuddling Filia, refusing to let her go. She was too stunned to push him away anyway. 

"Can we eat them now?" Lina impatiently asked. 

"Yes, can we? Can we? Please?" Gourry urged. 

"Stand down my warriors, be at ease," Zelas commanded, much to the gluttonous pair's disappointment. "When a couple has loved each other strongly for a long time, the Mother of All Things will send a child to them, which they must raise with loving care. That is where all children come from; they are delivered by the minions of the Mother of All Things. I see now that even with all this adversity, love was able to prevail. Maybe the outlands and the peninsula are not so different after all. Perhaps we can finally unite our lands as one kingdom, as it should be. After all, the legends say that when the child of Ceifeed and Shabranigdu comes to this world, the time will come for the bitter rivalry between the outlands and the peninsula beyond the river to end." 

Zelas dramatically continued. "When I saw the child arrive, I did not believe it and kept the truth hidden. The child was adopted by the supreme emperor of the peninsula, who raised her as his own, keeping hidden from her the mission she was born to do, to travel the land and restore peace and harmony to the world! Alice... You are not Milgazia's real sister; you are the daughter of Ceifeed and Shabranigdu. You are not related to Milgazia at all, but Xellos is..." 

"I am?" Xellos gasped. 

Milgazia suddenly stepped out from behind Zelas' large golden throne with a very shocking confession to deliver. "Xellos... I am your father." That was around the time Filia felt her mind explode into many itty bitty pieces. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Her head hurt, her head hurt a lot as Filia's eyes opened suddenly and she looked around in every direction breathing heavily. "It's about time you woke up, stupid dragon!" Xellos was there, he was close, he was... holding her? 

Xellos didn't have any cat ears or tail that Filia could see and he was fully dressed, as was she. She also noted that he still had the golden dragon keychain she gave him on his bag. "What... What happened?" Filia asked, still disoriented. 

"You were tossing and turning on the ground, muttering incoherently," Xellos truthfully replied. "As for what happened, I thought you would be able to tell me that. Are you sick or something?" 

"Not that I know of," Filia mused, as she sat up and tried to shake the dream out of her head, but it wouldn't go away. She blushed, remembering the peculiar cat version of Xellos from the crazy dream. "I had a really odd dream." She confessed, immediately regretting it when Xellos looked at her with curiosity. He wasn't just going to pretend he didn't hear, he would want to know more and would get it out of her somehow. Before that happened, Filia tried to diffuse a potentially embarrassing situation. "I was a fugitive," sort of, given the result of her trial, "and Martina was my adoptive sister." 

"Martina was your sister?" Xellos laughed, "adoptive or not that sounds like quite the nightmare. No wonder your emotions tasted so chaotic, she must have been driving you insane." He paused, realizing something, "I didn't know you knew Martina. We are talking about the queen of Zoana, right?" 

"Yes," Filia nodded, "Zangulus' wife," then she realized that she held no recollection of ever actually meeting them outside of her dream. Yet she must have met them because she knew who they were. This must be part of her missing memories, bits and pieces were finally coming back! Even if the dream was insane, and somewhat traumatizing in certain aspects, Filia consoled herself in thinking that if she was starting to recover from her amnesia, then at least something good came out of it. Plus the hunt for the tea leaves was over and Filia could go home. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The tea leaves were collected and Xellos took them to Zelas, who suspiciously decided she didn't need them. Her reasoning was that, "Milgazia doesn't need the extra energy after all." It was just a cheap excuse on Zelas part, because the true purpose of the tea leaves had already been accomplished judging by Xellos report, which mentioned Filia's dream in passing. He told Beast Master about the detail for the sake of amusement only, with Xellos not realizing that it was indeed an important point. 

Xellos, who was still caught in the peculiar misunderstanding that had been plaguing him and Filia lately, really didn't want to know how Zelas reached her conclusion. Honestly, what Milgazia did to demonstrate his energy and endurance was none of Xellos' business and he most certainly did not want to know about it. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Amelia and Zelgadis were currently traveling around the world, spreading Seyruun's good will and taking a few deviations along the way to follow leads concerning Zelgadis' cure. He wasn't searching for it as if it were something as vital as what he had thought it to be in the past, but rather something he would like to have if it was possible, without getting too distracted from the other more important happenings of his life. 

Seyruun was calm, recovering much more easily than most of the other cities of the world. With the princess gone, Filia had offered to assist kind king Philionel in anything he needed; the Seyruun royal family had helped her a lot. Phil appreciated the offer and asked Filia to participate in a task that he thought she would enjoy, managing a small play to entertain children. Palou, Val and a group of children from around the city would participate in a somewhat modified reenactment of a classic fairy tale that existed in both human and dragon culture. 

For the humans, the main protagonist of the story was a little girl, whose trademark accessory was a red hooded cape. For the dragons, the heroine was a little dragon girl who wore a similar red hooded cape. For the villain of the story, many of the human variations of the tale depicted the antagonist as being a ferocious wolf. As for the villain of the dragon version of the story, it was, predictably, a monster. 

To accommodate for more children to appear on the little play, the role of the main girl was modified to be a group of children instead, who attended a school at the edge of a forest. Jillas, Gravos and Elena also became involved in the process of the play and after some rehearsing; the children were ready to put on a show at the park. Families gathered around sitting on picnic blankets to watch the show with Phil himself personally attending with a front row seat. 

Filia was on their little improvised stage where a group of children, Val and Palou included, were sitting. "That's it for today's lesson, children, be careful on your way home. I'll see you tomorrow bright and early!" The golden dragon cheerfully went over her lines perfectly. 

The children energetically got up, giving Filia their farewells and moving to the other side of the stage, which was outside the classroom area and in the imaginary kingdom where the story took place. Filia had gone on her way, disappearing behind some cardboard trees to wait for her next scene. 

"Miss Filia sure is nice," Palou observed. 

"Yes she is!" The children chorused. 

"We should do something nice for her," Val suggested. 

"Yes we should!" The children chorused. 

While the scene went on, Filia felt a familiar presence backstage. "Xellos," she eyed him critically, growling in a low tone. "If you ruin this for the children, I won't forgive you," she warned. 

"What? Can't I watch?" Xellos feigned hurt. 

"You can watch," Filia voiced carefully. "But you can't do anything that will negatively affect the play. The children were really excited about this and if you make them sad, I'll... I'll... I'll make sure you get indigestion!" That wasn't the most threatening thing to say and certainly not the worse Filia had offered to do to Xellos. But in her favor, one could observe that it might be a somewhat doable threat if she ruined his meal of misery by finding a way to fix things fast enough. Besides, Filia was distracted for a second, taking note of the fact that Xellos still had that little doll of her decorating his bag. 

Xellos took her threat with amusement. "Children get upset too easily anyway. Their sorrow lacks in flavor, since they are too innocent to fully understand fear and disappointment. They're too naive to think of the horrible possibilities beyond the immediate present. Dragon anguish, now that's a delicious dish!" 

Filia placed her hands on her hips and glared, "that's cruel." Well at least he wasn't interested in making the kids suffer. She carefully listened for her cue to go back on stage. The children would go to the bakery, that was Elena's scene, and get some delicious goodies. Then they would head out to the gates, that was Gravos' scene, and after being given some warnings and advice, they would head on to the forest to deliver the baked goodies to their teacher's house. 

Gravos was currently explaining about how a fairy that lived in the forest had casted a protective spell on the marked paths that repelled evildoers and that they should never stray from those paths. Next up on the play, the children would go into the forest, leave the path and encounter a wolf. That was Jillas' scene, except Jillas couldn't be on stage because he was currently backstage giving Filia desperate nervous looks. "Jillas? What's wrong?" She asked with gentle concern. 

"I... I can't do this..." Jillas whimpered. "Elena, Palou, Val... the children, the audience..." 

"Coward," Xellos mockingly chirped with abundant cheer. 

Filia glared murderously at Xellos for a second, before turning her kind and encouraging eyes towards Jillas. "There's no need to be afraid, just get out there and do your best. I'm sure you'll do great." 

"Or mess up terribly," Xellos suggested, grinning happily, "By the way, it's not bad, pretty good actually." He remarked as if tasting food. 

"Stop feeding off Jillas' stage fright!" Filia scolded. 

"I... can't..." Finally giving in completely to the stage fright, Jillas removed his wolf costume and practically shoved it into Xellos' arms. "You do it!" 

"Me?" Xellos shook his head. "Oh no, I couldn't, don't forget that I'm expected to-" 

"I said... I think we're lost!" Val's loud voice coming from the stage snapped Filia, Jillas and Xellos into attention. In the play, the children disregarded the advice they were given and strayed away from the path in the forest, becoming lost deep in it. Now it was time for their encounter with the wolf. 

"Jillas, that's your cue!" Gravos joined them backstage with the reminder. 

"Right away!" Jillas was full of determination as he picked up the wolf costume, but as soon as it was in his hands, he became once again afraid. "I can't!" He shoved the costume back at Xellos. "But everyone is counting on me!" He took the costume back, "what if I fail?" He pushed it away. 

"You know, this costume doesn't even fit me, it's too small," Xellos pointed out. 

Gravos searched around a trunk full of costumes for something that would fit Xellos. "The only other wolf-like costume we have is that outfit from the fashion show that was cancelled." He held up the garment, there was a wolf tail attached to it, but it was... 

"That's..." Filia pointed at the garment in disturbed disbelief. "Fur speedos?" 

Xellos shook his head, "only Marty Lenford..." Then again, Naga might also like stuff like that and that's just about as far as that train of thought was permitted to go. 

"You can't wear that, there are children present!" Filia snapped. 

"I never said I would!" Xellos snapped right back. "Besides, I'm supposed to-" 

"I hope we don't run into any wolves!" Palou practically shouted from the stage, the show needed to go on. 

"There's no other choice," Filia picked up the wolf mask and shoved it into Xellos' face. "You'll have to play the part of the terrible wolf before the play falls apart. Go out there and... and... just be yourself." Without further ado, Filia shoved Xellos into the stage. He made a stumbling entrance, causing the audience to erupt into laughter and continued the play, more or less as it should go from there. 

"I'm sorry boss," Jillas apologized profusely. "I don't know what's wrong with me. Every time I pick up this costume, I get such terrible stage fright." 

Filia touched the wolf costume and peculiarly, she felt stage fright too, then she sensed it. "Wait a minute; this costume is under a spell that gives stage fright! The mask must not affect Xellos because he's a monster. That tricky piece of raw garbage, he must have sabotaged the wolf costume!" 

"Actually," Jillas confessed, "that might have been Val. I saw him casting some magic on this costume earlier. When I asked him about it, he said it was a secret and that's what he always says when he gets into mischief." 

Filia let out a breath of distressed disappointment, "my little Val, why did you have to turn out to be such a trickster?" 

"It's okay, it's just a harmless prank," Jillas tried to console Filia. "I just need to get a different costume." 

"It might be a little late for that now," Gravos pointed out. "But you can act out the other scene my character was supposed to play and join in that way." 

"Alright," Jillas agreed, "I'll act that scene and figure out a way so that the play can still go on even if Xellos is stuck playing a different character!" He realized only too late that he had said too much, automatically slapping both hands over his mouth. 

"What do you mean a different character?" Filia questioned suspiciously. "It's not like he actually had a character to play in the first place!" She demanded. 

A loud and rather realistic sounding growl was heard from the stage. "No one can save you now!" Xellos threatened. The children called out for help, hoping that the hero didn't take as long to get there as the villain, because they could hardly think of more lines to improvise with. 

"That's my cue," Filia realized. The kind hearted teacher, who was secretly a forest fairy, was supposed to show up and save the children from the wolf, sacrificing herself to do so. Then the town guard, previously played by Gravos, who had given the next scene to Jillas, would arrive to find the children crying about the fallen fairy. He would instruct them to focus their positive energy and together they would cast a massive recovery spell that would save the fairy's life. Or at least that's how Filia thought the story was supposed to go. 

Filia dashed to hide between the curtains that were set up as a sort of change room back stage, then she ran out to the stage in her fairy costume. The only difference was that instead of her fairy wand, she was holding her mace instead. "Terrible wolf, with my fairy magic I shall defeat your evil, even if it takes every ounce of strength I have in me!" 

Filia swung her mace against Xellos who, just the same as any other semi-sane being would do, dodged it. "You'll never defeat me, forest fairy! I shall feast on these children, I'll devour them all!" 

Filia swung her mace at Xellos again, which he dodged again. He didn't teleport, but he was moving around a lot with great speed. "You're supposed to stay still!" Filia growled under her breath. 

"You're supposed to only pretend to hit me," Xellos countered. Though his face was hidden behind the wolf mask, Filia could still clearly imagine his mocking sarcastic grin. It was infuriating. 

"Alright, let's just get this done." Determined to progress with the play as smoothly as possible, Filia prepared to hit Xellos with her mace once more, nodding to him slightly as she dramatically moved her mace towards him. It looked as if she wouldn't hit him too hard, but Xellos knew better than to lower his guard. His miscalculation was that he kept his attention focused on the mace to get out of the way if Filia tried to put some real strength into the hit at the last minute. Then suddenly, Filia shot a laser breath point blank that got Xellos square in the chest. 

The crowd cheered, assuming it was all part of the play, while Xellos tackled Filia to the floor on the stage. "That hurt, you sadistic dragon." He whispered in her ear as he lay on top of her. If he wasn't such a high ranking monster he would have been seriously injured. 

"Get off me, raw garbage!" Filia whispered back, putting every bit of willpower she had into the effort not to further ruin the play. 

"Shh, quiet, you're supposed to be unconscious in this scene, remember?" Xellos whispered back. 

"You're supposed to be dead," Filia growled in return, in a low tone of voice. 

Jillas entered the scene, playing a second, recently added town guard. "I was worried about you children, so I came to look for you. Why have you gone out of the path? What has happened here?" 

"We're sorry!" The children chorused. 

"We should have listened and stayed in the path," Val voiced with well acted regret. 

"Miss Filia, who was secretly the forest fairy, sacrificed herself to save us from that terrible wolf," Palou voiced in a sad tone. 

"If only we could save Miss Filia!" The group of children chorused. 

"Maybe we can!" Jillas dramatically declared. 

The play was almost over, then Filia could stop pretending to be unconscious and Xellos could stop pretending to be dead in such an uncomfortably close proximity to her. Do unconscious people even blush? 'C'mon Jillas, hurry with the lines. Have the children cast the healing spell so I can get away from this piece of raw garbage.' Filia thought. She had no idea that the script had been modified without her knowledge and Jillas was about to implement those modifications along with a few last minute edits. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 137: Trapped! Growing Tensions, Critical Proximity

"To save the fairy we must... get her true love to kiss her!" Jillas declared, as per the modified version of the play. Then he added the last minute edits. "Rumor has it that the prince is in love with the fairy, but unfortunately, the prince has gone missing." Originally, the prince was supposed to be conveniently passing by, having returned from a trip to a neighboring kingdom. "Maybe he has been cursed and is closer than we think," Jillas hinted. 

Xellos started getting up, but instead of being relieved, Filia had a very bad feeling about this. Jillas said something about Xellos being expected to play another character. He couldn't mean... Behind her long eye lashes, Filia's eye slightly opened imperceptibly. She saw the wolf mask landing on the stage floor after Xellos removed it and she closed her eyes completely. Everything felt like a distant echo as Xellos exchanged a few improvised overly dramatic lines with Jillas. There wasn't supposed to be a prince in this story, let alone a prince that got cursed into becoming a wolf and ended up kissing a fairy. "Noble fairy, you gave your life to save the children of my kingdom and to free me of my curse! If only there was something I could do to save you!" Xellos played his role. 

Filia could no longer feel the brightness of the sun beyond her tightly closed eyelids. She opened her eyes slightly, just as she thought; he was leaning over her with a mocking, teasing grin. "Raw garbage," she growled at him from her position motionless on the floor of the little improvised stage. Oh how she wanted to sink into it. 

"The show must go on," his grin was so mocking, so teasing, so infuriating. 

'Stupid monster, quit making this last longer than it has to!' Filia screamed in her head. Xellos wasn't moving. A dramatic pause was one thing, but this was ridiculous. Then she realized he wasn't going to do anything. 

"Can I?" Filia glared at Xellos' question, it reeked of trap. He wouldn't kiss her regardless of how much he knew it would embarrass her, because that would be his action and it wasn't as satisfying as pushing her into taking action. 

Filia realized grimly that she ultimately had two choices, well technically three. She could push Xellos away and end this inappropriate situation, but that would ruin the play. The children would be heartbroken and the audience would be disappointed. She would be the villain who couldn't accept one little kiss for the sake of concluding an activity that brought some cheer to people in a world that was still recovering from a harsh disaster. Every now and then she saw it, the scars of the sadness that overtook the kingdom during the time that she had mostly forgotten. She caught those hints of terrible despair in their eyes, they weren't fully over the recent past and they didn't need any more disappointments big or small. 

Filia's second option was to grant Xellos permission to kiss her. Then he would tease her endlessly about how she was the one who told him to do it. He wouldn't let her live it down, she would be mortified. Her third choice was to do nothing, to lie there pretending she really had passed out until Xellos did something. Yet she knew he wouldn't do anything and ultimately, the play would be ruined anyway after the scene remained frozen for too long. That made that third option as bad as the first in consequences towards others and even worse in consequences towards Filia. If she chose inaction, Filia would ruin the play and get Xellos' teasing because of her lack of open rejection. She would end up suffering both of the main consequences of options one and two combined. 

She had to do something. Then she realized it. Bitterly, Filia mused that it was more so the aftermath of the kiss that worried her, rather than the action. Shouldn't she be worried about the action more so? She opened her eyes and noticed that Xellos had his eyes open staring at her with mocking curiosity. He could taste her every emotion, the fact surfaced clearly and prominently in her mind, refusing to sink back into the depths of her subconscious. It made her feel terribly exposed. No wonder he could always tick her off, he knew exactly what buttons to push to produce certain reactions. What could she do about that? How could she become unpredictable? She didn't know how unpredictable she already was to him. 

The murmurs of the crowd reached Filia's ears while Jillas was saying something akin to encouraging the prince not to be shy. She couldn't stay trapped in this standstill for any longer. She couldn't disappoint everyone to avoid whatever it was she was trying to avoid, which she didn't even understand herself. She moved her lips without sound. He gave her a questioning look. "Do it..." she pushed the simple syllables out. He did as he was told. She closed her eyes again and her mind was so overflowing with emotions, that she could interpret none. 

Finally, after what felt like too soon, they parted. There was a pause, as if they momentarily considered doing it again, but the sound of clapping forced them to remember where they were. They stood up, a few more lines were spoken, the crowd cheered, the children were happy. Congratulations were given, laughter echoed, people moved around and Xellos slipped away. Filia kept pretending that nothing happened; she kept acting as if she was perfectly fine, but she was going on automatic. The whole afternoon and following evening was a complete blur. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Elsewhere, at a restaurant... "May I join you?" Xellos asked with mock politeness the morning after the play incident. He had gone back to Wolf Pack Island that evening and obtained some valuable but vastly disturbing piece of information. The situation was getting worse and something had to be done. 

"The only one welcomed to join us right now is the main course," Lina replied. She and Gourry had been waiting for their breakfast to be brought when Xellos entered the restaurant and sat at their table, asking to join them only after he had already done so. "Unless of course, you're here to treat us. In which case, by all means, join us Xellos!" The condition of the world was improving, but that was not something that could happen overnight, much less completely. At least not until the Stillness had been defeated rather than simply pushed back. Plus the initial miraculous fertility of the land was starting to ware off, pushing the price of food back up as people feared a repeat of the famine. The Stillness was hidden, but alive and it wouldn't stay hidden for much longer. 

"I've concluded that my less than grand financial state was your fault." Xellos stated and Lina looked like she would kick him out of the table, literally. Before things got violent, Xellos continued. "I could treat you to a meal, but not now." 

The promise of a future meal was at least better than no meal at all, thus Lina decided to inquire for further information. "What's the catch?" 

"Is it tuna? Salmon? Octopus?" Gourry added with his mouth watering. Both Lina and Xellos gave him strange looks, which made him explain. "You said catch, so I thought that must mean that Xellos is treating us to some seafood that he caught himself." 

Letting out a 'should have known' breath, Lina tried to explain. "I meant to ask what he intends to request of us in return for that meal. Anyway," after clarifying for Gourry, the redhead turned her attention back to Xellos with a critical stare. "Seafood is good and it makes no difference who caught it, but no one wants to eat your cooking. So if you planned to treat us to a meal you cooked yourself then forget it!" 

"Clearly your unrefined culinary taste doesn't understand my genius," Xellos defended. "How about a dish prepared by Beast Master?" 

With a starry look in her eyes, Lina slammed both hands on the table and leaned forward towards Xellos. "Zelas' dragon cuisine?" She almost squealed in excitement. 

"Really? Dragon cuisine made by Zelas?" Gourry joined in with a similar expression. 

Xellos pouted, it wasn't fair that his cooking never got this kind of reaction. He was made from the very essence of Beast Master. If she was good in the kitchen, he stubbornly reasoned that he had to possess commendable culinary talents too. It just didn't make any sense that such a talented chef could produce such a mediocre cook. Zelas sometimes secretly wondered about that herself, but was never able to pinpoint where she went wrong. "Yes, Zelas' dragon cuisine. Naturally, you can't tell Filia about that." 

"Do we look suicidal?" Lina snapped. Going back into the main order of business, she questioned. "So, when will Beast Master be treating us to her delicious cooking?" 

"She's not," before Xellos could be strangled for getting Lina's hopes up falsely, he clarified. "I'll convince Zelas to make some dragon and deliver the cuisine to you. How about some dimos steak?" 

Lina and Gourry nodded eagerly. "Yes, dimos," the sorceress agreed, "that sounds meaty." 

"As for the catch," Xellos continued, Lina's eyes immediately becoming focused, while Gourry was still in the blissful land of his gluttonous imagination. "I want your assistance in breaking up a couple." 

Immediately, Lina's focused critical eyes increased their suspicion. "Stop beating around the bush and get on with it already." 

"I am not in the liberty to discuss it openly here and now." Xellos glanced around the restaurant, eying each customer suspiciously without actually opening his eyes. "Let's just say that their union is politically adverse. I will also require absolute secrecy on both your parts." He was getting desperate, he didn't want to include more people in this, but he had to. Besides, involving Lina Inverse in important situations had generally let to their solution, more or less, in the past, so perhaps it could work this time too. "I see the waiter is on his way, we will discuss this further later. I will be waiting." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

That afternoon at Filia's shop in Seyruun... "Hey, Stupid Dragon," Xellos appearing out of nowhere was nothing unusual for Filia anymore. The fact that he waited until the afternoon on the day following the play to appear was the real surprise. She thought he would come gloat sooner. 

Determined to take his teasing in stride and allow him to get to her as little as possible, Filia turned around from her task of polishing a vase and resisted the urge to break it on Xellos' face. "What do you want, raw garbage?" 

"I'm just dropping by to tell you to get ready." Xellos smiled with an overload of sweetness that added more suspicion to his already suspicious nature. 

This was just like in the play. Filia couldn't simply ignore him because one way or another it would work in his favor. Xellos was not one of those annoyances that went away when he was ignored; he was the kind of deep annoyance that persisted. She also couldn't figure out a course of action that would prove to be beneficial against him, this was a dead end. "Get ready for what?" She finally asked, knowing that it was inevitable to have to play along. 

"The beach," Xellos simply stated. As an answer to Filia's puzzled look he elaborated. "That is where we must go to continue with our mission. Leave someone in charge of your shop, say goodbye to Val, do what you must so that you have no distractions when you get there. Things are becoming critical." 

Filia was surprised that Xellos had not started teasing her about the kiss, but apparently he had a good reason. Their ongoing mission concerning Zelas and Milgazia had seen basically no progress. She didn't like the sound of this. "What do you mean critical?" 

"Public," Xellos stated with dread. "Zelas is spending the day at the beach with Milgazia. At this rate they'll probably be discovered. We need to, not only break them up, but also somehow cover for them. I'm not sure how we'll manage that, but let's just get there first." 

"Right," Filia nodded urgently. Without any further delays, she left behind all the needed preparations and allowed Xellos to teleport her. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Aside from the slightly lightheaded disorientation that came with teleportation for non-monsters at times, Filia felt no sickness. She recovered in seconds, taking in the scenery before her as she stepped out from behind the closely rooted group of palm trees they teleported behind. Taking a deep breath, she observed the beach below clear skies in front of a beautiful ocean. There were many people there, all dressed accordingly to their location. She reasoned that she would stand out with what she was wearing, as would Xellos, and glanced over at him to express her concerns. Then she noticed that he was not wearing the same clothes that he had on a second ago and quickly looked away. "When did you have time to change into shorts?" 

"While we were teleporting," Xellos nonchalantly pointed out. He appeared to be too occupied in the task of trying to spot someone in the crowd at the beach to say anything teasing to Filia. Instead he put his attention into signaling to someone. 

Lina waved to the new arrivals and hurried over. She was already in a two piece swimsuit, with Gourry following after her in shorts. Lina carried a bag over her shoulder, which she offered to Filia. "This is for you." She tilted her head to Xellos as she half informed and half accused, "he picked it." 

"What is it?" Filia examined the bag. The fact that Xellos had personally chosen whatever its contents consisted of was bad enough. 

"Just something for you to blend in." Xellos grinned mischievously before getting back to business. "Has there been any activity?" 

"Not much," Lina informed. "They arrived, set up some beach chairs and umbrellas and that's pretty much it. Oh and they didn't put sunscreen on each other, he put sunscreen on himself and she didn't, but I guess she doesn't really need it." Of course, Lina did not point out that she had received and given some sunscreen assistance from and to Gourry. 

"I see," Xellos acknowledged the information. "I'm going to check on the targets personally. She must have noticed my arrival, so it will only look suspicious if I'm too avoidant." 

Xellos began to walk away, only to be stopped by Filia's complaints. "I'm not wearing this!" 

"What's the problem?" Xellos innocently inquired. "I think the purple one is best, but if you really don't want to wear it, there's also a black one and even a pink one." 

Filia glared, red faced. "I'm not wearing any of them, especially not the pink one!" Although the pink bikini in the bag did not include any hearts, it reminded her of the pink bikini she wore in that insane dream where Xellos was a cat-chimera and showed too much skin. She assumed that everything was a construct of her own misbehaving imagination and that most of what she saw was probably pretty far from reality, because she had no way to know what certain realities were like. However, she had to admit now that she had a better view of him, that her imagination was disturbingly accurate when it came to Xellos. 

"You can stop spacing out and staring at me any time now, stupid dragon." Xellos mocked with infinite amusement. "I know you want me, but try to control yourself, we have a mission to accomplish!" 

"I don't want anything to do with you, raw garbage!" Filia threw the bag at Xellos, her face scarlet in embarrassment and anger. 

Xellos passed the bag back to Lina, "talk to her, okay? I'll be back in a little while." Thus he left to give Beast Master a casual greeting and pretend that he wasn't sneaking around behind her back. 

Lina grumbled something along the lines of, "it better be a big steak," before turning a suspiciously innocent smile at Filia. "Why don't you try on one of these nice bikinis, Filia?" 

Filia's face gained a look of suspicious disbelief. Then suddenly it all made sense. "Xellos bribed you with food, didn't he? How could you listen to that piece of raw garbage?" 

"That is a secret," Gourry stated as if he had been rehearsing the line many times. Filia was not amused. Because of Xellos' strong insistence in secrecy, which Lina understood when he revealed his dilemma, Lina had made sure to train Gourry to keep his mouth shut. If he felt the need to say something, he was to tend to it by speaking Xellos' trademark phrase. The extreme precaution would go on until Lina explicitly told Gourry that it was okay to speak other words. Of course, she wouldn't do that until after she had feasted on the promised culinary delicacy. 

As long as Filia didn't know what kind of food Xellos bribed them with, Lina reasoned that they were in the clear. Besides, she didn't go around whining about human cuisine, although it had been banned from the dragon race for many centuries before Lina existed. Going for a more direct approach Lina revealed. "Gourry and I are in on the situation with Zelas and Milgazia. We're here to help with the mission, so we're all on the same team, you can trust us, right Gourry?" 

"That is a secret," Gourry replied with a smile. 

"That doesn't exactly inspire trust," Filia frowned. 

"Never mind the jellyfish brain; he's just playing a game with Xellos!" Lina laughed, then once again gained a look of determination. "If we're going to save Milgazia, certain sacrifices must be made. Please pick something to wear and blend in with the crowd. If you don't, you might end up accidentally sabotaging the mission!" 

Filia sighed hopelessly, "I suppose so. This is the beach and this is how people dress here. Okay, I'll do it, just point me towards the change rooms. When I come out, if Xellos says anything, make him shut up or I won't be able to contain the need to transform and go on a rampage." Honestly, her nerves were on edge enough as it was. She kept wondering when Xellos was going to bring up the play incident. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Hello, Lord Beast Master," Xellos cheerfully greeted, making a fine effort to pretend he didn't want to kill Milgazia. The golden dragon elder seemed absorbed in the task of covering every inch of exposed skin with sunscreen. His dragon scales could take the sun no problem, but he didn't want to get sunburn in his human form. 

"Hello, Xellos," Zelas replied in the same cheerful manner. She had earlier told Milgazia that he was too pale. Her alternate identity as Yuna wasn't as tan as her monster lord form, which she currently had, but she still thought Milgazia needed some color in his skin. That was why she dragged him to the beach. Of course, Xellos thought it was a date, a dangerously public date. Zelas couldn't call this brass rackets business if she was not in the form of Yuna Wolf. "Taking my pawns for a walk?" 

"Yes," Xellos grinned. Zelas must have already noticed Lina and Gourry. 

"Have fun then," Zelas finished. She had no assignments for Xellos at the moment and it didn't particularly bother her if he spent the day playing with his pet dragon, Lina and her friends. 

"I'll try to," after the simple exchange, Xellos left. The only thing he would find fun right about now would be to see Zelas dump Milgazia's sorry tail. 

Xellos was focused on how angry at Milgazia he was, until another feeling that was clearly not his own entered his senses via taste. Filia, this was Filia, it was as if Xellos was subconsciously tuned to her whenever she was in range. He moved closer and realized that she was not feeling good at all. Something shook her terribly, but what? There were no commotions going on, as everyone went along with their fun day at the beach. What could have upset and frighten Filia so terribly? Wasn't she with Lina and Gourry? 

Xellos hurried towards her. He passed next to Gourry, who was standing in line at a crowded ice-cream stand. That particular business had many more customers than the ice-cream stands next to it, though it was hard to say why. The ice-cream being sold there appeared to be just the same as any ordinary ice-cream. "What happened to Filia?" 

"That is a secret," Gourry replied with his practiced line. 

"...right," annoyed, Xellos hurried away. He couldn't even begin to guess what the problem was and that really bothered him. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Slayers: Alive - Episode 138: Beach! The Sky, The Sand And The Sea

"Hurry up, Filia!" Lina called in front of the change room Filia had entered. The redhead put her ear to the door and thought she heard sounds of discomfort. 

Filia peeked out, her face looking rather distressed. "Could you get me one of those things around your waist?" She pleaded as if she had just received a terrible shock. 

"Are you really that embarrassed?" Lina untied the semi-see-through pink wrap around her waist and handed it to Filia. "You can use this one. Seriously, the bikinis aren't that bad. I talked Xellos into not going with his first choice. I know you would have never agreed to wear that even if the fate of the world as we know it depended on it." 

After another pause, Filia finally emerged wearing the black bikini with Lina's pink wrap around her waist. "Let's focus on the mission," she breathed uncomfortably. 

Somewhat jealous due to her usual chest concerns, Lina pouted. "I don't see what the fuss is about. And by the way, that," she pointed at the pink fabric, "is not supposed to be tied around the waist like that." 

"The fabric is too thin," Filia remarked. "If I must blend in, please get me a one piece from one of the nearby shops. Please, Lina..." she pleaded. 

"Sheesh, how embarrassed can you be?" Lina was getting very impatient, especially since Gourry wasn't back with the ice-cream she sent him to buy. "If that idiot Xellos told you you're fat, it's a lie." 

"That's not it," Filia shook her head. It wasn't really her body that she was set on hiding but rather something that shouldn't be there. It was a nonsensical realization that frightened her with its absolute lack of explanation as far as she could remember. Her recent experiences provided her with no clues and it made it all the more confusing to think about the possible origin of the situation. "Please Lina." 

"Alright," Lina finally agreed. Something had truly frightened Filia; it was plainly visible in her face. The golden dragon's expression filled the sorceress with concern; whatever was bothering her was so sudden, yet so serious. Lina wasn't sure what this was about, but she blamed Xellos. The redhead hurried away to hastily pick a bathing suit for Filia. 

Filia locked herself in the tiny space of the change room and focused on her breathing. She mentally told herself over and over to calm down, but was unable to. She reasoned that this surprise would not be so shocking if she still held her memories, because then the cause would be evident, but it wasn't. She would tell Jillas and Gravos about it, they would know what answer to give her. Actually, Lina might know herself. She could tell her, she would be back soon, Filia would ask her in a few minutes and her world would make a little more sense. Everything would be okay, this wasn't a huge catastrophe, just a big shock, but she could deal with it, it would be okay... Unless a certain someone interrupted... and he did. 

"Filia!" Xellos' sudden voice made Filia jump inside the tiny change room as he attempted to open it. 

"You can't come in!" Filia shouted back. 

"What happened?" Xellos inquired, the urgency becoming hidden once again now that he knew that she was at least safe enough to answer him. 

"Nothing," Filia lied. "I just sent Lina to get me something to wear, because I don't feel comfortable wearing anything that you picked, that's all. When she comes back, I'll change and we can continue with the mission." 

"That seems like a pretty poor reason to be this upset." Xellos pointed out with insistence. 

"Mind your own business, raw garbage!" Filia snapped, she was hiding something, she was definitely hiding something. 

Lina finally arrived with a bag on hand containing her recent purchase. She could have sworn she caught Xellos glaring at her for a split second as if accusing her for leaving Filia alone for a moment. Yet oddly, he seemed to be truly innocent of being the cause of the golden dragon's recent discomfort. It was true that he wasn't even there when Filia's mood shifted so sharply, but this was Xellos, so it was hard to take him out of the suspect list at times. Lina glared right back, pushing Xellos out of the way with her eyes. "I'm back," she simply declared with a neutral tone. 

Filia opened the change room door slightly and received the bag Lina offered. Before the golden dragon could close the door again, Xellos pulled it open all the way. Filia was wearing the black bikini with the pink wrap Lina previously wore loosely on her hips tied around her waist, the fabric folded twice over, tied in front in a rather silly way. Odd fashion sense aside, Filia had no visible injuries. She glared at Xellos and close the change room door again, giving Lina a look that requested her to guard the door. 

Not entirely sure about what the odd exchange was about, Lina stood in front of the closed door. "No peeking," she warned, leaning her back against the door and glaring at Xellos. 

The purple haired monster gave the redhead sorceress a playfully innocent look, silently noting that Lina appeared to be just as confused about Filia's distressed reaction as much as he was. "I wasn't going to." 

Lina placed her hands on her hips and reminded in a quiet whisper so that only Xellos could hear. "Filia still has amnesia, you'll creep her out if you move too fast." 

Xellos sensed that there was some kind of hidden meaning to Lina's words, but unfortunately he was unable to decipher it, given the fact that he was suffering from missing memories himself. "Of course," he grinned as if he knew exactly what she was talking about. 

"I'm ready," Filia called from inside the change room, prompting Lina to move aside and grant her exit from the enclosed space. The golden dragon emerged in a pale blue one piece swim suit. The fabric was so form fitting that it left very little to the imagination and made Xellos muse that it made no sense what so ever that Filia would be so insistent on wearing something else, if despite showing less skin in the middle she was in a sense showing her body just as much as before. Maybe she just wanted to contradict him; that certainly sounded like something she would do. Feeling rather uncomfortable under Xellos studying gaze, Filia urged them to move on with the mission. "We should get to work now, before the wrong people find out about-" she stopped as the unmistakable sensation of a powerful monster arriving ran down her spine. 

Xellos looked towards the beach. Beyond the shore where Beast Master and Milgazia were, in the distance, in the water, that's where that newly arrived power was. It was Deep Sea Dolphin. "I'll be right back." Xellos ducked into one of the unoccupied change rooms and teleported away. He was off to casually greet the monster lord of the sea, pretending it was a mere coincidence that he was there. Perhaps if she inquired about Zelas and Milgazia, Xellos could come up with some sort of excuse to tell her. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Greetings, Lord Deep Sea Dolphin," Xellos floated above the water while Dolphin stood on a surf board with amazing balance. 

"Greetings to you too, Xellos," Dolphin replied. "I take it your arrival to greet me means you are aware of my intentions?" 

"That is a secret," Xellos replied with what he said when he couldn't or didn't want to directly reply to something. He didn't lie if it was his choice, but he kept a lot of convenient silences at times. In truth, he didn't know what Dolphin intended to do, but whatever it was, he theorized that he wouldn't like it. 

Dolphin shook her head, "not really," she casually replied. "It's not a secret at all. I'm sure it's rather obvious for you that I intend to make a big tidal wave and cause chaos. I'm sure that Zelas must have guessed my intentions as well. She overdid it with the whole power of the Sea of Chaos incident and the world was fixed more than necessary, was she ever angry about that miscalculation." Although there were certain details that Zelas had not entirely shared with Dolphin, she was a little more informed now than she had been before. But I suppose I can't stay angry at her forever, it would not serve any useful purpose to do so," Dolphin concluded. "Has Zelas sent you here to buy time? I see, so she's not done with her day at the beach with Milgazia yet." 

At the shock of the casual tone with which Dolphin address the situation that should have been a secret, Xellos felt his ability to levitate weaken from the mental hit and he fell into the water. 

Dolphin ignored the mishap, assuming that Xellos had allowed himself to fall into the water on purpose. "Fine, there is no rush. I'll save my tidal wave for later, it will give the beach more time to continue getting crowded and make the event even better. Besides, I want to see what happens if Zelas' determination to put some color on Milgazia's skin backfires and he gets sunburn. That would be hilarious." 

"You know about that?" Xellos couldn't help it but to ask. "About them?" 

"That Milgazia is Zelas' partner for LIFE?" Though Dolphin was talking about the League of International Fellowship on Earth, once again, it was impossible to hear capital letters being spoken when one spoke them as a word rather than spelling them out. "Of course I know about it. Dynast knows about it, everyone and their minion knows about it." 

This was bad, very bad. Almost afraid to ask, Xellos prompted for more information with a simple, "and?" 

"And what? I think it's a fine idea, I'll be there to feast during the big event, it'll be deliciously chaotic." Dolphin concluded as she thought about the scheduled to be ruined brass rackets tournament that was to come. 

Xellos assumed that Dolphin was referring to what would happen when the dragons decided to make their move to take a stand against the odd pair. Or at least against Milgazia if they didn't dare to pick a fight with Beast Master. "I see..." Xellos managed to voice. A larger portion of the monster race than he thought was aware of this? Dolphin and Dynast were not trying to use the fact against Zelas? It was all so terribly suspicious. Maybe they were only holding back for the time being to see what would happen. Then, after the dragons snapped and dragged Milgazia's good reputation through the mud, it would be time for the other monster lords to do the same with Zelas' evil reputation. A stop had to be put to this madness before it was too late. Surely Beast Master would be glad for Xellos' interference when she went back to her sane senses after he got rid of that meddlesome golden dragon. "Well then, I guess I'll leave you to your surfing." With those words of parting, Xellos disappeared from Dolphin's side and returned to rejoin his comrades of relationship sabotage. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos found Lina, Gourry and Filia eating some ice-cream. Filia offered him an extra cone that she had protected from Gourry and Lina, who claimed that Xellos' didn't need ice-cream anyway. In his defense, Filia noted that it would help him blend in with the crowd if he had some. The four stood around casually under the warm sun until Lina made a comment that, according to Filia was very inappropriate. "Xellos is back now, are you sure you don't want his help?" 

"I already finished on my own," Filia huffed. She seemed to be displeased at Lina, possibly due to something the redhead said while Xellos was away. 

"What are they talking about?" Xellos asked Gourry. 

"That is a secret," Gourry replied with a casual smile. 

"Right..." Xellos recalled Lina mentioning something about training Gourry to keep the secret of Zelas and Milgazia, which Xellos had realized was not so secretive after all. "What was it that you wanted to ask of me, stupid dragon?" 

"Nothing!" Filia snapped. 

"I just told her you could help her with her sunscreen, but she didn't take to the idea very well." Lina explained, adding with slight exasperation. "It was just an innocent suggestion." 

"I wouldn't have minded," Xellos offered with a teasing mischievous grin. 

"No," Filia affirmed flatly. At least she had mostly calmed down from her previous mysterious panic. Maybe she was worrying about something trivial after all, yet it had tasted so intense... 

"This ice-cream is pretty ordinary." Lina commented in an attempt to diffuse the tension in the air and also because it was true. "It's still good, but ordinary, don't you think so?" 

"That is a secret," Gourry voiced with a nod of agreement. 

Wanting to move the conversation into neutral territory, Filia spoke. "I agree." She looked at all the ice-cream stands. A particular one was full of customers with a long line, while the other businesses around it were empty. Anyone would guess that the ice-cream from that particular stand was special, but it wasn't. 

"It's Cactuar," Xellos pointed at the cactus that was next to the ice-cream stand. Upon closer inspection the odd plant didn't appear to be a plant at all. It was actually a monster. "He attracts people and when they touch him they're in for a lot of pain because of his needles. Then he can feed off their pain. It looks like the ice-cream is distracting people though. They keep thinking that's what's attracting them and line up to buy it instead of going over to try to hug Cactuar. I bet he's frustrated he has to compete with ice-cream. He's probably too prideful to move from there until he manages to get at least one victim to pick him up." 

Lina was about to comment on the newly obtained information, but she was interrupted by a beach ball to the face. "Who threw that?" She shouted enraged, her face red with wrath. 

"Over here!" Martina waved. "I'm so sorry about that," she didn't really sound sincere. "Would you mind throwing the ball back?" 

Sensing that a battle was about to break lose and their game of beach volleyball would not be resumed any time soon, Zangulus approached the group and found another way to entertained himself. "How about a spar, Gourry?" 

Gourry nodded eagerly, "that is a secret!" He quickly finished his ice-cream and followed. Zangulus didn't understand his strange reply, but Gourry seemed eager to spar and that was all that really mattered. 

"Martina!" Lina's blood boiled. "I'll get you for this!" She threw the ball violently towards Martina, who ducked out of the way. Coincidentally, a thin young man happened to be passing by behind Martina, minding his own business, and got the full hit of the spherical projectile. The man, who happened to be none other than Jeffrey Mailstar, was knocked to the sandy ground harshly. Lina gasped in horror and Martina didn't quite understand her fright. 

"You hit Jeffrey..." A woman whose face was covered by an executioner mask showed up out of seemingly nowhere. Her voice was ominous, threatening, creepy and there was a murderous feel to her aura. 

"It was an accident!" Lina wailed at the top of her lungs. Hoping that she was able to make up for the accidental attack before Josephine lived up to her executioner image, Lina dashed over to Jeffrey. "I'm so sorry!" She picked him up off the ground and set him on his feet like a particularly thin and fragile rag doll. "I didn't mean to hit you, it was an accident!" She brushed the sand off his thin form desperately. "You're okay, right? You forgive me, don't you?" 

Jeffrey coughed out sand; he had gotten quite a face-full of it when he fell. "I'm alright miss, don't worry. A strong knight like me can't be hurt so easily." Once he managed to rub the sand out of his eyes, he noticed that the girl who had helped him up looked familiar. "I have met you before, haven't I? Oh yes, I remember, you're Lina Inverse!" 

Lina nodded nervously, as she still felt Josephine's critical murderous gaze burning a metaphorical hole on the back of her head. "That's right, I'm your friend, remember? We're great pals!" 

"We are?" Jeffrey smiled, "of course we are!" He stood proudly in a pose that, given his extremely lanky physique, only managed to look ridiculous and not at all dashing. "I'm really lucky. Wherever I go, people are always very nice and friendly towards me, especially those masked tourists." Who were in reality his mother playing bodyguard from the shadows. 

Josephine's wrath appeared to have calmed down, thus Lina breathed in relief. Martina on the other hand, was still stunned. "What just happened?" She wondered aloud. "One second you're a total fury and the next you're acting like that scrawny kid's personal maid." 

"You dare to call Jeffrey scrawny?" Josephine's rage was once again provoked as she dashed towards Martina swinging her hammer violently. 

"Ah!" Martina was quick to dodge the deadly blow and broke into a run, trying to escape from the seemingly insane hammer wielding lady in the executioner mask. "Save me Zoamelgustar!" 

Zangulus and Gourry were amused by sparring, Martina was busy running for her life and Josephine was giving chase. All the while Xellos and Filia watched the scene with amusement. Just when Lina thought the surprises were over and she could concentrate on the mission that Xellos hired her to do, a familiar voice called out. "Miss Lina, Miss Filia, Mr. Xellos!" Amelia approached the group waving cheerfully. 

Zelgadis was running after her. It looked like the chimera couldn't decide if he should be embarrassed of showing more of his blue rocky skin than he had ever shown before in a public place or be fascinated staring at Amelia in her bikini. "Amelia, Zel! I knew you were traveling around, but I wasn't expecting to run into you," Lina greeted them. 

Xellos mused that this was not a good development in terms of his mission. If Amelia heard about his plans to sabotage Zelas and Milgazia's beach date, she would surely set out to sabotage the sabotage. Perhaps they could pretend that they were all just there for a fun day at the beach and the naive princess would actually believe it. 

Or perhaps not... "Maybe you can help us with our mission. We need to make Zelas and Milgazia break up for the good of all that is fair and just in the world." Lina declared. Gourry would probably be distracted with his little spar with Zangulus for a while, so Lina reasoned that they could probably use some extra help. 

Amelia frowned, Filia cringed and Xellos reproached, "Lina!" 

"What?" Lina wasn't sure what she had done wrong. Then it came to her, or so she thought. "You don't need to worry about Amelia and Zel, I'm sure they can keep a secret and they can help us." Turning her attention back to the pouting Amelia, Lina, who didn't know why the princess had such a sour look on her face all of a sudden, proceeded with her main argument of persuasion. "Zelas is totally using Milgazia and that's not fair. So in the name of justice, we need to save him from a harmful relationship with a monster lord." 

"That's not true," Amelia firmly declared as she pointed her accusing finger of justice at Xellos. "Mr. Xellos is just being overprotective of his mother; you can't believe what he says. You saw Zelas and Milgazia dancing that romantic tango at the party at Seyruun before. Don't you see that they're in love? Xellos is just having trouble accepting it. Miss Lina, instead of helping fuel his undue resentment, you should be helping Mr. Xellos come to terms with his troubled emotions and accept Milgazia as his step-father!" 

While Amelia went on with her horrifying speech, Xellos desperately tried to distract himself by singing the 'life is wonderful' song. 

To be Continued


	47. Chapter 47

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 139: Will! Side-Effects Of The Sea Of Chaos

What was supposed to be a simple mission of relationship sabotage at the beach soon became a very complicated situation. Gourry and Zangulus were oblivious to most of the chaos, occupying themselves in sparring. Zelas however, was well aware of what was happening around her and she enjoyed its taste. 

"Zoamelgustar!" Martina yelled as she ran towards the monster lord. "Beast Master!" She dashed in circles around the beach chairs occupied by Zelas and Milgazia with Josephine in fast pursuit. After it became evident that Zelas had no intentions of slaying her aggressor, Martina dashed away. "Anyone!" 

"I should do something about this," Milgazia considered interfering. He began to get up, but Zelas pushed him back into his seat. 

Dismissively, the elegant monster lord insisted. "Martina can take care of herself, just watch." 

Once again, Martina dashed by in front of Zelas and Milgazia. This time she had enough; she planted her feet firmly on the sand and held out her talisman. Where in her small yellow bikini did she keep that talisman was anyone's guess... and nobody's business "Feel the power of Zoamelgustar!" The talisman glowed, creating a shield around Martina that protected her from Josephine's hammer. 

"That technique!" Josephine exclaimed, "that impenetrable force field!" She appeared to be impressed. "You must teach my Jeffrey that power, it would be quite useful as a defense. If you do this, I will forgive you, granted that you treat my wonderful Jeffrey with respect in the future." 

"Ah ha ha he ha ha!" Martina laughed victoriously. "So you wish for your son to become my pupil? It is good that you have recognized my amazing talent! Very well, I will take Jeffrey under my wing as an apprentice of Zoamelgustar! Ah ha ha he ha ha!" 

At that very moment, Zelas chose to conveniently clear her throat with an "ehem" that sounded more melodious than it should. 

"Oh right," Martina recalled, catching the hint. "Being my student also means that Jeffrey will be one of Lord Beast Master's minions, as it is stated in my job contract." Although not all of Zelas' 'employees' shared such a clause in their contract. Martina and Zangulus did, though Sylphiel, for example, had a much less binding job contract free of monster lord alliances and more so leaning towards the display of a sufficient amount of neutrality to perform her duties. 

"I suppose being allied to a powerful monster lord would not be a bad thing if it keeps my Jeffrey safe. After the near destruction of the world, I have been trying to find more ways to ensure he is alright," Josephine agreed. Thus a new alliance was formed. 

"Alright then!" Martina held out her hand and Josephine shook it. "I, Martina Zoana Mel Navratilova, welcome you to the ranks of Lord Beast Master. Ah ha ha he ha ha!" 

Although Martina certainly knew, as the realities of Amor Resort and the truth about the upper management had been revealed to her and Zangulus some time ago, Josephine did not appear to be aware of the fact that the one and only Beast Master Zelas Metallium was present right there, not too far away. "I, Josephine Mailstar, accept this pledge of loyalty." 

After Martina and Josephine walked away, discussing something or other about Zoamelgustar and magical training, Milgazia commented. "I sensed something peculiar about Martina." He made a mental note about the fact that the world was still in many ways in peril if humans were seeking monster lords for protection. He would have to start a motion among the dragons to try to reassure humans and build a closer relationship with them. If the other, more experienced elders didn't like it, then too bad, Milgazia was determined never to hold back. 

"She is expecting a child," Zelas calmly stated. "Although it is in such an early stage that it is impossible to tell just by looking at her. Zoamelgustar was originally not quite real; it was a monster of Martina's own creation. The displays of power that supposedly came from Zoamelgustar were actually her own. Yet she so strongly believes that Zoamelgustar will be reborn through her, that is what will happen. All this chaotic energy around the world has opened up a sea of possibilities, perhaps that is what the Sea of Chaos really is, an infinite collection of possibilities where there are no impossibilities." 

Milgazia's eternally serious face showed a hint of still serious disapproval. "You placed a drop of power in her child?" 

"I did not," Zelas admitted. "Martina's strong belief in Zoamelgustar caused her to absorb chaotic energy. It probably helps that she has been trained in the arts of chance spells, which are closely related to chaos, unpredictability and randomness. As such, her child was granted chaotic power, the little one is otherwise a human, originating from a human mother and father, the child has only received a power-up of sorts. Martina had already decided long ago that she wanted to name her firstborn baby Zoamelgustar, thus the product of her imagination in a sense has truly become real." 

Milgazia contemplated the situation. "Who knows what kind of possibilities the chaotic energy in the atmosphere will make available." It was a silent promise that he two would explore said possibilities and do all he could to use them in his favor. Yet that was how it was supposed to be, a constant struggle that kept things in motion. Even a pleasant activity could become unpleasant when it was not varied with something else. Motion, change, dynamics, unpredictability, surprises, chaos... It wasn't a trap as Darkstar and Vorfeed had believed; it was life itself. 

"Such concepts are not alien to monsters," Zelas stated as a matter of fact. "A strong will is what keeps us in existence after all, the very belief that we exist." 

"That almost makes it sound as if denying your existence would make you go away." Milgazia noted, although he understood that it was more complex than that. 

"Only to a lesser monster, a particularly weak apparition," Zelas mocked. "Besides," she added thoughtfully, "if monsters disappeared so would dragons." 

"Because the opposing forces would be lost and the lack of contrast would lead to some sort of... reaction?" Milgazia mused. "Or an absence of reactions..." 

"Possibly," Zelas voiced with regal calm. "But before the last monster is lost to disbelief, magic would go first and the dragons will be left powerless as mere legends." Moving on to a more pleasant aspect, for her at least, the monster lord concluded. "I would rather return the world to chaos than allow that to happen. Start over and keep it in motion for as long as possible again." 

"A collection of fleeting moments... that's life." Milgazia quietly mused deeply. 

Interrupting the diplomatic philosophical musings of the monster lord and the golden dragon elder, Zangulus and Gourry dashed by, their swords clashing against each other, although they were both regular iron swords. They were relying more so on speed and skill than on weaponry. "Look, there's the father of Zoamelgustar now." Zelas pointed at Zangulus. "He had his doubts about pledging his loyalty to me when the truth of my identity became clear to him, but his dear wife persuaded him." 

"The way you keep gaining minions," Milgazia disapproved, his previous calm tone being replaced with one of distaste. "One spreading the offers to join you to another... It's like a decease." 

Zelas paused, with only the chatter of the beach goers, the sound of the rolling waves and the clang of metal against metal of the sparring blades being heard. "Did you just call me a decease?" 

He had, Milgazia realized, which was terribly undiplomatic of him. It was too late to take it back and he was not going to apologize to Zelas of all creatures. Thus he decided that the best course of action was to simply be honest, "I did." 

The iron swords broke against each other by the sheer force of the combatants. "Should have used Astral Vine..." Zangulus commented. He had gotten pretty good at weapon power up spells with some practice. 

"That is a secret?" Gourry inquired, meaning to ask 'would you cast it on mine too?' 

"Yes, I wouldn't want any unfair advantages," Zangulus agreed. He had more or less started to get the hang of interpreting Gourry's strange speech pattern. Albeit he still had to wonder if the blond was under some kind of curse. At least it didn't look like it was contagious. Thus the two swordsmen started to walk off to find another pair of swords to resume their friendly but intense battle. 

Simultaneously, Zelas chuckled and batted her long eyelashes in a blatant display of absolute sarcasm. "Milgazia, you say the sweetest things, you're such a charmer." 

Milgazia considered rolling his eyes, but he was far too diplomatic to do so. He had his little undiplomatic slip up for the day and that was more than enough. At least sarcasm was better than Zelas' usual culinary comments about him making her hungry. He had expected plenty of those, something along the lines of roasted dragon perhaps. Maybe the only reason why Zelas had not actually said anything of the sort was because she suspected, or even knew, that he expected her to say those things. It wouldn't be unpredictable anymore. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A few minutes later, in another area of the beach... "Gourry!" Lina pulled him over. Martina had come by to get Jeffrey to train him, relieving Lina of the burden of having to hang out with the naive young man so as to not offend his mallet wielding mother. Big hammers tend to lead to crush skulls and Lina did not want to have one of those. She was, for one of the very few times in her life, actually glad to see Martina in that occasion. With Jeffrey gone, Lina's company remained as consisting of Amelia, Zelgadis, Xellos, Filia and now the newly arrived Gourry and Zangulus. "You were close to Zelas and Milgazia a while ago, what did they say?" 

"That is a secret," Gourry replied with a smile, proud of himself for sticking to Lina's training ever so well. 

"Do you mean that literally or are you just repeating that line I taught you?" Lina inquired impatiently. She was beginning to regret being so insistent in training Gourry. 

"That is a secret," Gourry uselessly replied. 

Releasing a breath of frustration, Lina let it go. She muttered under her breath once more. "It better be a really big steak." 

"Mr. Zangulus," Amelia proceeded with the information gathering, directing her question at a more profitable source of information. "Did you hear what Miss Zelas and Mr. Milgazia were talking about? Could you tell us?" 

Zangulus certainly didn't want to be accused of eavesdropping on a monster lord, but he figured it would be okay to lightly comment on the subject in passing, making it clear that he wasn't prying, he just overheard. "I wasn't really paying attention." He ascertained, being graced with looks of displeasure for those who were thirsty for information to fuel their own opposing arguments. "But," he added, instinctively raising his hands in a sign of defense. "I overheard her saying something along the lines of 'you say the sweetest things' and 'such a charmer' that's about all I caught." Zangulus assumed, as any other sane creature in proper use of their mental faculties would assume, that Zelas' remarks were sarcastic. Plus it was plainly obvious judging by the tone of her voice. 

His audience didn't seem completely pleased with his words and Zangulus didn't understand why. Lina frowned, muttering something about a big steak she was determined to obtain, Filia looked horrified and Xellos started singing about the wonders of life under his breath. Zelgadis seemed to take the information calmly enough and, contrasting with the majority, Amelia was overjoyed. Zangulus concluded that this was just another of those moments of insanity that were abundant around Lina Inverse and her traveling companions. Without another word, Zangulus was on his way, inviting Gourry to follow. So the two swordsmen left the scene, once more off to find new swords and continue their spar. 

"Obviously, they're in love," Amelia firmly declared. Then her eyes softened as she gave Xellos a look of supportive understanding. "Don't worry Mr. Xellos, we're here for you. We'll help you accept this and give you all the emotional support you need!" 

Frowning slightly in a gesture that looked very alien on his usually cheerful face, Xellos complained, "Lina..." 

"Sorry Amelia, but I'll have to stand in opposition," Lina defiantly declared. "There's a big juicy," dragon, she did not specify aloud, "steak with my name on it and I can't miss out on it!" 

"You'd take the side of gluttony instead of the site of love?" Amelia gasped offended. "That's terrible! If this is how it is, then I'm afraid we're rivals. I'll make sure to guard the lovers and ensure that they have a wonderful date together. I won't allow you to sabotage them! Let's go, Zelgadis, we need to protect Miss Zelas and Mr. Milgazia!" 

Zelgadis paused in deliberation. They had to protect Zelas and Milgazia? They had to protect a monster lord and a golden dragon elder? They had to protect two creatures more powerful than themselves? That sounded odd, to say the least. Yet even so, Zelgadis couldn't help it but to follow Amelia. 

Lina declared in determination as Amelia and Zelgadis walked away. "Just you wait! I'll earn that steak!" 

"Hello Xellos!" A new voice joined the conversation as two others approached Lina, Xellos and Filia after Amelia and Zelgadis had left. The man, who had so cheerfully spoken, had blond hair with long dark purple bangs framing his face. He had odd little triangular clips on the tips of his hair and displayed two rows of fangs when he smiled. Yet even with all of that, there was another more prominent feature to him, his glowing green eyes. Those eyes seemed to have multiple spinning wheels of different shades of green that were, in a word, hypnotizing. 

"Hello Neuro!" Xellos replied with the same energy with which the other man, who was in fact a monster, greeted him. "Taking your pet for a walk?" He tilted his head towards the woman accompanying Neuro. 

The young woman looked completely human and rather petite in comparison to the tall man beside her, though not quite as petite as Lina. She had short blond hair with a pair of peculiar hair clips shaped like smiling fanged mouths and warm brown eyes. "I'm not a pet," she tried to point out uselessly. 

"Yes," Neuro replied to Xellos' question, ignoring his companion's protests. "I just had a wonderful meal in town not too far from here. I must say I'm glad the Stillness has retreated. When it killed I couldn't really feed on it. It killed just because, without malice, it was such a waste. Murder needs to be malicious and delicious!" 

"I agree," Xellos nodded with a smile. 

"Murder?" Filia nearly shrieked in indignation. "You feed on murderous emotions?" 

"Mysterious murders are my favorite dish," Neuro smiled, showing off his fangs. "So, Xellos, are you taking your pet out for a walk too?" 

"I'm not a pet!" Filia fumed. 

Ignoring her outburst, while not missing the opportunity to feed on her annoyance, Xellos replied. "My business today is more than simple recreation." Perhaps Neuro and his human friend, Yako, could be of assistance in the mission. He was a high ranking monster for Beast Master after all. Surely he too was concerned with her current relationship. Besides, if the monster race was as informed as Dolphin made it sound, then Neuro of all monsters must surely know. "Would you care to join us in sabotaging Lord Beast Master's relationship with Milgazia?" 

Neuro wondered for a moment if Xellos was joking, but then he realized this was a serious offer. Sure, he would enjoy annoying Milgazia as much as any other monster would, but sabotaging Zelas' brass rackets partnership was going too far. "I'm afraid not," he declined. "I can't risk angering Lord Beast Master with such actions and you shouldn't either. It is true that she greatly favors you, but you'd be wise to stay in her good graces." 

"Shows how much you know." Xellos pouted like a little boy whom everyone had refused to play with. He was sure that once Beast Master returned to her senses and realized how utterly ridiculous her relationship was, she would be thanking him for this. 

Yako appeared to be trying to sneak away from the group, but Neuro grabbed her head and pulled her back towards him, twisting her neck painfully in the process, his hand transformed into a purple claw. Filia was about to strongly express her disapproval for the monster's mistreatment of his human companion, but said human girl spoke first in an accusatory complaint. "Neuro! You said that after you were fed I could go eat. There's a rumor going around that there will be a scavenger hunt today in this beach and that the winner will get dragon cuisine as a prize. I need to find out if it's true!" 

"Dragon cuisine?" Filia exclaimed, very upset. She was in fact so upset that her tail popped out, ripping the fabric of her bathing suit. Xellos, being Xellos, couldn't resist the urge to point and laugh. He was joined in the mocking action by his monster compatriot, Neuro, both of them laughing in great amusement. Red faced and enraged, Filia glared at all those around her. 

"Um..." Yako backed away, moving closer to Neuro. He was a gluttonous, deceiving, impertinent, sadistic, smart-aleck of a monster, but she knew that when it came down to it, he would protect her with his very life. The appearance of Filia's tail made it pretty obvious to Yako why she was upset. The gluttonous girl, whose gluttony was in the same rank of the gluttony of the legendary Lina Inverse, tried to excuse herself. "I would never eat a dragon that I've spoken to before. I know the difference between friends and food." 

Filia remained unconvinced. She was about to scold Yako, whom she didn't feel sorry for anymore for being stuck with Neuro, but Lina spoke first. "I thought this situation was familiar," the redhead sorceress noted. "You're Yako Katsuragi aren't you?" With a shy nod from Yako, who was unsure of how her identity would be received, Lina exclaimed, "I knew it, you are that detective! It's ironic though, after hearing the rumors, I had thought you were a monster who had enslaved a human as her assistant, but it turns out that the assistant was the real monster. Anyway, I've heard of your adventures solving mysteries, they call you the piggish detective, right?" 

"Yes," Yako pouted, "but I hate that nickname!" 

"Tell me about it," Lina felt identified. "I don't mind being called the bandit killer, but I hate it when they call me dragon spooker." 

"Dragon spooker?" Yako gasped, "you're the Lina Inverse?" 

"The one and only!" Lina proudly declared. "Last time I saw you, I was so busy with the sea food barbecue and... other cuisine, that we didn't even have the chance to talk." Lina referred to Xellos and Filia's wedding reception, where Yako had also been busy for the same reasons. 

"I've heard a lot of stories about your adventures!" Yako happily exclaimed. "Not too long ago, I had a pretty interesting adventure myself when I went to solve a murder mystery with Neuro at Dils. The most interesting part came afterwards when I had some delicious curry, it was..." 

Filia stared at the two young human women as they bonded over their love of food. They used adjectives such as beautiful, noble, divine and even sexy to describe food. If she had not heard the start of the conversation, Filia would assume they were describing the perfect man rather than a dish. "They're not listening to me," the golden dragon concluded. 

"Oh dear, this might be troublesome. Do you realize that the three greatest appetites in the world," Lina, Gourry and Yako, "are in the same place at the same time?" Xellos pointed out with fake worry and real amusement. 

"This is quite a catastrophe indeed," Neuro agreed with that sharp fanged smile of his. 

Just as the group's squabbles were about to continue, they heard a voice that made their heads turn in curiosity. "Attention! Attention!" None other than Sylphiel was near by, holding a bunch of entry forms. She had taken a break from her usual duties and was instead managing a scavenger hunt that would take place at the beach. "All those who wish to participate in the scavenger hunt and try to win a mysterious prize, please sign up in teams of two!" 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 140: Tidal Wave! We Are The Bringers Of Chaos

After hearing Sylphiel announcing the scavenger hunt with a mysterious prize, Lina and Yako could only theorize that the prize had to be the rumored dragon cuisine. 

"Partners?" Lina offered her hand. 

"Partners!" Yako agreed, shaking Lina's hand. 

Gourry had no idea about the scavenger hunt, plus he was entertained sparring with Zangulus. He needed to have a guys day out now and then just as much as Lina mused that she needed a girl's day out. Of course, her reasoning wasn't as simple as that. The gluttonous and greedy redhead concluded that she was better off partnering with a detective for this event. 'With my amazing charm and Yako's detective skills, we'll be an invincible team!' Lina thought. 

"There they go," Neuro watched as Lina and Yako ran off to get an entry form. "I suppose I can let my dear little pet play every now and then." 

Through her fury and frustration, because no one seemed to be taking note of her rage, Filia noted a hint of fondness in Neuro's glowing green eyes. It made her wonder just what kind of relationship he shared with his human companion. Before she could decide if she should inquire about it or not, very much less even begin to figure out the source of her curiosity, Xellos voiced. "So, you're really not going to help us with the sabotage?" 

"I cannot," Neuro reiterated. "If you decide to go on with this very daring move, I wish you luck. I'll be watching, enjoying the chaos and truly wishing that Beast Master isn't too angry at you if you get caught." 

"I don't intend to get caught," Xellos smugly assured. 

"Good luck then, happy sabotaging!" With his well wishes spoken, Neuro went off to find something to snack on. Other than murderous intentions, he really liked the frustration and confusion that people felt when being unable to solve a puzzle, the fear of the unknown mystery that he knew he was smart enough to solve himself. 

After Neuro was gone, Xellos pointed out the obvious. "It looks like it's just us on the mission again and this time we have Amelia and Zelgadis to contend with." 

"Yes," Filia nodded thoughtfully. She had to leave her tail out now because otherwise she would have a hole in her bathing suit. She tried to clear her head and focus on the mission. Milgazia had to be rescued from the evil seductions of that terrible she-wolf. But what if letting them be together would, sooner or later, with the passing of time and the illogical and reasonably impossible, yet still very vaguely probable, growth of true fondness between them, eventually lead to the banning of dragon cuisine? 

Maybe, just maybe, by a long shot, a very long kilometric long shot, such a thing as real endearment would flourish and their passion will have room alongside it for some real love. It was ridiculous, monsters didn't love, thus monster lords didn't love. Yet Filia's little encounter with Neuro and Yako as well as other recent experiences concerning herself and Xellos, that she kept locked under a thick layer of denial, had made her doubt her initial extreme assumptions. "Xellos," Filia finally interrupted the moment of silence between her and Xellos. 

Xellos looked back at her, interrupting his task of looking in the general direction of where Zelas and Milgazia sat in their beach chairs in apparent quietude. "What is it, stupid dragon?" There was no hardship or malice to the supposedly insulting remark, but a strange friendliness that bordered fondness. 

"Neuro and Yako are in love, aren't they?" Filia bluntly asked, point blank. 

Xellos paused, giving the question some thought. "Neuro is a monster, not a chimera of monster and something else like that researcher I've heard about, who is part human and part monster." He hinted at Celo, who he didn't remember he had interacted with in the past year and Filia didn't know of at all, given the state of their missing memories. Xellos didn't know, or rather didn't remember, about Tiffany, but there were rumors. Going back into the subject of Filia's question, Xellos elaborated. "Neuro loves to feed on murderous intent, puzzles and mysteries. He's a big glutton who is fascinated and perhaps even obsessed with food." 

"With emotions?" Filia inquired, as that was monster food. 

"Yes," Xellos confirmed. "Yako is an empath, a special kind of empath. She not only perceives, but is able to analyze and explain emotions that the one feeling them might not even understand themselves. The cause and effect, the hidden meaning, the obscure desires, she's got a talent for figuring that out. Her detective work adventures, although it may seem that she is doing a good service to society and in a sense she is, actually yield very precious research. Through all of that, Neuro gets a good meal. But he's still a monster, pure and unaltered. He is of a high rank, but it's still difficult for him at times. He has to cause Yako occasional pain and requires constant meals of the most nutritious kind. Murder is good for such a purpose, not the kind of passing murder that a bandit would commit for money, but a true murder full of the darkest emotions." 

"Many criminals have been apprehended because of them." Filia pointed out, trying to look at the positive side of the situation. 

"Yes, although, it left free, most of them wouldn't have committed that many more crimes anyway." Xellos explained. "A few perhaps, but those were not impersonal serial killers, they were people with strong grudges, strong emotions. Those were the kind of murders that were not about riches, fear or something superficial. They were mostly, close to the victims in some way with a deep emotional link." 

Filia shuddered. "Well, at least the criminals are being apprehended even if it is so that Neuro can get a meal." She was disturbed enough by the topic and quickly pushed the conversation back in her initially intended direction. "None the less, even if it's difficult for him, even if he can't freely show his affection and he needs to have constant very... er... nutritious, meals, Neuro seems to be doing well enough. I think that even if he doesn't express it in a very orthodox way, Neuro has his own way to show his affection and Yako understands that he cares for her." 

"I suppose so," Xellos accepted. "There was that one time he gifted her one of those heart shape boxes that usually have chocolates, except it had explosives instead. It was pretty hilarious. But we didn't come here so we could gossip about my odd monster friends, did we? Such nosy gossipers dragons are!" Filia huffed in response to Xellos' expected critique. Albeit her mind kept spinning around the topic of monsters and affection, even if she didn't want to continue overanalyzing it. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

On the roadside overlooking the beach, there stood a leopard beastman on an errand. He clutched the box securely, constantly reminding himself that the people around him did not know what was in the box and thus had no real reason to be randomly inclined to steal it. In fact, the leopard himself did not know what was in the box either. In the past he was part of a gang of bandits, but had since left the gang and gone off on his own, eventually joining a mafia organization. It was rumored that the leader was an acquaintance of Lord Beast Master, but no one knew for sure. If it was true or not was not the point though, because it was evident that the man was perfectly capable of fighting his battles on his own. That thought was enough to make the beastman clutch the precious box of unknown contents tighter in his arms and wish to get this delivery successfully done and over with as soon as possible. 

The leopard, who answered to the name of Jay, scanned the beach in search of the person who was supposed to receive the mysterious package. The person in question was supposed to be none other than the son of the mafia lord that Jay worked for. The problem was that he wasn't even sure what the man looked like and the description he had received was vague at best. "You will find the young man at the beach in the company of a red haired woman and a yellow creature." Needless to say, the one who had given Jay that information was not a very informative informant. 

The leopard beastman spotted a familiar looking man, whose purple hair was his most prominent immediately noticeable feature. He was reminded of the man, the monster, who had gotten into a fight back when he was still a part of his old bandit gang, except this one didn't have the golden strands in his hair and didn't appear to be carrying a mace. None the less, their resemblance was clearly noticeable and it made Jay wonder if they were in fact the same person. 

Then he took note of something else. Among the companions of the purple haired man, whom slowly left his side little by little, there was a red haired woman and a blond woman with a golden scaly tail. He reasoned that they were the redhead and the yellow creature mentioned in the description, therefore the purple haired man had to be the mafia lord's son. How inconveniently troublesome... He couldn't risk being beheaded because he didn't finish this delivery, so Jay summoned up all his courage and began to walk towards the group. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

In another area of the beach, a young man with unruly black hair and warm brown eyes was having a pleasant time in the company of a red haired woman and a yellow creature. The creature was a small monster that looked like some kind of rodent rabbit thing with rosy cheeks, a zig-zag tail and a cute face. Though the little monster was beyond a doubt adorable, it was very powerful. 

"I really can't wait to see that new monster capture device dad's researchers developed." The young man exclaimed excitedly. 

"A device that can capture even high level monsters," the red haired woman mused. "Is that even possible?" 

"That's what I intend to find out." The man declared with fiery determination. He really wished the delivery would hurry up and get there already. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos and Filia had been left alone by the time Jay made it to their side. With abundant fear, the leopard beastman nervously held out the box to Xellos. "I have a delivery for you, Lord Ash..." Handing the box to Xellos, before the monster could further inquired about it, Jay backed away and bowed. "Please excuse me sir, I must return to my duties under the command of your father." Then he made his swift escape. 

Filia blinked as she watched the leopard dash away speedily. She looked at Xellos, who was left holding the box that apparently belonged to someone called Ash. "That's not yours," she pointed out the obvious. 

"I do wonder what's in it," Xellos expressed his curiosity with a grin. "That guy made it sound important." He began to open the box in spite of Filia's protests, perhaps even encouraged by them. In the middle of layers of bubble wrap that Val would love to play with, Xellos found an odd spherical item only slightly larger than a fist. The ball was half white and half purple with two slightly prominent pink circles on the top purple half and a white letter M below them. The center of the ball had a black line around it, dividing the purple and white halves with a little white button on top of the black line under the M. 

"What is it?" Filia curiously looked at the device, sensing some sort of powerful magic emanating from it. "Wait..." A theory formed in her mind. "Is that a magical machine?" 

Ah yes, a magical machine, a device that mixed the power of science and technology with the power of magic and the supernatural. A mix of apparent opposites, a blend of belief and logic. It was a powerful thing indeed. "Looks like it." Xellos' curiosity and confidence led him to making the grave mistake of pressing the little white button on the ball. Instantly, a red beam of powerful magic emerged from the strange device as the purple and white halves parted open. The red beam surrounded Xellos in a split second and absorbed him into the ball that closed again with him inside. 

Filia gasped, without Xellos to hold the device, the ball fell to the sandy ground and shook. The button that activated the magical machine glowed until finally, there was a click and the sphere ceased its shaking. Cautiously, Filia bent her knees and leaned over the still purple and white ball. She carefully poked it with the tip of her right index finger, quickly retreating her hand immediately. Nothing happened, thus Filia realized that the ball was only activated with the push of that one button. She carefully picked it up and stood upright, examining it. "Xellos?" She called in uncertainty. 

"Let me out of here!" Xellos yelled from inside the magical device, his voice a soft and muffled distant echo. "This thing has astral space inside, it's some sort of high level astral being capture device!" He had heard about magical machines used to capture relatively low level monsters in an attempt to tame them, but he didn't think a magical machine powerful enough to capture him existed, so he never really paid attention to the rumors. "Open it!" 

Filia huffed and tried to sound angry and serious. "Why should I? You're better off staying in there, you piece of raw garbage!" A giggle escaped her. If this really was only an astral being capture device, then she should be safe from it and she had Xellos at her mercy. It was time to get him back for all the times he picked on her. "Maybe I should throw this ball out to the sea and let it sink to the bottom where no one would ever find you." 

"I would be found and I'll get back at you for this you terrible dragon!" Xellos argued from his entrapment inside the master ball. He would probably indeed be found, most likely by one of Deep Sea Dolphin's minions and it would be terribly embarrassing. He considered saying something to upset Filia just to get back at her for not releasing him right away, but realized on time that it was a very bad idea. Filia wouldn't leave him there forever, she would release him out of the kindness of her heart after she had a little fun and he knew it. But as merciful as Filia could be, she was also very aggressive when it came to being caught in a berserk temper tantrum. She really would throw the ball far, far away or destroy it with him still in it if he provoked her, even if she might regret it later. 

"Say whatever you want, but the fact still stands that you're trapped and helpless and there's nothing you can do about it!" Filia waited for Xellos to reply to her taunt, but he didn't. She waited some more and even shook the master ball a little, but there was still no answer. "Xellos?" The golden dragon started to worry, she didn't know what kind of effect this strange device could have on him. "Xellos, answer me!" 

The sphere began to vibrate in her hands until it finally broke apart, its purple and white halves flying in opposite directions as a bright red light emerged from their center. The light took on the shape of a black cone, which, much to the astonishment of random beach goers near by, transformed into a purple haired man. 

"You broke free of it," Filia stated the obvious. 

"Yes," Xellos ascertained with both his eyes open in an endless piercing amethyst. "And now it's payback time. I think you really need to cool off!" Xellos picked up Filia, who yelped as they disappeared into the astral side. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos and Filia reappeared floating above the ocean. Before Filia even had time to realize where she was, she yelled, "put me down!" 

Grinning mischievously, Xellos, one eye open and one closed, obliged. "As you wish," and he dropped Filia into the sea. 

The pointy eared, dragon tailed woman sunk beneath the waves and what emerged in her place was a large golden scaled, winged dragon roaring ferociously. "Xellos!" The gigantic creature bellowed. The surfers and swimmers nearby made a frantic retreat to shore. Even the people who were at the shore panicked and started to run away, seeking shelter in higher ground, in an attempt to protect themselves from being devoured by the ferocious fury that apparently came from the sea. 

From the shore, Zelas and Milgazia had front row seats for the chaotic action. "That's Filia..." Milgazia noted. She was in quite a rampage and this wasn't the first time he had seen her go berserk. That had to be the most temperamental dragon he had ever met. He never would have guessed she was such a fury at a first glance. 

"Quite an amusing one, that dragon girl," Zelas chuckled. "You could learn a thing or two about properly entertaining your superiors, Mr. Dull and Diplomatic." 

This was hardly the time, but Milgazia had to defend himself. "I used to be known as pleasant Milgazia." 

"More like boring Milgazia," Zelas differed. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Simultaneous to Filia's outrage, Deep Sea Dolphin had been considering if she should send out her tidal wave yet or wait a little longer. She had to pause and stare as this unnerving golden dragon pet of Xellos stole her thunder and caused pandemonium at the beach. "The nerve of her!" Affronted, Dolphin decided that the time to unleash her massive tidal wave was now and she would make it extra large. The sea retreated by Deep Sea Dolphin's command and swiftly returned towards the shore with a great force that washed away everyone and everything on the beach and even on the road beyond it. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

As the sun set in the horizon, a few people contemplated the now empty beach in separate groups. One of those groups consisted of two humans and a monster by the names of Ash, Misty and Pikachu. "The delivery never came," Ash sighed in disappointment. "Or maybe it did and it was lost at sea," he frowned. 

"I hope whoever was making the delivery made it out alive," Misty commented. The trio left the beach, off to explore other regions in their endless journey. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Deep Sea Dolphin pouted, the crowd of panicked people dared to blame the golden dragons for the pandemonium even after one of them, the saner of the two that were there in their true form, had started trying to help them. How dare they steal her credit? Dragons as the bringers of chaos? Ridiculous! Although, now it made sense why Zelas seemed to favor them as pets from what Dolphin could, from her own subjective perspective, perceive. With a resounding "hmp!" Deep Sea Dolphin decided to call it a day and go home. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"If you don't mind, I'll be leaving now," Milgazia stated. He was currently in his dragon form, which he had changed into to try to save as many people from drowning as he could. Most people were afraid of him despite his good intentions; after all, they blamed that other golden dragon for causing the tidal wave. 

"Fine, fine," Zelas waved her hand dismissively. "I have more pleasant pawns to be amused by anyway." Zelas faded into the astral side, returning to Wolf Pack Island, while Milgazia took off flying back to Dragon's Peak. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"What about your career as a knight of Zoamelgustar?" Martina called after Jeffrey, who was passed out from the intensity of the latest happenings and was being carried away by his mother. 

"If there's going to be tidal waves involved, this is too dangerous for my precious Jeffrey!" Josephine disappeared in the horizon with more dramatic flare than what was due. 

Zangulus joined his wife, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Did you have fun today? I did, Gourry's skills have improved, I'll have to keep training hard so that I don't fall behind." He cheerfully declared. 

Martina considered his question, then decided, "I guess it was an okay day." The king and queen of Zoana left the beach, off to return to the constant, rather expensive, toils of attempting to raise a splendorous kingdom. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 141: Glow! The Pain Of The Unknown

At the beach, after the massive tidal way panic had passed, Amelia and Zelgadis contemplated the day's events. "It looks like we weren't able to prevent the date's interruption after all," Amelia observed with a little disappointment. 

"This was too big to be prevented," Zelgadis commented, not realizing that he wasn't exactly helping console her. 

"Maybe so," Amelia admitted sadly, then her cheerful determination rose once again. "But love is greater than anything else. Even with this trial, love will still triumph!" She cheered energetically. After a moment's pause, she glanced at the beach one last time before remembering her planned schedule. "We should probably get going now; we have many places to visit on our journey." Thus the princess and the chimera continued with their trip. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Gourry had rejoined Lina. The redhead was, along with Yako, lamenting the cancellation of the scavenger hunt and they were so close to finishing first too. Sylphiel approached the group with a mysterious box in her hands and an interesting announcement. "Since the scavenger hunt was cancelled, our secret sponsor said I was free to keep the prize myself. Your team really worked hard on that scavenger hunt and I'm sure you would have won, so I'll give this to the two of you." 

Immediately, Lina and Yako began pulling the box in opposite directions, fighting for what they thought was at least a small portion of dragon cuisine. The cardboard box broke apart and the item it contained fell to the sandy ground. It was a framed autograph of Miku Hatsune. Lina and Yako stared at the item and agonizingly declared in perfect unison, "this isn't edible!" 

Neuro, who had been watching quietly from a short distance away, approached. "Such delicious frustration!" He mocked. "In truth, the one that spread the dragon cuisine rumor was me. It was all a joke and you fell for it! Though it was originally only meant as a trap for Yako, I ended up with a double snack." 

"Neuro, you're so cruel!" Yako complained. 

Lina glared and pretty soon she seemed to be emanating Neuro's favorite food, murderous intent. She didn't care if black magic wasn't ideal to use against a monster, she didn't care if her violent nature empowered him; she needed to let out her tensions in the one way she knew how. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows. Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows." 

"Since the Stillness retreated, Shabranigdu's power should be usable for now." Sylphiel reasoned, realizing in just how much danger they were. "Maybe we should give her some space." 

"I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hands," Lina continued. 

"That is a secret," Gourry agreed. 

"It's no secret that we really need to retreat," Yako urged. 

"Ray Wing!" Sylphiel quickly transported herself, Gourry and Yako to a safe distance. 

"Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed, by the power you and I possess." As Lina came close to finishing her spell, meal of aggression aside, Neuro decided that it was time to retreat. "Dragon Slave!" A large explosion overtook the beach, yet it wasn't as large as it should be. Lina could feel it, the remaining pieces of Shabranigdu were holding back, retreating away from something, but why? The Stillness had hidden itself completely, had it not? Unless a part of the Stillness remained outside of the enclosed astral space that surrounded Lamentation. Had the Void separated from it? If that was the case, then a fragment of the Stillness was hidden somewhere in the world, waiting to strike. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After the tidal wave had come and Filia realized she was being blamed for it, though she was fairly certain that it wasn't her fault, the upset golden dragon had hastily flown away from the beach. Eventually, she had stopped rushing endlessly away and allowed Xellos to teleport her. He had thought it was kind of funny how she went from chasing him with violent intentions to flying away in an emotional outburst of offense at the crowds' unfair accusations. 

Once in Seyruun, Filia insisted on waiting for Xellos to go away before hiding herself and changing back into her elf form. Xellos perceived that there was an additional layer of worry beyond her usual modesty. It made him wonder what that was about. He waited for a while, floating above the shop, then let himself into her room via the window. Filia was laying on her bed, resting but awake with a swirl of emotions going through her. 

Filia felt many things very intensely at the same time. Uncertainty, worry, confusion, frustration, heartbreak and even hope, yet it was all somehow so unknown, so fluctuating. What in the world could be going through her head? Very quiet and sneaky, Xellos made his way closer to Filia, standing behind her as she lay on her side, her eyes closed. She could sense him behind her, but she didn't show any signs of it right away. The seconds ticked away and finally, Filia rolled over so that she lay on her back, looking up at Xellos who was leaning over her with perplexed curiosity. "What do you want, raw garbage?" She fought to keep her voice steady. She needed to talk to someone who knew how to inform her, yet she was so tired, she didn't have the will to do it right away. 

"Just curious, stupid dragon," Xellos admitted. "To what do I owe this feast of mostly negative emotions?" He waited for an answer that never came. Instead she sat up and with the motion she removed the hand that had been lightly resting on her stomach subconsciously. She didn't notice it right away, but he did. "That..." he pointed, unsure of if his eyes were playing a trick on him. The sun had set, shrouding the room in darkness, making even the faintest light more noticeable. 

Filia looked down at her stomach. The fabric of the robe-like nightgown she had changed into was pretty thin. She had been careless. She immediately turned away and got up, her back to Xellos. "What?" Her voice cracked. 

"Is that? Are you?" He walked around her, but she kept turning, refusing to face him. "Stay still!" Xellos grabbed the waist band that held the pale pink nightgown closed and pulled it off. 

"Xellos!" Filia screeched, holding the thin pink garment closed with her hands. "Give that back, you piece of raw garbage!" She snatched the waist band back with one hand, still holding her clothing closed with the other. 

"Answer me!" Xellos demanded with his eyes open, piercing... Angry? 

Filia shuddered at the mix of disapproval and anger in his voice. Then she resolved to be firm. "This is none of your business! So what if I am?" Admitting it aloud for the first time shook Filia to her very core. Her arms fell motionless on her sides, as if her strength left her with the direct acknowledgement of the truth. The pink waistband slipped out of her fingers and fell to the floor. "So what if I am?" Her voice had lost the forced fire it held seconds prior. "So what?" She sobbed quietly, almost imperceptibly. "It's none of your business." 

Xellos looked at Filia's exposed abdomen, placing his hand on the faint glow of light. "Your belly is still flat, your dragon hide won't permit the light to be visible and in this form if you wear thick fabric, no one will notice, he observed." He remembered her little outburst at the beach and her necessity to cover her midsection. Yet there it was, the unmistakable glow of a growing egg inside her body. He removed his hand as if it had been burned, not even bothering to take note of the fact that she had not immediately slapped it away. "You're right, this is none of my business." There was a bitterness that seemed very unfitting for a creature so cheerful as Xellos as he faded away to the astral side. 

"Xellos, wait!" Filia called to him in agony. What was she supposed to say, what was she supposed to do? She couldn't explain this even to herself. She held no memories of how this situation came to be. The father of her child, where was he? Who was he? Why wasn't he there with her? She fingered the amethyst ring she always wore. If she had loved him so much, enough to let things go that far, then why couldn't she remember him? 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Later, Milgazia landed at Dragon's Peak and went straight home. He changed into his human shape, gave Justice some food and changed his water, then proceeded to rummage through his tea leaf supplies. He found an opened package with a note in Memphis' handwriting. "A package with tea leaves arrived while you were away. They smelled good, so I took the liberty to have some and shared them with Phythan and Kirei, since Onyx doesn't really like tea. I hope you don't mind." 

Phythan's internship had ended and he and Onyx had recently come to Dragon's Peak where Milgazia let them stay. The white dragon, Kirei, had come seeking his help for revenge, though Milgazia had mostly persuaded her to stop her plans, albeit he suspected she wasn't quite convinced. Milgazia examined the remaining tea leaves in the mysterious package that a certain someone had decided to send after all and his eyes grew wide with recognition. He hurried to find Memphis and most of all Phythan and Kirei. 

Rushing out to the mountains, he spotted a campfire with three people sitting around it. "Don't drink that!" He called out as Kirei was about to lift a cup to her mouth. 

The white dragon froze and Memphis blinked, "I didn't think you'd mind," the elf apologized. "Sorry to have taken the tea leaves without asking." 

"Has anyone drank any of this tea?" Milgazia urgently asked. 

"I have not drank any yet," Kirei responded. "But Phythan has. Does it perhaps, produce sleep? He's been out cold for a while now." 

"He drank quite a bit of tea too," Memphis voiced. "He liked it so much that I told him to go ahead and finish the first batch. Kirei was out training, so I decided to wait for her before having some tea myself. So far the only one who has tried it is Phythan." 

Milgazia shook his head, already feeling sorry for Phythan. "He's going to be sick when he wakes up." 

"You mean, the tea is harmful?" Memphis asked in shock. 

"You can't trust mysterious packages," Milgazia lectured sternly. "If I were to take a guess, I would say this is from Zelas. These tea leaves, I thought they were extinct. It seems that they flourished again when the Earth was restored with chaotic energy." Of course, none of the younger people present would know of such tea leaves that had not been seen for over a thousand years. "This tea is actually pretty nutritious for a dragon woman who is with child, but no one else should take it." 

Memphis' face contorted with worry and guilt. "Is it poisonous to dragon males?" 

"Yes, but it's not fatal," Milgazia explained. "He'll just be sick and in pain for a few days, depending on how much tea he drank. This tea can produce strange dreams in anyone who drinks it. That is as far as its effects go in most living creatures, except dragons. With dragons it is poisonous to males, healthy for pregnant females and has a very peculiar effect on females who are not expecting." 

"Really?" Kirei asked in curiosity, glad that she had not tried any of the tea yet. "What does it do?" 

"An empty egg," Milgazia revealed. "A collection of nutrients and such that looks like an egg but has nothing inside." 

"That would be pretty odd," Kirei observed. Laying an empty egg with tea leaves as the father? That would be very odd indeed. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, at Wolf Pack Island... "You seem upset, Xellos." Zelas commented as she watched her favorite minion pace about the hallways of her secret palace. 

Xellos put on a mask of a sugary smile for his master and tried to act natural. "I am perfectly fine, Lord Beast Master. I'm ready to serve you in any way you require." 

"I'm sure," Zelas acknowledged with little pause. "But I must insist that you tell me what is bothering you," she pried with mild curiosity. "What has my favorite general priest so upset?" 

"I'm your only general priest," Xellos pointed out with a forced overly cheerful smile. 

"Don't change the subject," Zelas smiled very much like Xellos. Her usually open stunning eyes were now closed in the same fashion as his usually were. 

Xellos' eyes opened. Zelas only closed her eyes like that when she was indulging in a moment of extreme silliness or when she was holding back a considerable deal of impatience. He knew he better get out with it. "It's nothing really, a detail of no importance. That ancient dragon is going to have a little sibling, that is all." 

"Oh?" Zelas let out a light melodious laugh quite different from the full power of her roaring and howling laughter. "So your pet is expecting?" She feigned surprise so well that Xellos believed she was only now finding out about this. "You'll have another little pet then, how nice. What are you going to name it?" 

Xellos closed his eyes again and grinned like he always did. "Kooky if it's a boy and Kootie Pie if it's a girl." 

"Such fitting names," Zelas chuckled. "Do let me know when the little one arrives; I'm curious to see it." 

"Why waste your precious time with such a hideous sight?" Xellos was still smiling in the same superficial way. "A baby dragon of all things is not worthy of being in your magnificent presence." 

"I'm sure it's not," Zelas agreed with an amused nod. "However, I'm still curious and I want to see it. In fact, you are to bring the egg to me as soon as it comes." 

"Oh..." Xellos' expression slightly fell, but he quickly recovered again. This wasn't a joke from Beast Master, nor was it a request. It was an order and Xellos knew that he had to follow it. "As you wish," he finally voiced. 

"Naturally," Zelas agreed with a wide grin. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

After her conversation with Xellos, Zelas teleported to the rebuilt rickety wooden clock tower at the Amor Resort Island. The tower was surrounded by a thick forest that was not plastic this time around, as it had grown back following the apparent recovery of the world. Tiffany and Celo were there, him busily tinkering with machines and her making tea. She was under the effects of a visual illusion spell to look like her normal self. "Lord Beast Master, welcome to our humble home. Would you like some tea?" Tiffany offered. 

"Why yes, thank you very much," Zelas replied with a mocking tone of superior politeness. 

"To what do we owe the honor of your visit, Lord Beast Master?" Celo curiously inquired, while he, Zelas and Tiffany sat down around a table, where the golden dragon was serving tea. 

"Just a casual visit," Zelas picked up her tea cup and took a sip. She set the tea cup down gently while Tiffany went to fetch some cookies. "How is the little resident of the jar doing?" 

"He is alright, or as well as one confined to a jar could be." Celo smiled respectfully. He was talking about Solex, who had been preserved in a jar using knowledge originally discovered by Rezo. 

"I see," Zelas noted, her eyes traveling to the plate full of brown chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips that Tiffany had brought over. The monster lord took a cookie and ate it. After a pause following the action she informed. "The vessel is being prepared, or a portion of it, I should say." 

"That is good to hear," Celo quietly rejoiced with well practiced respect. "After that part of the vessel is ready, it should only be a matter of inserting a sample of General Xellos' energy into it and having the soul of Solex possess it, integrating itself into the new vessel." 

"Realistically speaking, what is the probability of a successful salvage of Xellos' minion?" Zelas inquired, taking another sip of her tea following the question. 

"It is difficult to say," Celo respectfully ascertained. "The chaotic energy in the atmosphere could be very good or very bad for our purpose. It is true that it pushed Solex to come undone faster before, but it may have a stabilizing effect this time. It is wonderfully unpredictable," Celo smiled with true bliss. 

"Yes," Zelas nodded and took another cookie. "Chaos is wonderful indeed." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

It was morning bright and early in Seyruun when Filia considered requesting to speak with Jillas and Gravos, but decided against it. She felt odd and somewhat ashamed not to remember her lover and didn't actually address the situation directly. It was as if she was trying to convince herself, for the purpose of reassuring herself that she had not made a grave mistake, that she did in fact love that mystery man. She wanted to remember him of her own accord. The egg would not be due to be laid for a while and it would be an additional stretch of time before it hatched. Thus she could give herself until then to get her hidden memories to emerge completely before she asked directly. 

Deciding that she needed to clear her head and a change of scene would be right for that, Filia decided to fly to Dragon's Peak. After taking care to make sure that everything was running smoothly at home, she took off on her own. She wasn't even sure herself why she was going to such a place, possibly simply because it was different. Though Milgazia and Memphis were kind to her, the Water Clan was still a little nervous around her, though less so than in the past. Even so, she needed to be in an environment that was essentially different from her usual life as of late. Maybe she could have some tea in the mountains and relax. 

Secretly, deep down Filia wondered if perhaps Milgazia knew the father of her child. Albeit she did not remember being so close in such a way to another dragon, logic and reason dictated that the father had to be a dragon, or else it would be a biological impossibility. The world might be somewhat chaotic, but not that chaotic. Just as Xellos had pointed out, though the thought of the purple haired monster sent waves of pain through her body at the moment, Filia knew that as long as her clothing was thick enough to hide the faint glow in her belly, no one would notice it. 

Filia was well received in Dragon's Peak, having landed near Milgazia's house. She learned from Memphis that Phythan was ill to the point of being bedridden and that a white dragon by the name of Kirei was taking care of him. The name did not settle well with Filia, but she forced herself not to show any outward reactions, instead making a quiet mental note to check on them. 

Milgazia wasn't in the best state of health either, albeit it was for entirely different reasons as Phythan. He had hastily flown back to Dragon's Peak after the beach incident while he was still sopping wet with sea water. The flight had certainly dried him off by the time he got home, but the cool evening air made him catch a cold. The golden dragons, known by many as the dragon lords because of their exceptional abilities, were certainly a powerful race, but not even they were safe from the perils of the common cold. Even so, Milgazia wasn't one to let a cold knock him out of commission, thus he received his visitor and did his part to entertain her as well as he could. 

To be Continued


	48. Chapter 48

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 142: Resignation! The Convenience of Burning Bridges

At Wolf Pack Island, little Fili jumped onto Xellos' bed where her master was among purple cushions. She jumped on him and licked his face. He petted her and offered. "How about I rename you Kiri? Filia might be pissed off." Not sure how to react, the puppy let out a little whimpering sound of protest. Xellos sat up and picked up his bag, which he had tossed aside earlier. He removed the dragon Filia doll keychain from it and conjured a small flame in his hand, watching the item burn to ashes. 

Fili whimpered some more, she didn't like the sour mood that her master had been in, even if he didn't demonstrate it towards her. Xellos picked up the cub off his lap and placed her on the bed. He got up, putting his bag back on and picked up his staff. He swiftly exited his chambers and went to find Beast Master with an idea in mind. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Lord Beast Master?" Zelas knew that tone of voice, she recognized it immediately. That was the tone that Xellos took on when he wanted to do something for fun. 

Perhaps she would humor him this time. He approached her while she was in the garden surrounded by her wolves. "What is it, Xellos?" 

"Today I really feel like having some dragon cuisine. May I request some of your delicious cooking?" Xellos grinned. "I even offer to help prepare it." 

Zelas shook her head lightly, scolding without any real annoyance. "We've been over this, you're not allowed in my personal kitchen. But I suppose you could help find the ingredients. The earth has produced many spices thought to be extinct and though the outburst of fertility seems to be slowly running out again, we can still stock up. Perhaps I should send you in such an errand, since there is nothing for you to do at the moment that requires proper use of your abilities." 

"I would gladly overtake any task you assign to me." Xellos offered, with the hint of a coming addition soon to be attached to his remark, not a condition, as he couldn't set those, but a request. "Although, I may not be familiar with all the spices and such, even with my amazing culinary skill," which he was still convinced he had, no matter how many times it was clearly proven otherwise. "Perhaps it would be best if you came with me." 

"Perhaps," Zelas agreed and Xellos grinned. 

Xellos mused that he could blow off some steam, not that he had any real reason to be upset as far as his consciously accepted thought process went, get a good meal and maybe manage to piss off Milgazia. Then that would contribute to the progress of making him and Zelas break up. Although Lina had sent Jarde over with a message claiming her dragon cuisine reward, Xellos had refused her demands. She didn't help his mission at the beach, so he didn't want to reward her. He would have to watch his back the next time he ran into Lina, who had responded in turn with a rather violent sounding letter expressing her frustrations and claiming more credit than Xellos thought she deserved for that particular occasion. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A great dark power surrounded Xellos as he allowed Zelas to teleport him away to an unknown location. When they reappeared, he recognized his surroundings as Dragon's Peak. Several dragons ran away in fright while others glared, ready to defend their clan, but they mostly, didn't make too much of a fuss. Though they didn't fully understand, and really who could? The relationship of brass rackets partnership that their valiant leader held with the monster lord, they didn't think that her presence was necessarily for the purpose of destruction. Maybe she was there for more of those odd diplomatic negotiations with Milgazia that the Water Clan assumed must be taking place during some of their time together. 

"Why are we here?" Xellos complained, obviously not pleased with his location. He wanted to keep Zelas away from Milgazia at least for the day and there she went teleporting them to his place of residence. 

"For spices, of course, it is said there are some rare ones that only grow in these mountains." Zelas explained in a calm, matter of fact, kind of tone. 

Milgazia had approached on time to hear Zelas statement. He inquired with suspicion, "is that the only reason why you're here?" He did a fine effort to hide the flu that afflicted him, not wanting to show any signs of weakness to the monsters. 

Xellos' frown deepened as he foolishly cut in before Zelas could reply, "yes, we're here for spices, we're not here to see you!" 

Milgazia observed his behavior; Xellos was never this snappish in the past. "If that is the case, then I will give you the spices so you can be on your way." The golden dragon elder addressed Xellos, as he had been the one to speak directly to him. 

Xellos interpreted Milgazia's reply as an attempt to get rid of him. There was no way he was going to run home with the spices while Zelas remained in Dragon's Peak with that... that... that very infuriating dragon. Xellos firmly planted his feet on the ground in emphasis, "I'm not going anywhere." The purple haired monster pouted. 

Finding the behavior to be very peculiar, Milgazia nodded, "very well. As long as you do not cause trouble, you may stand there for as long as you wish." 

Xellos crossed his arms stubbornly, "I will." 

Zelas let out a breath that combined exasperation and amusement in a single expression, if that was even possible. "Your pet is rubbing off on you. I'm not sure if I like it." 

Xellos' firm stance wavered. He did not want to be compared to Filia. "Not at all, Lord Beast Master, I am nothing like her." 

"Of course not," Zelas nodded with a somewhat mocking expression. "Well, while you stand there, I shall go find the spices. Milgazia which spices do you think-" would taste better with dragon cuisine? Zelas was about to tease before she was interrupted. 

Not wanting to leave them alone, Xellos moved from the spot that he claimed he would not move from and hurried to stand between Zelas and Milgazia. "I'll come with you." 

"Xellos," Filia's voice as she approached the other three, made them pause. She froze a few feet away from them. She wasn't expecting to see Xellos, very much less Zelas at Dragon's Peak. She assumed that it was Milgazia who always visited Wolf Pack Island and that Zelas' presence at Dragon's Peak would be rare at most. She didn't expect to coincidentally run into her or Xellos. She didn't like the way she parted with Xellos and wanted to do something about it, but she didn't know what. Filia had to have a word with him though, she didn't like having him mad at her like that, she couldn't stand it. "Can I talk to you?" 

"No," Xellos replied. 

Sensing the overload of emotional drama coming from Filia, Zelas proceeded to override the answer with a hungry, "yes." Maybe then she would get even more of a meal from the upset Filia. 

Xellos frowned. His own master was trying to get rid of him so she could be alone with her lover. Oh how terrible! "You too, Lord Beast Master?" 

"Nah, I can still feed on her misery even from a little further away." As a powerful monster lord, Zelas had a pretty good range for such things, better than regular monsters. "I'll get started on picking those spices," Zelas decided. Filia would just hold back on her emotional outbursts if she remained in earshot. "Milgazia-" 

"Have a great time looking for spices Lord Beast Master!" Xellos interrupted with an overload of cheer. "We'll be waiting right here so as to not break your concentration. A culinary genius such as yourself needs no interruptions!" 

"That is very true," Zelas agreed, again caught between annoyance and amusement. Milgazia and Filia both realized she was referring to Xellos' interruption, though if the purple haired monster noticed, he showed no indication. 

"Would you just let them go?" Filia snapped. She knew why Xellos would want to keep Zelas and Milgazia away from each other and honestly, she wanted to do the same. Yet this time, there were things far more important to her than the mission. "Zelas wants spices and Milgazia knows this area so he can tell her where they are, that's all there is to it. Quit stalling, you piece of raw garbage!" 

Zelas chuckled, tasting the pain and fear that emanated from Filia. "Well, Milgazia, it seems our presence here is not wanted." She grinned in amusement. 

Milgazia didn't know what kind of relationship troubles Filia and Xellos were having, but she certainly seemed eager to talk to him, albeit he did not. Perhaps it would be best to give them some space and talk to Filia later. "Right, let's go." 

Xellos glared metaphorical poison covered, not daggers, but swords, at Filia as he watched Zelas and Milgazia walk away. They walked at a diplomatic and impersonal distance from each other, like two people who happened to be coincidentally heading in the same direction but were not walking together. Even so, Xellos shuddered to think about what kind of activities they would engage in behind some rock as soon as they were out of sight. "You're making things difficult, are you satisfied, Filia?" 

The way Xellos spat out her name like venom made her quiver with a strong sense of agony. She actually wished he would call her stupid dragon in that mockingly cheerful, playful tone of his. "I need to talk to you." She reiterated, though she still did not know what to say. 

"So?" Xellos urged impatiently. "Talk to me, get your useless jabbering done and over with." 

Filia lowered her head, terribly frustrated by her own lack of words. "I'm sorry; I don't want you to be angry at me. I don't want things to change. You annoy me, you drive me crazy, but... somehow... I..." 

"You what?" Xellos prompted neutrally. 

"Miss Filia, Mr. Xellos!" Amelia's cheerful voice greeted them. The princess approached with her beloved chimera following her closely. They had no idea what they had interrupted; in fact they didn't even realize they were interrupting anything at all. 

Realizing that she wasn't quite ready for this, Filia took the opportunity to buy more time with real curiosity. "Amelia, Zelgadis, when did you get here?" 

"A few minutes ago, Mr. Fang helped with the transportation. He was kind of bored, so he came to hang out with us. He got permission from Zelas first, of course," Amelia explained. Albeit Filia did not clearly remember who Fang was, a vague recollection surfaced in her memories at the mention of the name. Xellos of course, knew who Fang was, as he had known him for a very long time, well before the period hidden from him by amnesia. "I'm so glad you're here," the princess took Filia and Xellos' hands on each of hers. "Let us be comrades for this fine endeavor!" She shook their hands dramatically and elegantly, then let them go. 

"What fine endeavor?" Xellos inquired, not sure if he really wanted to know. The last thing he needed was an extra dose of opposition to his quest to restore sanity to his life. Surely, just as it had happened at the beach, Amelia would be adamantly opposed to any plans involving any sort of relationship sabotage strategies. 

Zelgadis let out an imperceptibly quiet breath and made a face that communicated 'please humor her.' 

"Let me explain," Amelia began. "Recently, Miss Onyx received an invitation to live in an elf village. A reputable family has decided, after learning of her story, that they wished to welcome her into their household and help her to live a peaceful life. Miss Onyx told them she would think about it and has actually decided to go live with them!" Amelia vigorously declared, as if the choice signified a major turning point in the climax of a cheesy overly dramatic novel. 

"That's good?" Filia commented unsure. Amelia's tone didn't make it sound like the choice was favorable, but it didn't sound like a bad thing at all. Though still blurry, Filia also felt a recollection of who Onyx was, surfacing in her memories. Xellos remained clueless, assuming this Onyx was one of Amelia's friends or perhaps an acquaintance of most of Lina's traveling companions, who had joined them for their latest adventure, the one he couldn't remember. 

"It would be if it were that simple," Amelia elaborated. "But it's not," the energetic Seyruun princess sighed with concern. "Miss Onyx is giving up on Mr. Phythan. She told me herself that she has no intentions of pursuing him. That is the real reason why she's leaving. We need to do something! We have to make sure she considers this carefully before making a choice that she will terribly regret!" 

"I have no interest in playing matchmaker." Xellos pointed out with his usual painted grin and squinty eyes. At the same time, Filia tried to remember who Phythan was. A golden dragon, naive, innocent, lacking in modesty, a younger brother figure. 

"That's not what I had in mind," Amelia clarified. "I just need someone to help me talk to Miss Onyx. She can be very shy and quiet at times. Actually, I was only going to ask for Miss Filia's assistance, as it would probably be more comfortable for her if it's just us girls. Will you come with me, Miss Filia?" 

Filia couldn't wait to fix things with Xellos, if there was any way to restore the chaotic link that they had. Yet she wasn't ready, she was too confused, too mixed up, too lacking in information. "Yes," Filia quickly offered to go with Amelia and the two young women left. 

A dull moment of silence passed between Zelgadis and Xellos after Amelia and Filia were gone. The quietude lasted until the chimera inquired half detached and half... concerned? "Everything okay?" 

Xellos tilted his head in curiosity. There was that clear air of detachment around Zelgadis as he asked a question that he shouldn't be bothered asking in the first place. Yet there was also something that tasted of concern, but by the laws of logic couldn't possibly be. "Peachy," the purple haired monster answered sarcastically. 

"I see," Zelgadis caught the obvious sarcasm and interpreted it as an unwillingness to share information. Aside from the while drama involving Zelas and Milgazia, Xellos seemed to have his own personal problems to deal with concerning Filia, albeit Zelgadis had no clue about what they could be. Addressing the topic about Zelas and Milgazia, Zelgadis honestly stated, "don't you think you're being hypocritical?" 

Xellos raised a curious eyebrow. "About what?" He didn't know where Zelgadis could be going with any of this or why the chimera was even talking to him without bitterness, it was confusing. Actually, it seemed that the general attitude of Lina's traveling companions towards him had improved somehow. It had to be due to the events that he couldn't remember, Xellos logically concluded, and it made him even more curious to remember them. Even so, Beast Master had given him a sufficiently functional summary and he didn't want to trouble her for more information if she didn't deem it necessary to share it in the first place. The happenings were no secret though; he could just ask someone else... maybe. 

"Zelas and Milgazia," Zelgadis replied. "I mean, you're with Filia aren't you? You're a monster and she's a dragon so-" 

"I'm not with Filia," Xellos interrupted. He had been doing a lot of interrupting people in the middle of their sentences lately. "She was a pet and she still is a reliable source of food, but that's all there is to it. Amelia's naivete must be rubbing off on you if you would seriously consider such a thought." 

'They're definitely having a spat,' Zelgadis quietly mused. 

"Besides, Filia has that dragon," the identity of the non-existent dragon in question was a mystery to Xellos. Addressing the look of confused curiosity on the chimera's distinctively non-hostile face, Xellos elaborated. "She's expecting a child." 

"What?" Zelgadis exclaimed, much louder than he meant to. "Filia is... is... she's pregnant? From another dragon?" 

"Naturally," Xellos spat sarcastically. "If she's pregnant it has to be from a dragon, as that is what biology dictates." 

"Oh..." Zelgadis frowned. 

What was that which the chimera was feeling? Pity? Compassion? The taste made no sense to Xellos. He considered being offended, as he did not particularly like being pitied, but he was far too perplexed for that. "Aren't you supposed to hate me?" He asked with true puzzlement. 

"Not particularly," Zelgadis stated naturally, the statement showing no signs what so ever of being in any way forced. 

"Are you going to tell me that you don't hate anyone?" Xellos recalled Filia saying that in the past. 

"No," Zelgadis truthfully replied. 

"Who do you hate then?" Xellos tried to upset Zelgadis, to reach some familiar ground. "Rezo?" 

"No," Zelgadis replied sincerely. "I hated Rezo and I hated you," he truthfully explained. "But I don't anymore. I've come to terms with Rezo, he was influenced by Shabranigdu and a lot of things happened because of that. As for you, I guess I found any hatred I might have had for you to be useless. I grew out of it, I suppose. I still don't like you very much, but..." 

"But you don't hate me, enough to show... concern?" Xellos inquired and Zelgadis nodded. Xellos chuckled, then laughed, loud and clear. "The world really has been turned upside-down; I wish I knew what exactly I've been missing!" Zelgadis wasn't sure how to reply to that, so he remained silent. Still chuckling, Xellos commented in a teasing tone, "the princess' stubborn hope and positive attitude really is rubbing off on you. Who knows what other aspects of her are too." 

Catching the hidden meaning of the comment, Zelgadis' face turned crimson. "I will not allow you to say things like that!" With a mocking laugh, Xellos stuck out his tongue and disappeared, fading away into the astral side. Zelgadis crossed his arms and huffed. For someone who just got dumped by his wife, Xellos was handling things relatively well. Still, he had trouble believing the whole thing about Filia being pregnant. Maybe that had been something she had said in anger during one of their arguments and wasn't actually true. Though he feared he would release Amelia's dramatic spirit further if he shared this information with her, Zelgadis still felt like he should. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

In another area of Dragon's Peak, Amelia and Filia approached an elf girl sitting by herself, writing something in a notebook. Onyx looked at the approaching people from the corner of her eyes, assuming they would simply pass by. When they sat down in the shade of the mountain-side in a circle alongside her, the elf finally looked up with a short quiet greeting. "Hello..." 

"Hi!" Amelia greeted with energy and determination. 

"Hi..." Filia added in thought. After actually seeing Onyx, a few more stray recollections of her emerged in Filia's mind. Onyx no longer dressed like Xellos, as she had no reason to do so, though her clothing still had the same shades of black and blue that she favored before and a generally similar style to her past attire. 

Without further ado, Amelia addressed the issue at hand. "We're here to talk about Mr. Phythan. You shouldn't so easily give up on him!" 

With a voice of detached monotone, Onyx calmly declared, "he is of little benefit to me." 

"He could be your true love!" Amelia insisted. 

"You do not understand," Onyx calmly reflected aloud, as if reaching an undeniable conclusion. Before Amelia could protest, she continued. "I will explain this only once." The elf's statement made the princess fall silent as she listened. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 143: Chaotic! Cheesy Novel Plot Twists

Filia and Amelia were sitting in the shade of the mountain-side at Dragon's Peak with Onyx, who seemed set in putting an end to their interference. "I am... not strong after all." Onyx admitted. "I have been carried by circumstance my whole life and only ever took action when I was pushed to the extreme. I'm not very strong willed. Living with the elves will be good for me, they are very kind, they'll keep me happy and safe." 

"So would the Water Dragon Clan," Amelia pointed out. "But if you want to live with the elves, that's fine. I just don't know why you have to cut your ties with Mr. Phythan too." 

"I'm a selfish creature, if I am safe and entertained, that is enough," Onyx voiced with the same sense of detachment that she often showed. "Phythan is energetic, cheerful and naive; Kirei can take care of him. I do not wish for these complications. In the Water Clan I would be treated as a member, but with those elves, they would treat me like a princess and I would live luxuriously. The happenings of daily life bore me; I feel only when the emotion is extreme, yet that does not always lead to good results when it's even possible. I will be happier if I go." 

Amelia frowned, "you think he's too troublesome? Not worth it?" The princess shook her head. "No, you still don't believe you're good enough for him, even if he thinks you're amazing! A little competition and you run away? Miss Onyx, don't give up, the bond you share with Mr. Phythan is stronger than this!" 

"I am such a pitifully idle creature driven by circumstance..." Onyx breathed monotonously. 

"Then don't let that go on! Take control of your life!" Amelia encouraged. " 

"It is not worth it," Onyx closed her eyes serenely. "This is not your concern. I merely get in the way with my lack of interest in such matters." 

"Circumstance..." Filia mused quietly. Her memories were blurry, but she had something to say. "It doesn't matter, regardless of what happened, what didn't happen, what could have happened and what might happen, there are things stronger than that. No matter what, because of who you are, there are things that come from you, regardless of what else is going on. It might be easy, it might be hard, it might even seem close to impossible, completely illogical and frustratingly confusing, but if it is your heart's true desire, somehow, you'll always end up chasing it no matter what the conditions. It's not a mere circumstance, it's more powerful than convenience, it's... it's... it's what you want, isn't it?" 

Onyx nodded, "the rush of the moment can only keep me in motion for so long. I don't have the momentum you do. I suppose, if I make a mess of things, I can try to fix it later, or just ignore it and move on even without fixing it..." 

It didn't exactly sound cheerful but Amelia seemed to read deeply enough into the answer to smile in response. "Go for it, Miss Onyx!" 

xoxox xox xoxox 

In another area of Dragon's Peak, Zelas approached Xellos. "Are you done playing around here. Let's move on with our shopping." From a few feet away, Milgazia watched them making sure they didn't cause trouble during their hopefully short visit. 

"I can't wait to leave, this place stinks terribly of dragon," Xellos grinned mockingly. 

"Wait!" Filia dashed down the mountain path towards the monster lord and the general priest. "Xellos, I need to finish talking to you. I think I can now." 

"Too bad, because I'm already leaving," Xellos' cheerful expression stayed intact. 

"Let her tag along," Zelas suggested. "She can help carry the grocery bags like a good little pack mule." The monster grinned with mocking superiority. 

While Milgazia shook his head in disapproval, unseen by the others whose collective attention was on Filia, she considered the option. Finally, Filia accepted the terms, "alright, I'll tag along and help carry the bags." Then maybe at some point Zelas would leave her alone with Xellos and they could finish their interrupted conversation. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Filia spent most of the day from that point on following Zelas around as she hunted rare spices and examined food products. The tired golden dragon set aside the multitude of grocery bags she carried and glared at Xellos for not helping her. He was casually leaning against a wall at a human town marketplace licking an oversized purple lollipop. Not too far away, Zelas was standing in front of a vegetable booth, engrossed in the task of critically poking tomatoes, much to the shopkeeper's annoyance. 

Filia remembered when Xellos obtained the large purple sugary treat not too long ago. He had been making a clear point out of ignoring Filia by constantly talking to Zelas and pointing out random things to her. The golden dragon was reminded of a particularly hyper little boy on his first trip to a large marketplace with his mother. Just as Filia became fed up with being ignored, Beast Master became fed up with her general's constant chatter and shoved a lollipop into his mouth with the sweet yet grave order of "take this and shut up." 

The sides of Xellos' face had stretched to accommodate the lollipop that shouldn't have fit through his mouth in the first place. Filia found herself thinking for a moment that having an astral body that could defy the laws of physics could be quite comical in certain situations such as this. The shop keeper of the candy booth was too shocked to say anything as the elegant lady, the physics defying purple haired man and the person under the mountain of grocery bags continued walking down the street without even paying for the candy. 

Now in a whole different area of the marketplace, Filia decided to try to address the matters she had been trying to discuss again. "Xellos, I've been thinking-" The message that Filia was trying to communicate was interrupted when Zelas shoved a bag of tomatoes into Filia's hands. With the monster lord ready to go off to their next stop and Xellos determined to keep his full attention on his giant lollipop, Filia would have a hard time getting any form of message to reach him. 

Finally, the time came for the main ingredient and at that point, Filia, realizing that Zelas did not change into her true form just for show, but rather to hunt, decided it was time to leave. Upset, she set the grocery bags down in front of Xellos, stole his half consumed lollipop and threw it on the ground, changed into her dragon form not caring that he was watching, stomped on the purple candy, then flew away. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The days passed by and the time came for Amelia, who had along with Zelgadis, returned to Seyruun, to stop lightly hinting for Filia to say something and instead address the situation directly. As for Filia, her thoughts were in such turmoil she couldn't even react to them and tried to carry on as normally as she could. It was a calm afternoon when Amelia, who had been informed about the supposed situation by Zelgadis, decided to call Filia over to the castle for tea. 

Coincidentally, Milgazia happened to pass by, arriving with a fruit basket for Filia when she was on her way to the castle. Amelia and Zelgadis had been in the gardens as the two golden dragons approached. Still out of their hearing range, Filia inquired about the occasion of the gift. 

Milgazia, who had gotten over his cold, explained. "Xellos showed up the other day asking me if I knew about your condition. When I realized I didn't know what he was talking about he left, just as suddenly and inexplicably as he came. I thought about it and came to a conclusion." Filia held her breath as Milgazia continued. "I thought I must have given you my cold." 

Filia let out the breath she had been holding without realizing it. Her nervous then very relieved reaction stood out strangely to Milgazia, but he didn't comment on it. They had continued walking past the castle gates as they talked and were now in earshot of the pair who was, unknown to them, near by in the royal gardens. "So you've come to take responsibility for my condition?" Filia smiled, glad that this was just about a common cold misunderstanding. Unknown to her, Amelia and Zelgadis, who had seen them and were walking over, stopped cold with shocked expressions. 

Noting that she appeared to be in good health, Milgazia observed. "I was rather late it seems." 

"It's alright," Filia smiled in a friendly way. "I appreciate it all the same, thanks for taking care of me." She finally saw Amelia and Zelgadis, who were as still as statues and deadly pale. "Are you alright?" 

Amelia and Zelgadis looked at each other and nodded for the sake of saving face after having heard something that they were not supposed hear. The chimera occupied himself in giving Milgazia a critical glare of disapproval that the golden dragon elder did not understand, while Amelia led them to the tea room and tried to act natural. This was a fine mess; the princess would have never expected such things from the ever serious Milgazia. 'You can never tell with those diplomatic types,' Amelia mused, her spirit of justice infuriated. 

The tea social call went by relatively uneventful. Amelia had planned to talk to Filia alone, but with Milgazia there, that wouldn't be possible. Plus the drama was much more twisted than she thought and the princess wasn't sure how to handle it without causing those involved more heartache. Although she was bursting with the need to reveal the whole situation like the climatic plot twist of a cheesy romance novel, she held back. Contingency measures had to be taken, though as far as Amelia and Zelgadis could interpret there would be little in the way to preserve Milgazia alive when Zelas caught wind of this. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

It was evening some time later in Wolf Pack Island when Zelas slightly tilted her head upward and informed, "your pet is here." 

Xellos looked up from his task of brushing Fang's fur, sitting cross-legged at the foot of Beast Master's throne with the fox monster on his lap. "Filia?" 

"Do you have any other pet dragons?" Beast Master inquired with a mix of curiosity and slight amusement. After a small pause, she offered. "If you wish to inquire information of me in regards to the specifics of her condition, you may." 

Xellos considered it, then finally concluded. "It is none of my business, unless it involves a task you wish to assign to me of course." 

"Not really, not yet at least." Beast Master voiced as if it were a subject of very little importance. "I don't want her to fly around in circles out there trying to enter Wolf Pack Island all night though. Do get rid of her, you may use any method of your choosing." 

"Right away, Lord Beast Master," Xellos teleported away and Fang whimpered because the pleasant brushing of his fur ceased. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos reappeared on the surface of Wolf Pack Island. The location below seemed ghostly as if it was there but at the same time it wasn't, as it was protected by an astral shield set to only be partially perceivable at the moment. "What are you doing here, stupid dragon?" 

Filia was actually glad to hear the familiar insult that was more of a nickname to her now. She was in her dragon form after having flown all the way there from Seyruun. "I came to talk to you. I'm not going to let you ignore me!" 

"I don't know if you're monumentally stupid or just suicidal. This is Wolf Pack Island, you can't just come over here whenever you want!" Xellos scolded in all seriousness. "Beast Master ordered me to get rid of you by any method of my choosing. I'm getting rid of you by teleportation so stay still, unless you prefer a more permanent solution to your trespassing." 

Filia nodded and allowed Xellos to take her back to Seyruun. He was talking to her and that was what she was trying to accomplish. She felt better once she was in the familiar city. She landed behind her shop and changed back into her elf form, levitating to stand at the balcony of the second floor. 

Xellos landed next to her. It was obvious that she wasn't going to stop insisting until he listened to her. "What so important that you need to risk your life to tell me?" 

"I don't want things to change," Filia stated with more certainty than she expected from herself. "I've been thinking a lot, wondering why I haven't asked anyone for explanations as much as I should. I have amnesia," she confessed. "The past few months are a mystery to me and though a few details about the people I've met in that time period have surfaced, there's still a lot that's missing. I have no idea where this egg came from and I was afraid to ask, to be reminded." She removed the amethyst ring she had been wearing since she woke up from her coma. "I can't remember who gave me this," it was the mystery dragon in question, she assumed. She tossed the ring away. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Zelgadis had been returning to the castle after having a little spar with another knight of Seyruun out in the gardens. As he passed by, Amelia was walking down the hallway inside. She stopped at the window with a candle on hand and set it on the window sill as she stopped to talk to Zelgadis. It was supposed to be quick, but they got caught up and ended up talking for longer than they realized, until a small item fell from above and hit Zelgadis on the head, bouncing off his hard skull and landing on the ground beside him. 

The chimera picked up the item and examined it curiously. "An amethyst ring?" It looked familiar. 

"Isn't that Miss Filia's ring?" Amelia recognized it. "It was the ring Mr. Xellos gave her that she has been wearing this whole time. She must have thrown it away," being a dragon; she certainly had the arm for it. "Surely this means something; it's a sign of a coming dramatic plot twist!" 

"Amelia..." Zelgadis smiled, he loved Amelia, he really did, even her overly dramatic naivete. "This isn't a soap opera." He deposited the ring into Amelia's hand. 

The princess contemplated the jewelry, "I'll keep it safe for Miss Filia in case she..." pausing dramatically, Amelia rephrased, "for when she wants it back." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Back at the shop's balcony, Filia continued her confession. "I was afraid that learning of the past would make me doubt the present. I was afraid that things would change, that I wouldn't be able to handle the truth. Where is he? Why isn't he here? Does he not want to be with me? Has he died? All those things worried me, but what worried me the most was his possible return. Because I can't... I don't feel anything for some mystery dragon and I don't think I would even if it wasn't a mystery. Was it a mistake of harsh times? Did the world's near apocalypse affect me to that degree? Was it all a matter of circumstance? The rush of a moment? It's too much..." 

Xellos looked like he would say something, but Filia signaled for silence and continued. "I questioned myself, my priorities, my morals and my very sanity. I even questioned the existence of love itself. Then I realized I wasn't even afraid for the child, I can take care of another child just like I take care of Val. I've only been afraid for myself, because it's frustrating to have something and lose it and I don't just mean my memories. I don't want things to change. I don't want you to leave and stay away. I plan to get the full story and face the truth, but it doesn't matter what happened, what I've forgotten that perhaps you already know. I just don't want things to change and that's my biggest concern right now." 

Filia dried her eyes, she didn't notice when they became moist, but the tears had stopped now anyway. She had found her resolve, it didn't matter what anyone said, it didn't matter if she remembered or not, it didn't matter what circumstances surrounded them, this was simply what she wanted. 

"Stupid dragon, even with all that's going on, your biggest concern is that you miss me?" Xellos asked and Filia nodded, blushing lightly. Her emotions tasted of... affection? Deep affection? It was even beyond that... Before Xellos could speak again, Filia let out a pained whimper and felt her legs go numb, causing her to stumble into Xellos' arms. 

Pain, fear, sorrow, dread, this was different than the pain and uncertainty she felt a moment ago. Fear soon dominated the other tastes as Filia fought to steady herself, her face contorted in a pained expression. "What's wrong?" Xellos urged, she was just fine a moment ago. "What's happening to you?" 

"Too early..." Filia whispered breathlessly, "it's too early... ow!" She clutched her stomach with both hands, allowing Xellos to hold her on her feet. "The egg... some kind of complication... need a doctor..." she stuttered in pained alarm. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Even if Filia was a dragon, Xellos' first idea was to take her to the infirmary at the Seyruun castle. He teleported her, as gently as possible and appeared in the proper location, startling a healer who was straightening out the white sheets on one of the beds after having changed them. Xellos helped Filia on to the bed, ignoring the shocked white magic specialist nurse. "Get Amelia..." Filia requested in a shaky voice. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Xellos faded out of the astral side next to Amelia, who was still inside the castle, with Zelgadis still outside, their arms reaching in and out of the castle respectively, lips locked. Not caring about his rude interruption, Xellos tapped the princess on the shoulder until she parted from her fiance and gave him a curious and embarrassed look, though Zelgadis' face was a deeper crimson than Amelia's. "Filia needs medical attention." Without waiting for any replies, Xellos teleported Amelia away. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The monster and the princess reappeared at the infirmary where more healers had gathered and were fussing around Filia. Amelia soon joined them, being filled in on the situation. "I'm sorry, Miss Filia, we have no experience in preventing premature eggs from being laid too early." The princess worried. "None the less we'll try our best, but..." she glanced at Xellos. Perhaps Milgazia would know what to do, he was a dragon after all and he said he'd take responsibility. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Xellos, but there's no one else I can ask. Would you please bring Mr. Milgazia here and please don't take your anger out on him." 

Xellos assumed that Amelia's request was due to needing information from someone who knew about dragon biology. Milgazia, being a golden dragon himself and the elder in charge of one of the clans, had to know about dragon biology. "I know, there's no time to pick a fight now." The sabotage of his supposed relationship with Zelas would just have to wait. Thus Xellos faded away. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 144: Eventually! Sooner Or Later, One Way Or Another

"I still need an explanation for this." Milgazia demanded impatiently as he and Xellos reappeared in front of the door to the infirmary at Seyruun castle. "What do you mean there's an emergency and they need information? Who needs my information and about what?" 

"Dragon biology," Xellos replied, "although, I probably should have just gotten a book or something." He opened the door slightly and peeked into the infirmary. "Hey, I brought Milgazia!" 

"I said you didn't have to!" Filia yelled from her place on the bed, surrounded by healers who were fussing over her. He had not heard that, as he teleported away immediately before. 

The round trip to Dragon's Peak and back took a few minutes, since Milgazia wasn't about to let Xellos teleport him away to an unknown place for an unknown reason. The monster did more arguing and threatening than explaining, which was the slower route, given that Milgazia would have gone along if he knew Filia was having an emergency. "Well I brought him anyway, you ungrateful dragon." Xellos entered the room and took notice of the very upset atmosphere. 

"What's going on?" Milgazia followed Xellos in, fed up with the random unknown situation. 

"Well..." Amelia was holding something in a bundle of yellow blankets. She showed it to Milgazia. 

Milgazia examined the small thing that the princess held among the blankets. It was about as big as a marble, a clear sphere with some kind of shiny liquid inside. He had to take a moment to recognize what it was. "An empty egg?" A thought occurred to him and it soon spawned a theory. "I see what's going on, you drank that rare tea too. Zelas has been playing pranks on everyone." 

"Tea?" Filia, Xellos and Amelia chorused in perplexity. They didn't know what tea had to do with anything, but the mention of Zelas' name especially caught their interest. 

"Don't worry; this will have no further adverse effects on you." Milgazia assured and seeing that his audience was still confused, he gave them the full explanation about the tea leaves and their strange side effects on dragons. Though a empty egg would come out much sooner than a real one, as it was empty anyway. The general timing of the glow could also be a little off and in some occasions it wasn't even bright enough to be noticeable. A heavy silence invaded the atmosphere and Milgazia stated once more. "You just wanted to know if this had any side-effects, right? As I said, it's alright, considered yourself cured." 

Filia finally nodded, "thank you for this information." Her emotions shifted heavily and Xellos could feel her confusion giving way to hurt and fury. 

"I guess I'll take you back to Dragon's Peak then," Xellos offered, quickly leaving along with Milgazia via the astral side before Filia blew up at him. 

The discomfort on Filia's face was obvious and Amelia reasoned that she might not want to be so crowded. The princess sent the healers away and just as the group in white exited, Zelgadis came in. "There you are, what happened?" 

"It was just a false alarm," Amelia confessed, "an empty egg." 

Catching the hint of something interesting, Filia inquired, "did you know about this?" 

"Xellos told me," Zelgadis confessed. Filia wasn't sure what to say to that, but out of all her options, none of them were kind towards Xellos. 

"Please remind me, who were the dragons that I was around in the past few months?" Filia requested, trying to remain calm. She'd save her outburst for Xellos. 

"Well, there was Mr. Phythan," Amelia began listing off the dragons that interacted with Filia. 

'Little brother,' Filia thought, that was how she saw him. 

"Miss Tiffany," Amelia continued, immediately pausing when she realized she said too much. 

"Tiffany?" Filia gasped. 

"I'm sorry we didn't mention her before. We just thought it might be too much of a shock given that her husband is..." Amelia trailed off into silence; there was a bigger shock than that involving Tiffany, the fact that she was the host of the End, set to be sacrificed in the final battle against the Stillness, whenever it finally took place. 

"I see..." Filia stuttered in surprise. She was misinformed about the topic and assumed this meant that Tiffany was living somewhere with her supposedly human husband. Getting back into the topic at hand, Filia prompted, "who else?" 

"Mr. Milgazia," Amelia replied, pausing to think before concluding. "That's all of them as far as I know and we were all traveling together most of the time. For the short time we spent apart, we were in constant communication, so if you spent time with any other dragons, in more than just in passing at least, I'm pretty sure I would have known. You..." Amelia debated if she should say the next part or not, but Filia encouraged her with a nod and a look that was thirsty for information. "You spent most of your time with Mr. Xellos." 

Filia let out a breath, "I guess I would somehow end up spending time with him, impending apocalypse or not." Because this wasn't a matter of circumstance or the rush of a fleeting moment, it was who they were. "Thank you for telling me all this." Filia got up. 

"Don't get up so soon, Miss Filia!" Amelia tried to stop her with concern. 

"It's okay, I'm fine," Filia assured. "A little sore, but alright. Milgazia said there would be no adverse effects." She forced herself to smile for the sake of not worrying her friends. 

Amelia bit her lip unsure and the look of disapproval returned to Zelgadis' face. Given Zelas' supposed involvement in all of this, it was very dangerous. It might be hurtful now, but it was better to get things out in the open before something worse happened, thus the chimera confessed. "We overheard you and Milgazia talking in the gardens when he brought you that fruit basket." 

"You did?" Filia wasn't sure where the comment came from, why Amelia looked so concerned or why Zelgadis looked so stern. 

"Yes," Zelgadis ascertained, making it clear that it was no use to play dumb. Filia and Milgazia were putting themselves in mortal danger and he would think they were more reasonable than that. "We heard what he said about your... condition." The egg had been a false alarm, but for a false alarm to be taken so seriously there had to be a reason. 

"Oh, yes, that was nice of him," Filia smiled, though she was still confused about why this topic was being brought up in such a serious tone. "He felt bad because he thought he gave me his cold, but then realized I didn't catch it after all. He felt responsible, so he brought me something to help me recover." 

"A Cold?" Amelia and Zelgadis wore matching shocked expressions. They looked at Filia; they looked at each other, then back at Filia. 

While the golden dragon blinked in confusion, becoming uneasy with the strange behavior of her friends, Amelia aimed to obtain a final clarification in a semi-tactful way. "Say, just out of curiosity, do you think Mr. Milgazia is... you know, being totally... er honest with Miss Zelas? You know... loyal?" 

"Of course he is," Filia replied with certainty, then tried to support her claim. "I mean, he might be in a relationship with a monster, which doesn't really fit his usual diplomacy, but he's still very much a gentleman. Besides, who would be crazy enough to cheat on a monster lord?" 

"Right," Amelia smiled and she and Zelgadis shared a secret look of realization. They had overheard, misunderstood and jumped to conclusions. 

As the strange conversation seemed to have ended, Filia decided to go home. At least Amelia and Zelgadis appeared to be in better spirits after the unusual discussion. Seconds after Filia left, Xellos appeared, as if he was purposely waiting for her to exit the area. "I'll be taking this." He took the bundle of yellow blankets where the tiny empty egg rested, then he disappeared. Amelia and Zelgadis found the action to be very strange, but decided not to interfere. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At Zelas' throne room in Wolf Pack Island. "I have brought the egg, Lord Beast Master," Xellos reported, as per the orders he had received. 

He gave the yellow blanket with the egg to Zelas, who examined it curiously. "It's smaller than I expected, but I suppose it will have to do." 

"It's empty," Xellos stated, though it should have been obvious. "It seems the origin of this was tea..." 

"Yes, I know, I offered to clarify if you had any questions, remember?" Zelas reminded with a mocking grin. 

Xellos remained composed, "of course. I guess I should have asked." 

Zelas shook her head, her grin never leaving her face. "You should have answered." 

Ah yes, she had asked about what was bothering him, but he had not told her the full story. To think that getting an explanation would have been that easy. Xellos chuckled, realizing that his state of ignorance was in part his own fault. "You're absolutely right, Lord Beast Master." 

"Well now, to move along with the plans," Zelas handed the yellow blanket with the miniscule egg back to Xellos. 

"What should I do with it?" Xellos curiously inquired and this time, if he had any doubts he would actually ask questions. 

"Carefully put your energy into it," Zelas instructed. 

"My energy?" Xellos wasn't expecting that. "Is this some sort of fusion-like experiment?" Remembering that he had decided to ask his questions directly, Xellos further inquired. "Can I have a full explanation?" 

"There was a creature mostly astral, part monster and part dragon. The being was created on accident by the enemy in an attempt to steal your power," Zelas revealed. "However, having been made from your energy, mixed with that of your pet, the creature recognized you as its master. His name is Solex, your freaky half-dragon little minion. Unfortunately, he was unstable and came close to being ruined. Using knowledge recovered from Rezo's lost research, we salvaged his soul and now he needs a new vessel. The egg will serve as a material for the vessel. A machine has already been constructed where it can be made to grow with closely controlled chaotic energy. A little can be beneficial, though too much would tear him apart in this stage. It is far too early to say if your minion will make it out alive or not, there are no guarantees as things stand now. Even so, if this project is successful, it is likely that he will be able to reach a sufficiently stable state so that he doesn't fall apart again." 

Xellos was in shock to say the least. He had his own minion, not simply a monster placed under his command, but one that recognized him as his master for reasons beyond his rank. This Solex was half-dragon no less, quite a rarity indeed. Albeit by the sounds of it there was a possibility that he might not have a minion after all. "That was... unexpected." Xellos admitted. Well, he might as well get this project on its way; a minion meant all the more power to Beast Master, all the more power to him and an extra trickster to train, which might turn out to be amusing. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At Seyruun, Filia couldn't sleep; she stood at her shop's balcony contemplating the recent events with fury. She was so stressed, so hurt, and Xellos knew about the whole thing the entire time? He must have been having a feast. She was so angry at him right now she had trouble maintaining her elf form as her tail swished around behind her in furious movements. Then the source of her rage appeared floating before her and soon after had the nerve to land on the balcony next to her. "Xellos," Filia growled. 

"Hey, stupid dragon," Xellos greeted with a cheerful grin. "That's a whole lot of wrath you have there, it's very delicious, but do you mind toning down the sorrow, I would prefer the pure wrath." His remark somewhat helped accomplish that. "Ah, much better." 

"You horrible piece of raw garbage!" Filia yelled. "Do you have any idea what I went through? How upset I was? Of course you do, you can taste emotions so how could you miss it? I was losing my mind thinking about how illogical everything was. Then, when I finally decided what I would do, it turns out I was being played for a fool!" 

"Actually, I didn't know about the truth either," Xellos pointed out calmly. Filia froze, her face was still red with anger, but she fell silent as he continued. "Beast Master offered to tell me, but I decided not to inquire about it least I be a little too tempted to turn your mystery dragon into cuisine. Funny how it turned out there was no mystery dragon after all." 

"But you were there with me!" Filia argued. "Amelia told me we spent a lot of time together in the past few months. If anything major happened in my life you would have noticed!" She insisted. 

"I'm sure I did notice," Xellos accepted. He swiftly added another argument before Filia's rage made her lose her elf form completely; he could see her fangs and claws showing. "But I don't remember. I have amnesia too, the past few months are a big blank to me. I only know a summary of the events which Beast Master told me." 

Filia's rage shifted to focus only on one target. "Beast Master," she growled. "Did she do this for her amusement? She's gone too far!" 

"If you don't calm down you'll end up destroying your shop, stupid dragon!" Xellos reminded. He didn't want to say anything so soon, but it looked like it was the only way to calm Filia's rage. "I asked Beast Master about this. She told me I had a minion before, one that was created during the time we can't remember. He was dying and she needed a new vessel for him. At this point, there's no guarantee that it will work, but there's a possibility that it might." 

With only that explanation, Filia didn't fully understand the nature of this mysterious minion and why an empty golden dragon egg would be of any help, but that was not the point. "If it was to save someone's life, the life of someone important to you, I would have helped. It didn't have to be this way!" 

"Beast Master has a reason for everything she does," Xellos tried to explain. 

"Maybe she just wanted a meal!" Filia growled. Her rage was subsiding in realizing that the whole plot wasn't really Xellos' doing. 

"Maybe, I suppose I'll ask her later," Xellos mused aloud. "Look on the bright side, stupid dragon." 

Filia breathed deeply. Her tail was now still, having ceased it's violent swishing as her temper cooled off. "What's the bright side?" 

"You were all stressed out about me not coming back." Xellos reminded with a teasing grin of satisfaction. Filia blushed and tried to come up with an argument, but she could not do so on time before Xellos continued. He opened one eye, expression amused. "I'm here and you can't get rid of me." 

With her face still red, albeit it went from being from anger to a different cause, Filia looked away and grumbled in an annoying, yet somewhat happy tone. "I'm not sure if that's good or bad." She felt a great wave of relief in that things were seemingly back to normal. Noticing a peculiar detail, she brought it up, as she didn't want the silence between them to last too long. "You don't have the dragon doll keychain on your bag anymore." 

"That little one had an accident involving fire," Xellos chuckled, his expression going from real amusement to a mask of cheer with both eyes closed. "Will you make me another one?" 

Filia huffed and placed her hands on her hips. "No way! If you can't take good care of the things people give you, don't expect any more presents in the future!" 

"Fine, be that way." The mask of cheer changed back to real amusement, one eye open again. "I guess I'll just have to keep the real one." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A few days later at Dragon's Peak, Milgazia admired the pretty yet troublesome cursed jewel. Humans kept fighting for it and by a twist of fate the gigantic diamond ended up in his hands. It was nothing but trouble, but due to the magic placed on it to make it so strong and exquisite, destroying it would be quite difficult. Perhaps he could simply hide it somewhere. He wouldn't keep it so close to his clan, the sense of greed it produced on all creatures that stayed near it was too strong. It only worked on creatures of flesh and blood though, so at least there wouldn't be any monsters showing up to try to claim it affected by its evil enchantment. 

Milgazia recalled that this was not the only such jewel that was in such a situation. There was also a tiara held by a human princess centuries earlier, a mere hundred years after the War of the Monster's Fall. The princess, who valued the tiara more than her kingdom and her very life, had run away to the Kataart Mountains to keep it safe from the thievery of neighboring countries that started a war over it. That was a very troublesome occasion, to say the least. Xellos had gone to see what the fuss was about and ended up claiming the tiara as a gift for Beast Master. 

Ironically, after the tiara was taken away and hidden, Milgazia assumed deep in Wolf Pack Island, the fighting ceased and those affected by its greed were released from it, as its enchantment became out of range. The princess set out to restore the kingdom and the neighboring countries made peace. Milgazia wondered if Zelas would send Xellos to reintroduce the troublesome tiara into the human world and allow battles to rage over it, but she didn't. Perhaps she took a liking to the well crafted jewelry and decided to keep it to herself, even if she was, being a purely astral creature, immune to its hypnotic effect of desire. 

Milgazia traced his fingers over the smooth surface of the large diamond. A golden band was attached to the bottom of it, though the thought of wearing such a large gem as a ring was ridiculous, since it was about the size of a fist. He assumed that the ring, though wide enough to accommodate the slender finger of a woman, was probably used to slip a chain through, so the huge diamond could be worn in a necklace. He felt the jewel's incantation trying to pull him in, to break his determination not to greed for it. 

This wasn't a weapon and the only way it could be used as such was by offering its temptation, but as long as it existed it would offer its temptation regardless. It was the kind of strong and unreasonable temptation that, once one fell into it, they would go to such extremes that being manipulated by someone else would not be possible due to lack of reasoning. The pursuit of the jewel would be everything and the one tempted by it would not be patient enough to work for it, but rather try to obtain it by force, even if it was suicide. 'Sometimes the safest place for a dangerous treasure is in the hands of the enemy,' Milgazia mused. He would rid the world of the danger of the large diamond in the same way as the tiara was disposed of. 

To be Continued


	49. Chapter 49

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 145: Restore! The Sparkle Of The Silver Lining

Filia let out a deep breath as she leaned back in her tub and relaxed on the early afternoon of February fourteen. She was still upset over a few aspects of the recent happenings, but she was overall, feeling better. She had inquired more about what happened during the time she couldn't remember with Amelia suggesting that she got the full story from Xellos. She had mentioned that they spent a lot of time together, so Filia assumed that was the reason for the princess' suggestion. Obviously, she didn't know that Xellos had amnesia too. Filia didn't mention it. She didn't prolong the morning conversation too much, since Amelia surely had plans with Zelgadis. 

Lina would soon return to Seyruun for a visit and Filia intended to ask her for information too, since she had been, as in the past, leading the group of adventurers as far as Filia understood. Plus the redhead would probably be more direct than Amelia anyway. As for Jillas and Gravos, they were not there while Filia was traveling last year, so they would be telling her a story based on a story, a retelling of a retelling, making it likely for more details to be lost. 

Taking in the sweet scent of the candle she had placed in a corner of the bathroom, Filia allowed herself to sink a little deeper into the tub, the water up to her neck as she laid in it. Then she heard it, "emergency!" That was Xellos' voice. Filia was startled and instinctively sat up as he once again called out, "emergency!" Then he suddenly appeared, fading out of the astral side right in front of her tub. 

Filia gasped, her face scarlet in embarrassment and anger at the invasion of her personal space. She lowered herself into the tub as much as she could with one arm over her chest, using the other to throw a bar of soap at Xellos. "Get out!" The flying soap was soon followed by a bottle of shampoo and any other solid objects Filia could get her hands on without leaving the tub. "Get out!" Filia paused as Xellos disappeared again. She stared at the floor where a pile of clothes were left where he was a split second prior. Those were Xellos' clothes, but where was he? 

Splash! Filia jumped, startled again, and turned to face the other end of the tub, her arms folded over her chest, knees bent against her body. There was Xellos, naked in the tub with her. Filia was about to yell, but Xellos reached over to her first, his hands on her shoulders as he leaned his face close to hers. "Filia, we have an emergency!" He insisted with great urgency, both eyes open showing something akin to terror. 

"You... you're..." Filia stuttered, unable to find something sufficiently insulting to say. She settled for her usual "raw garbage!" 

"Yes, I get it, I saw you, you saw me, we're even, get over it." Xellos insisted as he drew Filia closer. "We have a big emergency on our hands. That stupid, infuriating, disgusting dragon elder Milgazia gave Beast Master an engagement ring!" Milgazia had called it a gift of peaceful diplomacy, but Xellos' spying position was too far away to hear. Zelas had thought it was silly, but the jewel was very beautiful, so she accepted it. 

"What?" Filia gasped, "they're engaged? That's terrible!" She loudly exclaimed. "When are they getting married, how long do we have to stop the wedding?" 

"I don't know," Xellos admitted. "I came here to tell you the horrible news right away. I'll go find out!" He disappeared, just as suddenly as he came. 

Filia released the breath she didn't even realize she was holding. She reached for a towel and wrapped it around herself as she got out of the tub. Then Xellos appeared again, teleporting right in front of her in the same state of undress in which he had left, picked up his clothes from the floor and faded away again. Filia almost dropped her towel in surprise. "You piece of raw garbage! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She finished drying herself off and dressed before Xellos decided to pop out again, trying her best to make her wildly beating heart slow down to a normally paced rhythm. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Next to the brass rackets court in the surface of Wolf Pack Island, Zelas and Milgazia had, because of the gift, gotten into a conversation on the subject of diplomacy. She pointed out that diplomats were supposed to amuse each other and he actually offered to tell her a joke. Intrigued, Zelas listened. Unfortunately for her, she didn't know how terribly dull Milgazia's jokes were. Memphis found them to be funny and some of the dragons did too, but Lina had said in a past occasion that his jokes would probably cause some serious pain for astral beings. Milgazia thought that humans simply didn't understand dragon jokes, but given that Zelas had been around for so many years, she would surely understand his joke. 

There she stood, feeling terribly nauseated, though she tried not to show any outward signs of it as she kept a frozen expression like a statue. That hurt, it actually hurt, it wasn't enough to really injure her, but it was very unpleasant. She didn't want Milgazia or anyone to know of how powerful the mental strain of such a horrible joke could be, so Zelas resolved not to act rashly, but it was too late. Though her face remained still, her body had reacted automatically in the same cliche yet effective action often taken by a woman who had been in some way offended. She slapped him. 

Realizing that there was no way to pretend she wasn't annoyed now, Zelas growled a simple, but very commanding, "leave." This time she allowed her face to show her murderous anger. She would come up with an explanation for this later if Milgazia had the nerve to question her actions. For now, she just wanted to be alone so she could compose herself. Milgazia did not push his luck, he was no fool. He swiftly retreated and didn't look back a single time, as he flew away from Wolf Pack Island full speed. 

Xellos watched the scene from afar; he was at a safe enough distance not to have heard the joke. A wave of relief washed over him, a slap on the face was a sure sign of a refusal. Zelas must have never wanted a formal relationship, Xellos mused. Since Xellos left to vent to Filia so soon, he missed part of their argument. He reasoned that Milgazia must have insisted on the proposal and Zelas made it clear that it was over by slapping him. This was great! He had to tell Filia. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

By the time Xellos returned to the shop, Filia was fully dressed, coincidentally wearing the dress he got her last Christmas. She was almost done brushing her hair. He faded out of the astral side, making her drop her brush. Without even bothering to scold him for startling her yet again, she inquired impatiently. "What did you find out?" 

Xellos was smiling as he opened one eye and delivered the news. Yet even before he said anything Filia knew something favorable must have taken place. He was obviously feeling much better than a few minutes ago. This wasn't just a cheerful mask, this was real relief. "They broke up!" He happily exclaimed. "She refused him, slapped him and sent him away with his tail between his claws!" Xellos laughed a mocking cheerful laughter. 

"Wow," was all that Filia could say. She should have been glad, she should be sharing in Xellos' euphoria, but she wasn't so sure if the news was good or bad after all. She felt sorry for Milgazia being played like that, but at least the terrible relationship was over before it brought about worse consequences. 

Two young voices called out, "mommy!" and "aunty Filia!" as Val and Palou made their way upstairs. They found the door to Filia's room was open, seeing her and Xellos inside and let themselves in. Since it was Valentine's Day, Filia offered to take care of the boys so everyone else could enjoy a romantic afternoon. 

Smiling, Filia asked them, "are you ready to have a fun afternoon!" 

"Yes!" The boys cheered in response. 

The golden dragon glanced at Xellos, mentioning what was by now obvious. "I'm taking care of the boys this afternoon so..." She wasn't sure what she wanted to say. Was she going to ask him not to cause trouble for her, or maybe... 

"I don't have any plans for today; I guess I'll tag along." Filia didn't protest to Xellos' decision. Val and Palou seemed happy that he was coming too, so she decided it was best to present no opposition, even if it meant she would probably spend the rest of the day trying to stop Xellos from causing trouble and teaching the boys how to be tricksters like him. Filia didn't know how right she was. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

More than a few dates around the city were sabotaged with everything from sneaking hot sauce into the shared milkshakes of couples who were too distracted looking into each other's eyes, to some minor water related spells to make a few people cool off when they rather stay dry. Filia tried her best to keep her mischievous companions from causing too much trouble, but that usually ended up with Xellos distracting her with something or other and sending his little apprentices to do the mischief in his place. 

Filia was determined not to allow herself to be distracted and though she didn't really fall for the distractions, they still worked due to the fact that she couldn't hold the hands of two very hyper boys and get Xellos' arms off her body all at the same time. More than once she resolved to hold hands with Val and Palou no matter what Xellos did, but when the hugs turned to kisses she had to let them go and get Xellos' teasing under control. 

After she returned home later that night and the boys went to sleep, Filia went to her balcony and looked at the calm city. She was in a pleasant mood despite the apologies she had to come up with when the boys got caught and she was pointed out to be the one responsible for them. Thankfully, that didn't happen too often and towards the later half of their outing, the boys didn't get caught at all, though their pranks had become more daring. Their trickster skills were clearly developing. 

Leaning on the balcony of her shop, Filia breathed, "you're a bad influence." Despite the way her afternoon and evening went or perhaps more so because of it, she was in a good mood. 

"Am I, really?" Xellos sounded as if he had no idea what Filia was talking about, though he obviously did. He wrapped his arms around her waist, finding no resistance against the motion. 

She turned around to face him, surprised at herself for returning the embrace so openly. He kissed her and it felt comfortable and familiar. It wasn't simply because they had kissed before during the play, there was something else to it, but Filia couldn't quite put her finger on it. For the time being she didn't overanalyze it and just enjoyed the moment. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The next day, Filia was happily putting out some new vases, arranging them neatly in her shop shelves when a most unexpected visitor arrived. Filia nearly dropped the vase in her hands, just barely managing to hold on to it. Then she clutched it so hard it almost shattered. 

"Careful, you're about to break that." Zelas pointed at the vase with the end of her cigarette, depositing its ashes into the cracked vase Filia was holding. 

Frowning deeply, Filia set the cracked, ash-filled vase on the shelf nearest to her and placed her hands on her hips. Before she said something that was probably very foolish given who she was talking to, Val ran up the stairs, speaking before he even reached the second floor completely. "Uncle Phil is giving Palou and me martial arts lessons, so we're going to the castle gardens!" Noticing the presence of Zelas, little Val went over to her. He wasn't sure what to say, since he was still playing secret around his mother, thus he settled for greeting her by saying, "that is a secret." Filia didn't know how to react, she froze, worried for Val. 

"Ah yes, I am a woman of many secrets indeed." Zelas patted Val on the head, who smiled up at her. "Go play now, you don't want to be late for your lessons." With that simple statement, Val was safely sent away, off to spend the day with Palou and Phil learning the pacifist crush. 

The scare made Filia more aware of the danger. She couldn't let her temper get the best of her with Zelas, but she could, at the very least, show her displeasure, she simply had to. "Have you come to pick on me?" 

Zelas laughed, "a tempting offer, but no. I wanted to show you something." She dropped her cigarette on the floor and Filia stepped on it to put it out before anything caught on fire. "Come see," Zelas didn't invite, she ordered. Before Filia could protest, she was ceased by the wrist and teleported away. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Zelas and Filia reappeared at Wolf Pack Island in front of a peculiar machine with spinning gears and a glass orb. Inside the orb there was what appeared to be a dragon egg with black energy swirling within it. "Do you recognize it?" The monster lord inquired. 

A strong perplexity made its way into Filia's emotional spectrum to coexist with her still present rage. She looked into the glass, not daring to touch it. "It's the egg I laid, but it's bigger now." She focused on it, trying to concentrate in sensing its energy, it was alive. "This is Xellos' minion? Why this way?" 

"He was a half-dragon from the start, an accidental creation of the enemy triggered by an involuntary defense mechanism of Xellos' power." Zelas explained in a calm and neutral tone. "Xellos later recognized Solex as his own person, since the master's recognition is vital for the minion to truly exist, to have an identity." 

Filia caught most of what Zelas said, but she was only half listening. She leaned closer to the glass orb and finally reached over to touch it. It felt chaotic, yet not overwhelmingly so. She left her palms resting against the glass as she stared at the growing egg inside the magical machine. "Solex..." she whispered quietly. She felt a wave of emotion overtake her, as if she had been missing this boy without knowing it. "Solex..." Monster or not, beast minion or not, she wanted him to be safe, she wanted him to be happy. "He is half dragon," Filia stated, still looking at the egg. "As such, he might have certain necessities that a monster does not." The golden dragon left the sentence at that and looked back at Zelas. 

"Do you feel attachment towards this creature? Are you offering to assist in the fulfillment of such necessities?" Zelas inquired, though the look in Filia's eyes already made it obvious. 

"Yes, but I want to ask you something first." Filia dared to request. 

Curious about what her question could be, Zelas nodded, "you may." 

"Xellos said that you had a reason for everything you did," Filia recalled. "I think he's right, although that doesn't mean it's a justifiable reason. Even so, I wanted to ask for what reason you kept the situation about the empty egg a secret from both of us." 

"Xellos inquired about that before. It seems he forgot to mention it or simply didn't care to tell you, since you're so unimportant," Zelas mocked. 

Filia remained unfazed. With all that had been going on she could assume that Xellos just forgot to comment on the matter. It's not like she brought up the subject to him anyway. "Would you tell me the reason?" She tried to sound as neutral and diplomatic as she could so as to not further feed Zelas with her anger, though the wrath was still boiling inside her. 

"It was for Solex benefit," Zelas revealed. "Dragon eggs are sensitive, I've heard. Exposing the egg to negative emotions would make it easier for it to absorb Xellos' monster energy later, to be a little more stable. This combination of dragon and monster is Solex new vessel, his soul now rests inside the egg. This is all that can be done to restore my minion. A lot of it will depend on his own subconscious desire to exist now." 

Filia looked into the glass orb again. "It was necessary for Solex, you're not lying," she concluded. 

"Deception by combining truth and silence is a test of wit, but lies are for the cowardly." Zelas stated in a calm yet strong tone. "If you lack the courage to state the truth or if the truth is counterproductive, don't say anything at all, or offer another truth in its place." 

"That is a secret," Filia voiced Xellos' usual quote. 

"Those words are very true in many situations," Zelas ascertained. "Here's another truth, though I took a deceiving approach for Solex's benefit, I think I would have taken the same action anyway if only for my own amusement." 

Filia already expected this. "That's mean to Xellos' too," she frowned. 

"I know, I pick on him sometimes too," Zelas grinned. "He's my favorite little minion, but I can't let my precious general priest become too overconfident and spoiled. It might diminish his defenses if he's in his comfort zone for too long and I can't have him getting hurt because of it. It's a pity that he cannot remember his full potential, the special ability that I allowed him to have." 

Filia huffed, "that sounded almost caring." 

Tilting her head in curious amusement Zelas looked directly into Filia's eyes and inquired. "Are you trying to insult me or compliment me?" 

Filia wasn't sure how to answer to that. Instead she asked, "the special ability you allowed him to have?" 

Zelas ignored Filia's lack of answer in favor of moving on to the real reason for their meeting. "It's a defense of sorts, albeit someone like you would say it's much more. You would know if you had your memories. Speaking of which, I know of a method to recover them and I am willing to assist you with that if you do a little something for me." She paused with a chuckle, seeing Filia's suspicious expression. "It's nothing too difficult, nothing beyond your low level of skill," Zelas mocked. 

"Yuna Wolf," Beast Master's alternate identity as a supposedly human brass rackets athlete, "has been invited to participate in a brass rackets tournament organized by several past participants from the official women's tournament which I won. Even if my place in the upcoming male-female world-wide tournament is already decided, they want another chance to prove their skills I guess. Since this is an all women competition, I need a female partner to play brass rackets with me." There was a reason why Beast Master couldn't tell Xellos to wear a disguise and tag along with her, but she didn't think it was currently relevant, so she didn't mention it. 

The topic of the tournament made Filia wonder if Zelas would still play brass rackets with Milgazia even if they supposedly broke up. Cautiously, Filia decided not to bring up the subject of Milgazia. She was intrigued and full of suspicion, along with the distinct feeling of having no choice. "Alright, I'll be your brass rackets partner for that one competition." 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 146: Rescue! Break Free And Rise Up

Filia frowned as she glared at the ground. She made a small hole in it and deposited a seed into it, then proceeded to cover the seed with dirt. She never would have guessed she would end up in such a situation. Tomorrow was the day when she had given Zelas her word concerning a temporary partnership for a women's brass rackets tournament, as for today, she was stuck in jail. The rumors came and went about a rare type of particularly delicious apples called banoras, reappearing in their world after they were thought to have been extinct. Filia went to investigate, but ended stopping for directions in the wrong town, a town that did not like dragons. She was quickly taken to jail, detained to await her trial. 

At least they didn't automatically believe all dragons were evil, though they did distrust them. The trial was supposed to decide if she was a good or evil dragon. Though Filia could certainly overpower her captors with ease, she didn't. Determined to contribute to the human's positive view on dragons by showing she was good, Filia didn't try to fight back or run away. Thus that led her to her current position, doing forced agricultural labor in a loose fitting dress that looked more like a knee length shirt with black and white stripes. The field was next to the jail building, surrounded by tall brick walls and alert guards. 

A few drops of water landed on Filia's head, though it was not raining. Apparently someone thought it was funny to steal her watering can and use it to water her head. Glaring dangerously, Filia stood upright and glared at the person who had arrived to annoy her. Her scolding voice dissolved in her throat as her mouth remained open and wordless. Xellos was grinning at her with the watering can on hand, wearing the same kind of silly black and white striped dress she was wearing, except that one was smaller, hugging feminine curves that shouldn't even be there. A black dragon tail was sticking out of the skirt with a purple bow on it. "What are you doing here?" Filia finally found her voice. 

"I came to visit you," Xellos replied in a very girly voice. "I went to your shop first but you weren't there, so I looked around until I found you. Even with all the teleporting, it took me all day." It was evening now and Filia had flown out of Seyruun very early in the morning. "Too weak to escape?" 

"No," Filia's explanation was interrupted by a guard calling out to them to stop being lazy. Filia went back to planting seeds as she explained, while Xellos watered them. "I want to prove I'm a good dragon, so I'm not going to escape." Granted that the trial took place tonight as a guard had mentioned earlier, because she really couldn't go back on her word to Zelas. 

"Stupid dragon," Xellos watered another of the seeds as he chuckled mockingly, amused by Filia's stubborn predicament. She was in no real danger as she could very easily escape at any moment. 

"You can say whatever you want; I've already made my choice, raw garbage." Filia stubbornly insisted. A few more seconds passed in silence until she inquired with mild curiosity. "Is that a disguise or did you just shape shift into a girl?" 

Xellos leaned down slightly and whispered in a male voice so that only Filia could hear. "From that angle, you should be able to figure it out." 

Filia immediately shot to her feet, making it clear she wasn't trying to look up his skirt. "I wasn't looking!" She shouted, getting odd stares from the other prisoners and a few reprimanding shouts from the guards. 

Assuming that the two who were to the best of their misled knowledge both dragons, were plotting something sinister, one of the guards urged. "We should put them in maximum security solitary confinement!" 

"But we only have one maximum security solitary confinement cell and there's two of them." Another guard reminded. 

"We'll put them both on that solitary confinement cell then," the first guard insisted. "They're both girls, so they can be cellmates." 

"Then the confinement wouldn't be solitary any more," the other guard pointed out and was ignored. The first guard only glared, as there was nothing more to argue against that logic. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A few minutes later, Filia and the disguised Xellos were escorted to a lonely cell with no windows save for the small one of the heavy metal door, which only showed the dark empty hallway. Filia blamed everything on Xellos and was pouting and glaring with the silent promise of giving him an earful when the guards left them alone. After the guards locked them up and left, Filia glared though she couldn't see anything in the pitch black darkness of the cell. The hallway previously lit by an orb of light held by one of the guards was now in total darkness, as was the small enclosed space of the cell. Before Filia could reproach Xellos for their situation, her stomach growled loudly. 

"Sounds like someone wants to devour some humans." Xellos teased, speaking in a normal tone of voice, since the guards were not there to hear him anyway. 

"Shut up and give me your apple," Filia grumbled. It probably wasn't a banora, but it would do. 

"Apple?" Xellos questioned curiously. 

"Apple, orange, whatever," Filia insisted impatiently. They had not given her any food all day just because she was a dragon and she was cranky. 

"I think the term you're looking for is banana," Xellos teasingly suggested. 

"Bananas aren't round," Filia pointed out as a matter of fact. "Lina told me that Gourry once use fruit as part of his female disguise." 

"So you just wanted food?" Xellos asked sounding purposely disappointed. 

"What else would I be talking a-" realization fell upon Filia and her face turned red. "I didn't mean it like that and you know it!" Crossing her arms in indignation, regardless of whether or not the gesture was seen, Filia argued. "You've been taking too many liberties in teasing me lately, ever since the fourteenth." Her face turned a deeper shade of scarlet at the thought. 

"You mean since our little make out session at the balcony?" Xellos poured more innocence into his tone than such a statement could possibly merit. 

"It wasn't a make out session!" Filia shouted, her face felt very warm and she was sure that the majority of her blood had accumulated in her cheeks. "It was... it was just kissing..." Her suddenly soft voice regained its normal volume. "Besides, you were being forward before that." 

"You mean the tub incident?" Xellos reminded with a chuckle. He had been very stressed at the time and didn't have a moment to properly enjoy it. But now that his stress was gone, looking back on it, it was fun. 

"And after that too," Filia stuttered while she mentally told her brain to stop bringing back recorded images without her conscious request. 

"Admit it, you enjoyed our little afternoon out in the city," Xellos teased. "Besides, all that happened after you declared you're hopelessly in love with me." 

"I never said that!" Filia yelled. Her face felt burning hot with a mix of intense emotions that no doubt about it, Xellos could taste. Then it donned on her. "What... What do I taste like right now?" 

Taking it as an invitation, Xellos wrapped his arms around Filia, pulling her close against his body, which was not in disguise anymore, and kissed her. She was taken by surprised, but opposed no resistance, instead responding to the kiss. Their eagerness increased, but they were interrupted by approaching footsteps and a faint light that became clearer as the one holding it got closer. 

They quickly parted, standing a neutral distance from each other quietly. By the time the guard reached the small window of the massive cell door and peeked in, Xellos was already back in disguise. "The preparations for the trials have been finished," the guard announced. "Your trials will take place in a month. Until then, you'll stay here." 

"A month!" Filia exclaimed in upset disbelief. She was still a little breathless from her previous activity, but the guard had no clue about that and attributed her state to irritation. "I'm considered innocent until proven guilty. How can you detain an innocent person for a month? That's ridiculous! Besides, you said the trial would be ready to night!" 

"I said the trial preparations would be ready tonight." The guard sternly corrected, trying to hide the fear that attempted to surface, given that the prisoners were dragons. "By that I mean the paperwork and scheduling, not the actual trial." Leaving Filia to protest, the guard swiftly left. 

After the guard was gone, Filia huffed and stomped her feet in anger. Her tail was out and she looked just about ready to go on a rampage. Xellos' affirmation interrupted her angry growls. "To answer your earlier question, you taste just as disgusting as ever." He teased, the sarcasm turning it from a lie to a joke, though he knew she had been referring to her emotions when she asked before. 

Filia mentally counted to ten and tried to keep her temper in check. With a huge effort, she retained most of her elf-like features, though her tail was still out. "Take me home." 

"Home? Really? Are you sure that's what you want?" He continued teasing her. 

Filia caught the meaning and blushed, though instead of getting angrier, Xellos' teasing helped to calm her this time. "I mean take me to Seyruun, raw garbage!" 

"I'm not going to do a favor for you if you don't ask me nicely," Xellos teased. 

"I have to do something for Zelas tomorrow. I need to get a goodnight's sleep!" Filia argued. "If I mess up because I'm tired, it'll be your fault. You don't want to disappoint Beast Master, do you?" 

Xellos noted with abundant curiosity that Filia wasn't just making up an excuse. Her emotions tasted of honesty and real concern. "What are you doing for Beast Master?" 

With a stubborn look of playful vengeance upon her face, Filia replied, moving her right index finger from side to side in front of her face. "That is a secret." 

"That's copyright infringement." Unexpectedly, Xellos tackled Filia into the bunk attached to the wall. He laid on top of her and kissed her, going from her mouth, down her neck. 

"Stop it, raw garbage, I'm serious." Filia laughed, wrapping her arms around him to pull him closer. How did it come to this? She had a feeling that it was useless to try to explain it, because no matter what series of events took place, the end result would always be the same, it was simply who they were. It was something that was set in motion, perhaps inevitably, from the time they met and would, sooner or later, one way or another, develop. "Xellos, just where do we stand?" 

"No where," he replied coolly. 

"What do you mean no where?" Filia's quick temper flared and she tried to push him off of her to sit up. Instead she ended up throwing Xellos off the narrow bunk and to the floor, losing her balance and landing on top of him. 

Though she was as lively as always, Xellos could taste no disappointment or worry in Filia, as if deep down she knew better than to expect a straight answer. "Stupid dragon, how can we stand anywhere when we're both laying down?" He mocked. 

"Don't make stupid jokes, raw garbage!" Filia half-shouted, with no real anger. 

"Don't ask stupid questions," Xellos shot back. 

Filia adjusted her position to be more comfortable as a bittersweet thought occurred to her. "We're hypocrites," she mused aloud. 

"What stupid randomness goes through your empty head now?" Xellos curiously asked, caught off guard by her unusual comment. 

"We spent so much time and effort trying to make Zelas and Milgazia break up because they're a monster and a dragon." Filia explained, with guilt invading her emotions. "It's true that in the end their relationship failed, but if we were going to overtake that mission, it should have been for different reasons. Actually, there's no excuse, we should have just let them handle things on their own. It just feels hypocritical that we plotted sabotage and now we're doing this." 

"This? As in that?" Xellos inquired with a seductive grin. 

"I'm being serious!" Filia reprimanded, though she still formed a smile. It was useless to feel guilty, their relationship sabotage mission failed anyway. Suddenly, the whole building vibrated, making Filia think it was an earthquake. For a second she thought it was the Stillness, as massive earthquakes had been mentioned in the stories about it. She froze as she listened to the distant echo of the guards panicking. However, she soon realized that the shaking had not been from an earthquake after all. "What was that?" 

Filia's question was soon answered as a hole was punched through the wall with Xellos teleporting them away at the last second. They reappeared outside of the main building in the yard within the tall brick walls. There was a very angry looking white dragon there, while a golden dragon approached from the distance. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, at the marketplace of that very same town, Lina and Gourry had been following clues trying to locate an establishment that sold banoras. They were said to be rare and delicious so they had to try them. "I don't want regular apples!" Lina yelled at the merchant who insisted on offering to sell her apples at extraordinary prices. 

"That's what I'm trying to explain, miss," the apple merchant, who answered to the name of Won, insisted. "These are not ordinary apples!" He was wearing yellow clothing with a silly hat; he had black hair in a braid and glasses. 

"Just because you give them fancy long names doesn't make them anything other than regular apples!" Lina argued. "Besides, all I wanted were directions to Banora!" She growled with frustration. "Stupid incomplete maps. Just because a village is tiny doesn't mean it can be omitted, especially if it has good food!" 

Gourry spotted a white dragon landing near a building in the outskirts of town. "Look, Lina, a dragon," he pointed at the large flying creature that could be seen in the light of the full moon. Another dragon, that one golden, approached in the distance. "Two dragons... the white one looks mad." 

The white dragon had begun to tare the building apart, which caused a panic to erupt in the town. The frightened merchant clutched his bag of apples and ran away, one of the apples falling out unnoticed. Lina picked up the apple, cleaning it with her cape and took a bite as she watched the chaos unfold. "That golden dragon that just arrived looks like Phythan. We might as well go see what's going on." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Phythan landed near Kirei, who was on a rampage. "Miss Kirei, please stop making such a mess!" Onyx was riding on his back, holding on in an attempt not to fall off. "We were just supposed to be looking for banoras, not destroying random towns! I know it's frustrating that we haven't been able to find them, but-" 

"Quiet, this doesn't concern you!" Kirei growled. "Don't you see my time is almost over? I won't die without revenge!" She could feel the force inside her eating away at her very soul faster by the second. Her will was fading, she had nothing but anger. 

Phythan frowned, insisting on his argument, "Milgazia said-" 

"I don't care what he said!" Kirei roared. "This is all I have." She glared at Xellos. "My vengeance for that insect!" 

The purple haired monster was no longer in the silly black and white striped dress, but back in his normal clothes. "Your emotions have changed; you're not a firecracker anymore. It's as if you've given up. What's eating you, Kirei?" 

"A monster," Kirei replied with sad anger, though this was different from a monster, she saw it as such. "This monster overtook me on the same day that the planet was restored. It keeps draining me away and I cannot get rid of it. I will die soon, but not before getting my revenge on you! The only good thing about being possessed is that I'll be powerful enough to do this; or rather it will do it for me. It was even able to track you down, you have no escape! Monster of nothingness, become tainted with my will and carry out my vengeance!" Darkness surrounded Kirei, her white scales becoming a translucent black. She no longer feared being consumed, she embraced it. Milgazia suspected something, but held insufficient proof. The glow around Kirei changed to silver until it consumed her and all that was left was a silver mist. 

Lina arrived on the scene via Ray Wing along with Gourry. "That's the Void!" They recognized it. "No wonder Shabranigdu was still somewhat unresponsive, he was guarding against this creature." The mist disappeared, though a feeling of emptiness hung heavily in the air. 

"Miss Kirei... where did she go?" Phythan changed back into his elf form without warning, to more directly address his friends. 

As a result of the transformation, Onyx got caught in his cloak, since she was riding on him before. "Think before you transform, stupid!" She had another rare outburst of emotion as she untangled herself from him with a rosy tint on her face. 

"Oh my!" Filia exclaimed, "you still have no modesty!" 

"Sorry," Phythan apologized, though he wasn't entirely sure what he was apologizing for. He was slightly less naive now than when the adventure started several months ago, but he was still pretty naive overall and the concept of modesty still escaped him. 

The silvery mist reappeared again, suddenly around Filia. She gasped and made a choking noise. Xellos tried to get rid of the creature that attacked her, but instead he was thrown back by the force of a powerful astral attack. "Xel... Xellos..." Filia felt her senses fading. 

"Be more careful, Xellos. You don't have a physical shield against the Void's attacks right now," Lina warned with great urgency. Of course, there had to be a reason for her unusual concern for Xellos. "I still have a few more months of bodyguard salary to earn and I won't get paid if you're dead!" Though she had stopped guarding him, especially now that he was a monster again, Lina was still getting paid monthly, even if his curse was cured. That meant that she would be expected to do something about it if Xellos ever needed any backup. 

'Revenge... revenge...' A voice in Filia's head chanted, sounding vaguely like Kirei, but also very different at the same time. 'Her will tainted me, her will for revenge... It doesn't matter if she wouldn't have understood why killing you is revenge on him, she is dead anyway. Only I will remain, only the Void. When I fulfill her vengeance, her tainted will shall fade away from me and only nothingness will remain, a nothingness that will consume my enemies. Death to those who oppose the Stillness!' 

"Phythan, try exorcising the Void out of Filia with holy magic!" Lina commanded, assuming the position of leader that she would always claim was rightfully hers. 

"Right!" Phythan began to chant a spell, pouring all his power into it. "Ivory beyond white, everlasting infinite light, brightness that pierces the night, by your endless power destiny ignites. Let the world be purified by your might, Heaven Light!" Both Phythan and Filia were surrounded by a bright golden light, but it wasn't enough. 

"Lina," Xellos rejoined the group, though he still had not fully recovered from the strong attack he recently received. "What is that thing doing to Filia?" His eyes were open, expression angered. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 147: Life! The Chaotic Force That Unites Us

Xellos rarely opened his eyes and when he did, it meant something. Even so, Lina had no patience for him. She knew the Stillness would eventually manifest itself again and she had been expecting it to happen soon since that time at the beach when Shabranigdu was so guarded. By now the fragment of Ruby Eyes probably sensed that the Void was released from its temporary hiding place and was likely holding back even more. The Dragon Slave's power would no doubt be significantly reduced again, perhaps rendering it almost impossible to use. 

The red haired sorceress looked at Filia, finally answering Xellos' question. "It's consuming her, isn't it obvious?" She snapped. Now was not the time to ask about things that she assumed he knew. Lina wasn't aware of Xellos' amnesia, she only knew about Filia's. "It must be like what it tried to do with Amelia, except rather than leaving her after the attack, the Void is still in her." 

"Then get it out of her!" Xellos snapped. He reached over to Filia, but the holy magic around her stung him with a mere touch, as it would for any purely astral being. 

"Don't touch her now, you'll just hurt yourself!" Lina scolded as she pulled Xellos away. "Onyx, you must have had time to train with your own power by now. Let's give Phythan more energy for his spell with recovery." 

"Yes," Onyx nodded quietly and stepped forward. "Brother, make way." Both Lina and Onyx continuously casted recovery on Phythan. Xellos wasn't really paying enough attention to her to even question why Onyx, would call him brother, though they were obviously not related. 

Filia lost consciousness completely, but Gourry caught her before she hit the ground. Being human, he wasn't adversely affected by Phythan's spell, which was powerful against astral beings and was aimed at the Void. Xellos could feel the energy being poured into Filia, it was exceptionally powerful, with Lina and Onyx giving their energy to Phythan, even a high ranking monster would have a severely hard time dealing with such an attack. 

The unconscious Filia remembered her discovery about the ancient dragons and the most critical parts of the battle against Dark Star. Her missing memories from the past few months were resurfacing, but she was forced to focus on the hardships. The near death experiences, the emotional pain, the trickery, the deception, the perceived betrayal, the struggle. 'No... Stop... Please stop!' Filia begged in her mind to no avail. 

'Let go... let go of your will and you shall feel no pain... Let yourself sink into the relief of indifference... Feel no desires... Give up...' An ominous voice echoed in Filia's mind. It no longer sounded like Kirei; this was an unidentifiable sound of emptiness. 

"Don't stop now!" Lina insisted, though all the energy she was giving to Phythan was leaving her in exhaustion. 

"I won't give up... I promised myself not to let anyone get hurt again..." Phythan was dizzy from the strain. He had never poured so much energy into a spell before. The Void was very strong. 

Lina gasped for breath, "that thing... has to... come out..." Amelia was in mortal danger from the after-effects of an attack from the Void. Having the Void remain in her like that had to be worse for Filia. No doubt about it, she was facing her worse fears and reliving her most painful moments. 

"This isn't working," Xellos complained. 

"You're right," Onyx agreed, but didn't stop casting recovery. "The Heaven Light spell is effective, but the Void is too strong, it cannot be defeated as if it were only a monster." 

"Filia is getting cold," Gourry frowned in worry. 

Lina ceased her spell casting and closed her eyes in thought for a moment. This whole thing started back when Lina faced off against Fibrizo. By calling upon the power of the Lord of Nightmares she allowed the missing fragment of the Stillness to enter the world and begin the cycle. She just wanted Gourry back and she admitted that she was willing to give up the world for that purpose, but the world was not hers to give away. "I can fix this..." Lina whispered under her breath, she had stopped casting recovery, though Phythan was still keeping up the holy magic with Onyx's help. "I will fix this," Lina assured more determinately. 

Placing her hand on Phythan's shoulder, Lina began to chant a spell. "Invisible links of the chain, which binds all in this plane, make the target's struggle vain, follow the inescapable lane, Pursuit!" The golden glow around Filia faded and the line of golden light coming from Phythan's hands became thinner but stronger. "This should make the spell remain focused on the target, so that less of it filters out of Filia, it should be safe enough not to make me fail as a bodyguard now. Phythan, keep this spell going. Onyx, keep using recovery." 

"The Void isn't exactly a curse, but it hates emotion, good and bad. It brings bad feelings in order to make people reject their emotions to stop the pain. But it would be a lot harder to force someone to reject positive emotions," Lina explain. "Do you remember the spell you used to cure Filia's poison?" 

"No," Xellos replied truthfully. He didn't even remember Filia being poisoned. Gourry passed her over to him, since the Heaven Light spell was not seeping out dangerously anymore. 

"You have to remember important stuff like that!" Lina pulled out a scroll from her cape. "I haven't just been traveling around idly. I paid Celo a visit and raided his collection of magic tomes. Here are some of my notes. After experiencing being human for a few months, you should have built up enough of a resistance not to get killed casting a spell like this, even as a monster." 

Lina handed the scroll to Gourry, who held it up like a cue card for Xellos to read. "Here you go, heal Filia with a kiss, just like in a fairy tale." 

"I'll back you up with some luck. Let the destiny that our fates reach be the one that we pursue! Life is a gamble to be faced without fear!" Lina began to cast another spell. "Ye who flies and never lands, ye who knows and understands, aligning fate, destiny, chance. Eternal clock of shifting sand, commanding time's advance, heed mine will, mine stance, deliver triumph to mine hand. Fortune Lock!" 

Xellos wasn't even sure what to make from the recent events, but this was not a time for doubts or hesitation. "Potentia, pura amor, vera basium, basiamini, salutes, vitae, nostra corda, iungitis, nego finis, aeterna!" The spell was charged with positive emotions, that was what empowered it. Xellos couldn't remember how he developed a resistance to this, all he could do was believe he had it, which wasn't as difficult as he thought it would be. He kissed Filia. There was an overwhelmingly sweet taste to it, but he found that perhaps he had a big enough sweet tooth to handle it after all. Images surfaced in his mind, they were the memories he had been missing, they were all coming back. 

They finally parted, the spell casting ceased completely from all those present and a few silent seconds passed. A silver mist fell out of Filia, the Void sunk into the ground in a hasty retreat. Filia's blue eyes opened, tired but focused. "Xellos... I remember..." She smiled weary but relieved. "I remember everything..." 

"So do I," Xellos grinned. It was a lot to take in, suddenly recalling all the events that had transpired all at once, but he was glad to have his full memories back. 

Lina felt the ground beneath her feet vibrate slightly. The Stillness was reemerging, that had to be it. "It looks like the Stillness is finally coming out of hiding. It's about time we finished this." Her serious expression turned hungry as she glanced at Xellos. "You still owe me some food, especially after all I did just now!" 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The next day, Filia paced around the waiting room of a stadium where the women's brass rackets tournament was being held. "Why are we playing brass rackets at a time like this? I already got my memories back anyway. The Stillness is out there waiting to attack!" 

"It is best to relax before a match." Zelas, in her Yuna Wolf look, leaned back on her chair and close her eyes. "Celo will take a while longer to finish the gateway to the Stillness' hideout now that it's accessible again." Plus Zelas needed to complete her plan to reveal her identity. It couldn't be done in the world-wide classic brass rackets tournament that would take place in a couple of weeks, since she couldn't wait that long. Yet even if she had to push her plans forward hastily, she still intended to get a good amount of chaos out of them. Yuna Wolf and possibly by association, Angel Dragon, would likely both be banned from the world-wide tournament after it was known that she was a monster. "If you're curious, I can tell you about the cure I was planning to offer you for your brass rackets partnership services, even if you already have your memories back anyway." 

Filia allowed herself to fall into a chair. "I thought you'd leave me guessing." She let out a breath of exasperation. "Honestly, I'm here more so for Solex's sake than because I expected help getting my memories back if I didn't have them." 

"It would be harmless to tell you. Not particularly fun since you already have your memories back, but still somewhat amusing," Zelas decided. "You know how they say that your life flashes before your eyes before you die? That was the answer. You might not need to be killed to remember anymore, but if you ever decide you want some assistance with that, I'm always available," she offered sweetly. 

Filia frowned as she sarcastically replied. "That's very kind of you, but I'll have to decline your offer." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Meanwhile, at Dragon's Peak. A buzz zap sound was heard as Xellos faded out of the astral side, rather forcefully, just outside of Milgazia's house, as if he had crashed face first into a shield while trying to teleport. "Ow..." The static of the magical shield that blocked access even from astral space, which caught him off guard, was still clinging to him, making his purple hair stick out in every direction. Xellos smoothed out his hair as Milgazia ran out of the house in a white, golden lined bathrobe, still slightly wet as if he got out of the tub in a hurry. 

The golden dragon elder carried an oversized mace as big as him, which had been sent as a gift from Filia. He assumed she was just being friendly, although she was actually trying to cheer him up after his supposed breakup. It looked like he had casted Astral Vine on the mace and was ready to cause some serious pain. Milgazia stopped as he realized who it was that had arrived, "it's you..." 

Seeing that Milgazia didn't look like he was going to attack after all, Xellos inquired. "Who were you expecting?" 

"That annoying snake monster, Galathia, has been trying to teleport into my house at the most inappropriate moments recently." Milgazia frowned in extreme annoyance and disapproval. "I warned her not to try it again if she valued her life." Really, there was only so much even the ever patient Milgazia could put up with. "Anyway, why have you come here? If it is to discuss the fate of Kirei and the issue of the Stillness..." He trailed into silence in frustration. He didn't expect Kirei to give up her very will to exist for revenge when it looked like she was finally becoming accustomed to living in Dragon's Peak. 

"No," Xellos interrupted. "I'm not here to talk about that at all. I came to warn you." 

Milgazia wasn't expecting that and he wasn't about to so easily believe it. "About what?" 

"You've angered Beast Master and because of that, the golden dragon race is doomed." Xellos' violet eyes opened for a second, showing that he was serious, before closing again. "You need to fix it." 

Since Filia never got around to telling Xellos what was it that she was supposed to be doing for Beast Master, instead continuously stealing his trademark phrase teasingly, he decided to ask Zelas directly. The monster lord's reply was simple and to the point, truthful, yet deceiving. "I offered to kill her." 

Xellos took it all with a calm demeanor. Zelas didn't sound particularly angry or bitter, but even so, her threats were not to be disregarded or taken lightly. He reasoned that she must be upset at the golden dragon race as a whole because of Milgazia. That meant that there was still a chance to repair the damage and for Filia to be spared. Xellos certainly didn't want Zelas to get back together with Milgazia, but if they could tone down the bitterness, then maybe she could get revenge on him only and not on all the golden dragons. 

Milgazia remembered that Zelas had slapped him, but he still didn't understand why she did. "I don't even know what she's angry about." 

"And you think I do?" Xellos pouted. He had learned and reaffirmed the knowledge that all females, be them monsters, dragons, humans or otherwise, were temperamental sadists, it was simply in their nature. "Either way, the least you could do is go talk to her." 

As much as Milgazia disliked the monster lord, he would like to discuss a few things with her, especially concerning the Stillness. "Very well, I will go to Wolf Pack Island then." 

"She's not there," Xellos pointed out. "In the place where she is now, if you are to reach her you must go in disguise. There's no time to waste, so let's get ready." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

A few minutes later, at Milgazia's house... "I'm not wearing this!" The golden dragon elder's voice echoed through Dragon's Peak. 

"Are you going to let your race be destroyed just because you're picky with colors?" Xellos argued. 

"It's not about the color!" Milgazia snapped. 

Just outside of the house, Memphis, Phythan and Onyx were listening. They couldn't see what was going on, but they found the argument to be very peculiar. "I always knew it was only a matter of time before someone made uncle Milgazia lose his patience and snap. He's always so serious, even though he tells great jokes." 

Phythan nodded in agreement, he was still sad about Kirei, she was his friend. But at least he had his other friends still with him, including his best friend Onyx, who had started to give him more attention lately and that made him feel better. Onyx on the other hand didn't quite agree with Memphis' affirmation about Milgazia's jokes, which she found to be rather dull. 

Memphis, Phythan and Onyx went around the house to the backdoor as the argument continued. Then suddenly, the door burst open and Xellos and Milgazia rolled down the hill behind the dragon elder's house, mixed up in a fight as if they were trying to strangle each other. The struggling pair landed in a mud puddle at the bottom of the hill as the three spectators rushed to see the results of the battle. 

Covered in mud, Milgazia stood up and pulled his pants up, he was hoping that no one had seen the ordeal, but he had no such luck. Honestly he preferred Xellos' thinly veiled threats instead of this. "Um... Xellos, did you just pull down Milgazia's pants? I think that's cheating." Phythan pointed out. 

Xellos was also covered in mud. "Don't think badly of it. I was only trying to get him to wear a skirt." Xellos explained with a cheerful painted grin as if it was the most logical and reasonable thing in the world. 

"Oh, right," Phythan nodded. "You were only trying to... what?" 

"I'll handle this," Milgazia voiced sternly. Concluding that it was in their best interest to leave, Phythan, Onyx and Memphis swiftly retreated up the hill, disappearing behind Milgazia's house and leaving the golden dragon elder to deal with the tricky mischievous purple haired monster. "I don't see how this is absolutely necessary." Milgazia tried to reason with Xellos. "Why must we infiltrate the tournament just so I can talk to Zelas?" 

"I already told you," Xellos insisted. "This is the only way you can talk to her right now and you can't afford to wait. Quit complaining, I'm infiltrating along with you." 

"That's different," Milgazia growled as he forgot about his self imposed rules of diplomacy. "It's okay for you because you have no dignity." 

Xellos wasn't sure if he should be angry, offended or simply shocked. "You kind of sounded like Filia just now." He noted, not sure if he really wanted to make such an observation. 

Milgazia mentally counted to ten, Filia was a good person, but she wasn't exactly the best diplomat and he was supposed to be. "Somehow, it appears that sooner or later, you're capable of making any dragon throw diplomacy out the window." 

"I'll take that as a compliment." Xellos voiced and pushing aside his annoyance, he grinned. "Would you stop being stubborn if I find you a blue skirt instead of pink? Or would you prefer purple?" 

Milgazia let out a groan of exasperation. Somehow, he had become a part of that very strange group that Lina Inverse claimed to be the leader of and he knew there was no way out. Although, as straining as it could be at times, perhaps it was for the best. At the very least he could say his life would always be interesting, becoming closer to its essence, closer to chaos. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At the stadium where the brass rackets tournament was taking place. All the contestants, including the mysterious late entries, were gathered in a room where a random drawing would determine which teams would participate in the next match. Filia was surprised to see Lina and Amelia were there in a team. Gourry and Zelgadis were spared the trouble of using disguises since Lina and Amelia were partnered with each other. Instead, the swordsman and the chimera would be watching from the audience. 

"Miss Filia, Miss Lina told me you recovered your memories and about the dramatic battle against the Void. In light of that, have you and Mr. Xellos reconciled?" Amelia inquired with a hopeful look in her eyes. 

Filia blushed, "yes." Although they had actually reconciled before her memories returned. 

"How wonderful!" Amelia happily exclaimed, making random people give her odd looks at her outbursts. "I've been keeping this safe for you." The princess revealed the amethyst ring she kept in her pocket. "I knew you would want it back later." 

"My ring!" Filia was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't lost after all. Val had chewed up the wedding bands so many times during his first few weeks of life, that Filia had eventually given up on fixing them. "I thought it was lost, thank you." 

"You're welcome!" Amelia cheered. 

"Um..." Lina lightly tapped Amelia and Filia on their shoulders and when she got their attention, she pointed. The redhead's expression looked like she was making a huge effort not to burst out in a very loud fit of laughter. 

Filia and Amelia followed the direction of Lina's pointing finger to find Xellos in a girly brass rackets uniform. Given the fact that this was Xellos and Zelas was participating, they weren't too shocked to see him like that, nor were they particularly shocked at how believable the outfit was, Xellos was a tricky master of disguise. What shocked them beyond belief was the one standing next to Xellos who shrunk into the crowd, leaving their line of sight as fast, quietly and inconspicuously as he could. "Milgazia!?" Filia and Amelia chorused, while Lina's laughter exploded loudly, prompting the same reaction from Amelia and Filia. 

"Oh, no, no," Xellos shook his finger, speaking in a feminine voice. "That's my brass rackets partner, Mimi, and I am Xexe, nice to meet you." He added a cute little giggle at the end of his sentence which just made everything even weirder. As for Zelas, she was standing near the front of the crowd, away from the group, not really paying attention to them and had not yet seen Milgazia. 

As soon as Lina managed to get her laughter under control, she placed her hands on her hips and pouted. "Where's my food? You owe me!" She demanded. 

"Alright, alright, come over here for a minute," Xellos and Lina left the room, while Filia and Amelia discussed what could have possibly come over Milgazia to make him parade around in a blue and white brass rackets uniform, short skirt included, with a big blue bow on his head. 

To be Continued


	50. Chapter 50

Slayers: Freedom - Part 1

Slayers: Alive - Episode 148: Fight! A Test Of Determination

Out in the hallway at the stadium, Xellos grinned at Lina in his usual trickster fashion. "Be right back," he faded away into the astral side. 

Lina looked up and down the hallways to make sure no one had seen Xellos disappear. She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for him to return. A few minutes later, the monster general priest phased back into existence. "It took you long enough!" Lina impatiently exclaimed. 

Xellos was holding a very large sandwich. "Beast Master perfected her magical oven which can de-poison dragon meat very quickly. The poison is harmless to monsters, but she likes to go all the way to make her cuisine perfect." 

Lina snatched away the sandwich and took a big bite. She immediately spat it out into a potted plant that was decorating the deserted hallway. "I thought you said Zelas made this cuisine!" She reproached angrily. 

"She did," Xellos confirmed. "Zelas cooked the dragon meat; I only put it in the sandwich." 

Lina parted the two halves of the bred to take a look inside. There were some multicolored condiments all over the inside of the sandwich. "It takes a really horrible cook to mess up making a sandwich," she grimaced in a depressing tone, over the waste of such great cuisine. 

"Ingrate," Xellos grumbled. 

"I dare you to eat this," Lina returned the sandwich to Xellos with a challenging glare. 

Confidently, Xellos took a bite and soon found himself spitting into the same unfortunate potted plant Lina had attacked before with a very similar disgusted expression. "I blame the dragon." He tossed the rest of the sandwich into the potted plant. 

Lina pouted, "I blame you!" 

Any further arguments were interrupted, by a member of the tournament staff exiting the room where the participants were gathered and spotting the pair in the hallway. A very embarrassed Milgazia was with him, his eyes glued to the floor. The employee was also being accompanied by an energetic Amelia. "There you are Miss Xexe and Miss Lina. You and your respective partners Miss Mimi and Miss Amelia will be participating on the next round. Please follow me to the test room before going out to the court." Xellos and Milgazia especially didn't like the sound of that, but they went along anyway. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Lina, Amelia, Xellos and Milgazia, aka Xexe and Mimi, were led to another room which held a pedestal in its center, with a pillow upon which there was a clear glass orb. The employee picked up the orb and it glowed blue. "This orb glows blue for males and pink for females. Please excuse the inconvenience ladies, but we've had some people trying to bend the rules for the sake of taking a shot at the price." He passed the glowing orb to Amelia and it turned pink when she held it. Eyeing Lina suspiciously, the employee mused, 'there's no way that flat chested tomboy is a girl...' Although, to his surprise the orb glowed pink when Lina held it. 

Lina held out the orb to Xellos, who hesitated to take it. "What's that?" He spoke in a girly voice, pointing at something down the hallway outside of the small test room, although there was in reality nothing there. 

"What is it, miss?" The employee stepped out to the hallway and found nothing. Before he could get back inside the test room, the door was slammed closed and locked. He attempted to open it, but it wouldn't. "Open the door!" 

"Oh my, the breeze must have pushed the door closed and it's stuck!" Xellos exclaimed in his acted voice. He picked up the glass orb, which glowed blue. Whispering so that only his fellow brass rackets participants could hear him, he concluded. "There's no way around this." 

"But aren't you a cone?" Lina blurted out. "What's the difference between a boy cone and a girl cone anyway?" 

Shaking his finger in front of his face, Xellos replied, "that is a secret." Lina huffed in response. 

"I think what he means is that a monster's persona, rather than their astral form, is what determines gender," Milgazia pointed out. It was obvious that they already knew who he was, so pretending he didn't know them was useless. 

"Which means that no matter how you disguise yourself, you can't trick that thing any more than a non-monster could," Lina concluded. 

"But why are you doing this in the first place?" Amelia inquired with curiosity. 

"That's what I'd like to know too," Lina added with a suspicious look. 

"That is a secret!" Xellos annoyingly replied. He quickly tossed the blue glowing orb to Lina as he heard the door open and it became pink when she caught it. 

The same employee from before, now looking rather upset, entered the test room. "I had to use the spare key. Funny how the breeze locked the door in addition to closing it." He frowned suspiciously, eyeing Milgazia critically. 'This one is cute, but kind of tall for a girl and what's with those eyebrows?' The employee mused; he didn't seem to have any suspicions about Xellos yet. 

"Oh no, I don't feel good," Xellos exclaimed dramatically, in an exaggerated pained female voice. 

Xellos pretended to faint into Milgazia's arms, who was not very happy to catch him. Trying to mask his voice as well as he could, which wasn't all that great, Milgazia excused himself and Xellos. "I should take Xexe to see the nurse, please excuse us." 

"You'll be forfeiting the match if you leave now!" The employee called after them as Milgazia ran away carrying Xellos down the hallway. 

"It looks like we win by default!" Lina cheered, though her victory was interrupted by an earthquake, signaling that the Stillness was about to go on the attack again. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Milgazia dropped Xellos in the hallway after they turned a corner away from the room from where they fled. Fed up with all of this, the golden dragon elder turned to walk away in a huff. Before Xellos could comment on his daring actions, he saw Milgazia stop cold, but not because of the earthquake. From the opposite side of the hallway, Filia and Zelas were coming over. Filia just stared at Milgazia and Zelas noticed him at last. 

The monster lord smiled, the expression growing as she tried to contain laughter. A soft melodious giggle fought to come out until she couldn't resist it anymore. The giggle evolved into an all out elegant laugh. Around that time, Lina and Amelia curiously made their way over. Zelas' laughter increased until it became a loud and imposing mix between laughter, roar and howl. Several minutes passed as all those present held their hands over their ears in pain. Finally, Zelas took a deep breath and quieted. 

Zelgadis and Gourry, who were supposed to be in the audience, rushed over to see what was going on. "What happened?" The chimera urged in alarm. "There was an earthquake, we heard a roaring howl and everyone in the audience is in a panic! Was it part of the Stillness' atta-" Zelgadis paused, leaving his question unfinished. "Milgazia?" 

"That awful sound was Zelas," Milgazia grumbled in embarrassment. 

"The earthquake was most likely the Stillness," Lina pointed out. 

Gourry placed his hand on Milgazia's shoulder in a sign of support. "They're picking on you too? I know how it feels. I've lost count of how many times Lina forced me to wear a dress against my will." 

"So the ever serious Milgazia has a sense of humor after all." Zelas calmly approached, grinning in amusement. "We are no longer partners for LIFE," because there had to be a change of plans due to the Stillness' not waiting any longer to attack. "But you can still be my brass rackets partner every now and then," she mocked. 

Xellos wasn't expecting Beast Master to be so easily appeased. Though she wasn't actually planning to kill Filia, her misleading phrasing was still true. Nonetheless, as far as Xellos knew, he just saved Filia from being killed. Amelia, Lina, Zelgadis and even Gourry were also paying attention to Zelas' words. They silently concluded along with Xellos and Filia, that though Zelas and Milgazia broke up, they were somehow still friends. It was a bit odd, they mused, but certainly less complicated than dating. Perhaps this was all for the best. Thankfully, none of them voice their conclusions. 

Any reaction Milgazia might have intended to voice was interrupted by another earthquake. "The Stillness is getting impatient," Zelas noted. "There's no more time to waste. Xellos, remember what we talked about when you reported late last night? Go, everything is ready for you to regain your shield." 

"Yes, Lord Beast Master," after glancing briefly at Filia, Xellos teleported to Wolf Pack Island. He was going to once again temporarily become human. That would grant him a physical shield against the Stillness' astral powers. 

"Fang!" Zelas called out. The monster fox appeared, answering to his master's summoning instantly. "It is time to prepare for the final battle. Take the last ancient dragon to Wolf Pack Island for safe keeping and assist my soldiers in getting ready. Milgazia, you can go home and defend your reptile pals; Fang can teleport you to Dragon's Peak. My soldiers of chaos can handle this. Now I must go, I have some business of my own to take care of." With those words of parting, Zelas disappeared. 

"By soldiers, does she mean us?" Gourry inquired with the same cloud of confusion that followed him everywhere. 

"Looks like it," Lina confirmed. "Alright everyone, time to finish the Stillness once and for all. If it came out of hiding, it must think it's ready to face us. The Void was weakened because the cycle was moved back after the power of the Sea of Chaos was used to restore the planet. Lamentation, which is fused with the remains of the Green Alchemist, must be stronger than the Void." Lina was now in full on leader mode. "The Void retreated and must have fused with the rest of the Stillness again. Let's stay on our guard and most importantly, let's win!" 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Zelas reappeared at the main area of the stadium. The panicking crowd noticed her and pointed. They didn't understand where Yuna Wolf had come from and why she was standing there so calmly. Zelas took on her true form, causing an even bigger panic to spread out. Zombies were emerging from the earth again and the vegetation was going crazy. The Stillness was going all out! 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Fang teleported Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis and Filia to a new location. They reappeared on a small island covered in cooled off volcanic rock. "This is..." Zelgadis looked around recognizing the area, it was his island. The human Xellos, Tiffany and Celo were already waiting there. 

"My mission with you is done, I'll go take my place for my next task. Good luck everyone!" Fang teleported away. 

"Greetings everyone, this is where the gate way has been prepared." Celo pointed to a glowing circle on the ground. "The left over energy from the volcanic rocks is a good conductor for magic." The circle was surrounded by many symbols and words written in an ancient lost language. "I modified the spell Solex reported, which was used to temporarily open a gateway. I've made it so that it will stay open. It took a little longer, but it should be worth it. This way some of the energy left in this world will seep into the battle zone and make it a little more bearable. Don't expect Lord Ruby Eyes spell to be too responsive, the Stillness is draining him terribly. Beast Master is not really worried though; the dragons have suffered many losses and are in no position to attack after this is over." 

"Tiffany, you're..." Filia was shocked at seeing how much her friend changed. 

Tiffany's disguise was gone and her chimera condition was obvious. "Don't be sad, sweet Filia, I've always been the host of the End. It's alright, I've come to terms with this, I'll do everything I can!" She assured. 

"This is not a time for doubts," Celo added. Filia knew it was hard for him, but if he could be strong, then so could she, for Tiffany's sake. 

Another being emerged from the astral side. He wore dark blue clothes with white details in a style similar to an army general. His hair was the same violet color as Xellos, though in a much less neat style in short spikes. A patch of cyan hair stood out on the right side of his bangs, which fell unruly over the edge of his small rectangular silver glasses. Despite the hair and glass in the way, his golden eyes were very focused and piercing. His ears were long and pointy and he wore an earring on his left ear shaped like a black dice with white dots. 

"What a surprise to see you outside of the office, Eros," Xellos greeted him with a grin. 

Erosnum, a monster on the lower end of the high rank in terms of power, frowned. "My name is Erosnum," he corrected. He hated when people abbreviated his name. Pushing up his glasses as it was his habit, he went down to business. "I am only here to see you off, out of curiosity. It is not every day that one has to deal with adverting the end of the world. This is certainly not the first time, but this particular coming of the apocalypse has been by far the one that brought the most complications to my accounting duties. A word of advice, if it is possible, try to save the world as economically as you can, I am having a hard time as it is readjusting budgets and keeping things under control. I must return to my duties now, good day." 

"Who was that?" Filia curiously inquired. 

"Erosnum or just Eros for short, he's Beast Master's head accountant and the lead manager for her business ventures," Xellos explained. "He's a walking contradiction, although maybe he has to be. A monster can't work with predictable numbers for too long before having to find a source of chaos and unpredictability. He spends most of his time working and favors stability and safe investments in his job. In his free time, he's an impulsive gambler who can't get enough of the thrill of risk," the general priest chuckled at the irony. "It looks like he was only here to see us off. Shall we be on our way?" 

"This is it!" Lina cheered, "the Stillness will finally pay for causing a famine!" 

"Fight hard, don't forget you're representing Lord Beast Master in battle!" Celo reminded. "The Stillness is launching a massive wave of attacks all over the world. Milgazia and the dragons will defend the Kataart Mountains. Since Seyruun is technically allied to Beast Master now because of the fine print of a food purchase contract, she has recruited Phythan and Onyx as her interns again and sent them to assist in defending the city. Fang will help out where he's needed too." 

"And Luna will protect Zephilia," Lina concluded. 

"For chaos!" Celo cheered. 

"For chaos!" Xellos cheered as well. 

"For justice!" Amelia was being herself. 

"For food!" Lina and Gourry added as they stepped into the circle along with everyone else. 

The gateway activated and Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Xellos, Filia and Tiffany were transported away, to the enemy's main base, while Celo remained guarding the portal to make sure it stayed open. Besides, he wasn't sure he could hold back the need to interfere if he actually saw the End's host being combined with the other pieces, but he understood this had to be done. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

The gateway took the group to a cavern deep underground. Though they could not see a tunnel or any physical path leading to the surface, they could feel the astral space around the island connected to the area they were in, beyond the astral shield that surrounded it. It seemed to lessen the sense of detachment that came with that strange place, as if they were no where. 

The stone walls pulsated with glowing energy that lit up the whole space in the center of which there was a giant seed. The seed was surrounded by tree roots that had no perceptible beginning or end, entangling the seed and its surrounding area, sinking into the walls. "So you came... No, I allowed you to come." The Stillness' echoing voice was heard. 

Amelia shuddered involuntarily, "why do I feel like the 'life is wonderful' song is silly?" 

"Because this place is anti-life!" Zelgadis realized. 

"Focus everyone! The atmosphere here is like a constant astral attack!" Lina called out. They just barely arrived at the battle field and things were already looking difficult. 

Xellos soon realized why exactly Beast Master couldn't be there. Even with everyone's thoughts anchoring her existence to the world, the astral draining properties of the atmosphere were too strong. Somehow, their bodies were reacting on their own, as if awakening to an unknown survival instinct and redirecting some of the astral damage to the physical plane. The result was pain, a constant pain that wouldn't cease for as long as they were so close to the center of the Stillness. Xellos understood now why he so crucially needed a shield, without the physical body he had, he would be badly drained already. 

"I have your other piece right here!" Tiffany charged forward bravely. The brown roots that surrounded the area glowed green, producing a multitude of thorny vines that aimed to trap her. 

"Why do you return the missing fragment?" The Stillness' voice echoed ominously. "Erratic creatures of chaos, your behavior makes no sense. None the less, the End should sleep a little longer; it is not yet time to clean the remains of the world, not until it all dies." 

"As if we'd ever allow that!" Lina shot a barrage of fireballs, clearing the path for Tiffany, "Fireball! Fireball! Fireball!" 

"Life is wonderful and I'll never stop thinking that!" Amelia determinately declared. "Elmekia Lance!" The lance of light flew ahead of Tiffany, colliding with the seed that contained the remains of the Green Alchemist, Lamentation and the Void. 

"Ray Wing!" Tiffany sped up her approached to the enemy across the large underground chamber. 

"Source of all souls which dwell in eternal and infinite. Everlasting flame of blue, let the power in my soul be called forth from the infinite... Ra-Tilt!" Zelgadis released the spell as strongly as he could, aimed at the Stillness' seed. 

"Stupid dragon, you know what would really be helpful now, right? Fusion magic," Xellos suggested. 

"Yes, but how are we supposed to do that, raw garbage?" Filia argued. "You're a human and if you were a monster, you wouldn't be able to be here." Filia urgently reminded, though she knew Xellos must have some kind of plan in mind if he was bringing that up. 

"Beast Master and I planned for this. You just need to take care of the holy magic, I'll supply the monster energy with a direct link to Beast Master's power. Just because Zelas isn't here in person, doesn't mean she can't lend me her power." Xellos ascertained with confidence. "Just give me a few seconds to call it." 

"Right, leave these annoying vines to me!" Filia continued shooting the vines with her laser breath, preventing them from trapping her and the others. 

Tiffany was almost to the seed when she crashed into an invisible shield. The Ray Wing spell came undone and she levitated to stay in place. At the same time, the ground around the rest of the group began to crack, with rotting corpses emerging from it. "Xellos, Filia, use fusion magic!" 

"Fusion magic? Is it going to get rid of the zombies?" Gourry used his special sword to create echoes of the slashes, which chopped a line of zombies to pieces. Even then, the corpses tried to pick themselves up and put themselves back together, albeit they were slowed down. 

"No, this is to help Tiffany with her mission." Filia explained, while Amelia exorcised the zombies. Xellos was almost ready, so she would have to call forth her power soon. 

"Astral Vine!" Zelgadis powered up his sword and slashed away at the attacking vines. "These stupid vines are still coming, zombies and killer plants? Those are two things that are not supposed to happen at the same time!" 

"Xellos, the spell!" Filia called out, gathering her holy magic in a golden ball in her hands. "Ah!" The thorny vines that were heading towards her were reduced to ashes by a fireball. 

"You just focus on that spell; I'll guard the two of you." Lina kept them safe while the fusion magic was being casted. 

Xellos was perfectly still with his eyes closed, standing motionless like a statue for several more seconds until he appeared to awaken suddenly. "You better be ready!" He formed a ball of black light in his hands that was very much pure monster energy. 

"Zelas is possessing you... So that's how..." Filia recalled using a similar technique herself to call the Fire Dragon for information, but this was a more advanced version. It was probably only possible to cast it so quickly because of the relation between Zelas and Xellos. 

The two opposing energies were united in a beam of black and gold that disintegrated all the thorny vines that tried to get in its way. The fusion magic crashed into the seed surrounded by what looked like shattering glass as it destroyed the invisible shield around it, which previously shielded it from physical attacks and non-astral magic. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 149: Win! There Are No Impossibilities

Deep underground... While the area of the fusion magic's impact on the seed still glowed with swirls of black and gold, surrounded in purple lightning, Tiffany flew into it. It was obvious she was in a lot of pain as she pushed her mutated body against the glowing surface of the seed and slowly sunk into it, chanting the spell that was obtained from the knowledge Rezo left to Zelas. Tiffany forced the Stillness to absorb the final fragment, holding on to the remains of the Green Alchemist to help the merge progress. A noticeable crack was left on the seed where the fusion magic had hit it. 

"Tiffany!" Filia called out to her, as silence invaded the area and the attack of the vines appeared to relent, though the zombies were still coming. "I can no longer sense her presence, but the Stillness feels stronger." 

"Not stronger, only clearer because it's not hiding behind that shield anymore," Lina corrected. "Tiffany understood what she needed to do, don't let this dishearten you!" 

"You're right... I can't lower my guard," Filia realized. 

Xellos was released from Zelas' temporary possession looking dizzy and sick. "I'm back... I think..." 

"Xellos!" Filia tried to steady his balance in worry. "All that monster energy flowing through a human body was too much!" 

"It doesn't matter," Xellos insisted, stepping aside and finding his focus to continue fighting. "This human body only needs to last out through this fight. It doesn't matter in what conditions I'm left. After this is over, I will no longer need this vessel." 

The earth shook as the thorny vines dried up and fell off the roots and the seed glowed, emitting an echoing voice. "Lamentation, the Void, the End, I am the Stillness, I am nothingness. Why do you seek to complete me? Do you really believe you can destroy me if all the pieces are together? Destroying a single piece is useless, but destroying all three at the same time is impossible." 

"Where are your chimeras?" Lina boldly challenged. "Why are you not throwing more of your minions at us? Why aren't you sending more of those plant monsters to attack us? It's because you've run out, haven't you? They're all dead and all you can do is throw more zombies at us. I see right through you, by wanting to destroy everything, you'll destroy yourself. You really are nothing and if not for the remains of the Green Alchemist and the other pieces of chaos in you, you wouldn't even be here." 

"Silence, insignificant human!" The earth shook more violently and more zombies emerged from it. 

"Miss Lina, I don't think making the Stillness angry is a good idea!" Amelia warned. 

"I may be just a human, but you should never underestimate an angry human and let me tell you, us humans get really cranky when someone messes with our food supplies!" Lina threatened. "Give me some cover guys, this might take a while longer to cast, but I'll do it!" 

"I don't know what her plan is, but we might as well go with it." Zelgadis decided, mostly because he really didn't want to argue with Lina right now. 

"Right, we'll follow Lina like we always do," Gourry slashed away at more zombies along with Zelgadis, making it easier for Amelia and Filia to exorcise them. 

"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows..." Lina focused hard, speaking each word carefully to allow the energy to go to her. 

"The Dragon Slave?" Filia questioned. Wasn't that spell supposed to be unusable at the moment? 

"Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows..." Lina continued slowly casting the spell. 

"Lord Ruby Eyes is being drained away by the Stillness and the Stillness is right here in front of us," Xellos realized. "I understand; this is the place where Shabranigdu's energy is going. His power cannot be called from the surface, but if it's this close towards the point where his power is being taken to, then it might work." 

"I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hands..." Shabranigdu's energy which the Stillness tried to call towards itself was responding to Lina more and more with each word she spoke. It was as if the piece of Shabranigdu would rather lend its power to this chaotic girl than be used by the being of nothingness that stood against chaos. "Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed..." Lina was expecting the spell to be difficult and drawn out all the way, as it was when she started it, but now it was turning out to be one of the most powerful Dragon Slaves she had casted. "By the power you and I possess..." 

Finally ready, Lina released the spell she was so well known for, full force, aiming for the crack left by the fusion magic attack on the seed. "Dragon Slave!" The massive blast of energy collided with the seed, turning it into a ball of glowing fire. The roots connected to the seed and the cave walls around them were ablaze with Shabranigdu's energy reducing them to ashes. The aftershock of energy made the group drop to the ground and cast shielding magic to protect themselves from the massive blast that was entrapped in the chamber. 

When the blindingly bright light cleared out, everything was left in darkness. The pulsations of energy in the cave walls were no longer there. Zelgadis and Amelia flooded the area with orbs of light, restoring the chamber back to its previous level of brightness, like daylight. The Seed was still there, floating, but its colors looked gray, dried up and dull with numerous cracks around it. The seed's shell fell away to reveal a silvery mist in the middle of it. "Give up, insignificant mortals, the Stillness cannot be defeated!" The Stillness echoing voice was heard. 

Lina was left exhausted with the massive amount of power Shabranigdu allowed her to call. Everyone's capabilities were reduced due to the atmosphere they were in and they were pushing themselves past their limits. At least the zombies had stopped emerging from the ground, at least for now. "We'll win and we'll have another triple banquet in Seyruun!" 

"Insignificant creatures," the Stillness' growling voice echoed. "There will be nothing left for anyone to feast on. Not even the monsters can enjoy the world's misery, because only I shall feast on even them." 

Glaring fiercely at the silvery mist that was the Stillness, Lina voiced her conclusions. "When I called Shabranigdu's power, I realized that you weren't just draining power from the fragment that is frozen in the northern mountains, there was more power than that. That power was from discarded fragments that were thrown into the Sea of Chaos. For a second when Shabranigdu's energy was coursing through me, I could see it. I saw the true Sea of Chaos beyond the space that separates it and the world," Lina revealed. "You have no intentions of allowing the world to start anew." 

"That is the purpose of the End," Lina continued. "It exists to not allow a new world to be reborn from the remains of the old one. I see now how important it was to fuse the End with the other pieces and destroy it. If the End remained, the world could still be erased if the situation got bad enough, even if the roles of Lamentation and the Void were incomplete. You intend to make it so that what's left of the world can't even be absorbed by the Sea of Chaos, so that it's completely gone. Then you intend to attack the Sea of Chaos itself and erase the remains of all things that once belonged to the world, everything and everyone." 

"Returning to chaos leaves behind the hope of rising from chaos, because chaos is life. But life is imperfection and I cannot allow that imperfection to go on existing," the Stillness replied. "What you say is true, I intend to erase it all, not simply end it, but make it as if nothing ever started, as if the world never existed. Don't you know? The Sea of Chaos is the source of power of the Lord of Nightmares, if I can weaken the Sea of Chaos, my ultimate enemy, the Mother of All Things, who dared to set this chaotic world in motion, will be weakened too." The Stillness revealed in its echoing ominous voice. "This insignificant world is only a stepping stone; it is the Mother of All Things that I wish to challenge." 

"The Stillness may not be a monster, but it's something that doesn't belong in this world and it is mostly astral," Lina mused aloud. "Maybe it can be exorcised; we all saw how Elmekia Lance and Ra-Tilt worked even before the fusion magic destroyed the shield." 

"I am indeed no monster; do not compare me to those creatures of chaos!" The entire area trembled as the silvery mist of the Stillness produced many twisting ribbons of light that flooded the atmosphere and made it hard to breathe. The pain was both physical and mental, making giving up just to be put out of the misery very tempting. 

Doubts invaded the group's minds and for a moment even Lina questioned if she could get through this. Then suddenly, Amelia's voice was heard, "life is wonderful, living is great, injustice and evil those are the things I hate! Life is wonderful and don't you forget, if we work together we can defeat any threat! Life is wonderful and living is delicious, after this battle we'll have a banquet most nutritious!" 

"Triple banquet!" Lina and Gourry exclaimed at the same time. 

"There's no way we're going to die without having another banquet like that!" Lina stubbornly declared. 

"That's right, we'll save the world and then we'll eat!" Gourry cheered. 

"How can you resist?" The Stillness intensified the power of the twisting ribbons of light that flowed from the silvery mist. "Come to me undead minions!" 

The ground under their feet shook violently as a creature much larger than a human zombie broke free from it. The being was rotten and decayed, but its features were still unmistakable, though its once brilliant golden scales were now dull and damaged. "A golden dragon zombie?" Filia gasped. The ground continued to shake and break as three more zombies emerged, their rotting scales in different colors from the others. "A Black dragon, a white dragon, a dimos dragon... How could they have been turned into zombies?" 

"This is no time to despair," Lina insisted in warning. "All of this has to be draining the Stillness' power. The more the enemy throws at us, the more desperate it is! Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows..." Lina paused, Shabranigdu's power wasn't responding at all. "What?" 

"Do you really think I would let you pull off that trick twice?" The Stillness' voice echoed. "I'm holding on to Shabranigdu much more strongly now. I will not allow his power to be stolen from me again! Attack undead dragons!" 

The four dragon zombies let out a breath of black smoke that flooded the area in darkness. Amelia send out a bright Lighting spell with extra power to try to create enough brightness to see through the smoke as it seemed to consume the light orbs that had been previously created. The light illuminated the area just in time for Amelia to jump back away from an incoming claw attack from the golden zombie dragon. 

"These dragons... They're just empty shells, they don't have the abilities of their races when they are alive." Xellos observed, narrowly dodging the dimos zombie dragon's tail as it tried to crush him. 

"Right, they're nothing but big animated corpses!" Lina agreed. 

Gourry got flung against a wall by the white dragon's tail. "These corpses hit hard," he peeled himself off the indentation in the shape of his body that was left in the wall and fought back with his sword, the echo of the slashes colliding with the dragon zombies' tough hide with little effect. The black dragon tried to slash at him with its claws, but Gourry parried with the sword, pushing against the dragon's claw until the claw was cut off. "The echo slashes may not work against them, but the sword is sharp enough!" Realizing that close range direct attacks was the only way his sword would work against the dragons, Gourry bravely charged forward. 

"Fireball! Fireball! Fireball!" Lina shot one spell after another, but it didn't seem to have much of an effect against the dimos dragon's tough hide. She forced herself so much that she fell to her knees after the rapid succession of unsuccessful spells. Amelia and Filia's Elmekia Lances didn't have much of an effect either, even though the dragons were zombies. 

Gourry's visibility was limited, though Amelia, Filia and Xellos tried to keep casting light spells as much as possible, while Zelgadis was busy parrying the blows of the golden dragon with his Astral Vine powered sword. It wasn't enough to cut the dragon, but at least it provided some defense. Gourry's whole body ached with every step he took, but he was determined not to give up, especially when he saw how hard Lina was trying. He was supposed to be her protector, though more often than not she was protecting him. More than that, he was her fiance, he couldn't let her down. He attacked the white and golden dragons as they attempted to slash away at him with their claws and cut them off, causing the undead creatures to screech sickeningly. 

More black smoke emerged from the cut off limbs of the zombie dragons, making the area darker and more difficult to fight in. The dimos dragon swung its tail at Gourry, while keeping its claws occupied with Zelgadis. Gourry cut off the tail, just as the Astral Vine ran out from Zelgadis' sword and the blade was broken. In a fast motion, Zelgadis jumped back and shot out a hastily casted, but nonetheless powerful "Elmekia Lance!" The lance of light flew past the dimos dragon's body, colliding with its tail and making the creature screech in pain. "Magic won't work on the zombie dragons' hide, but they can be exorcised if we aim for the area were the limbs were cut off!" The chimera realized. 

Lina was back on the attack, fueled by her sheer determination. "Gourry, chop them to pieces, we'll cover you!" 

"Right!" Following this new strategy, Gourry charged forward while Lina, Zelgadis, Amelia, Xellos and Filia provided support. He slashed away at the dragons, cutting their claws and tails and making as many gashes on their hide as he could. 

"Amelia!" Zelgadis called out, "let's finish them!" 

"I'm with you!" Amelia responded. 

Together, Zelgadis and Amelia prepared for a super powered Ra-Tilt that would weaken the exposed zombie dragons enough to be exorcised. "Source of all souls which dwell in eternal and infinite. Everlasting flame of blue, let the power in my soul be called forth from the infinite... Ra-Tilt!" The zombie dragons were reduced to dust by the force of their combined powers. All four undead dragons had been defeated, but it was clear that Zelgadis and Amelia put all their energy into that spell and were left barely standing. 

As a result of the zombie dragons being gone, the black smoke that covered the area dissipated and with another light spell, the battle zone was restored to its near daylight brightness. "We can't give it time to recover, Filia, fusion magic again!" Xellos called out, once again attempting to summon Zelas' power. 

"I'm on it!" There was no time to doubt, as Filia powered up her holy magic to fuse it with Beast Master's energy. 

"I won't allow this!" The ribbons of light that the Stillness had been producing as an attack, faded into a much dimmer light as it directed its efforts elsewhere. It was trying to close the gateway to cut off the link between Zelas and Xellos. 

"Mr. Celo, if you can hear me, keep the gateway open!" Amelia called out. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Back on the island's surface, Celo was struggling with all his power to continuously cast the spell to keep the gateway open. If the group was completely cut off from the world that would put them in a severe disadvantage, an even bigger disadvantage than what they were already in. He was only a middle ranked monster, but he was a human chimera and that made him more stable in these conditions than even a high ranked monster could have been. Celo had the abilities of a monster with the determination of a human and their insatiable desire to live. He would not allow Tiffany's sacrifice to be in vain. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

In the battle field below ground, the silvery mist of the Stillness was distorted. "Celo... I know you're there, I know you're trying your best. I can feel it being one with this creature. Everyone in Seyruun, Dragon's Peak, Zephilia and Wolf Pack Island are trying their best too." It was Tiffany's voice that was echoing within the Stillness. 

"Why do you still exist! Your consciousness should have been lost!" The Stillness' ominous voice echoed. 

"Rezo's knowledge wasn't only about how to fuse with you, but also about how to preserve my soul for a while after the fusion and use its vital energy to attack from within!" Tiffany revealed. "My spell is finally ready. Everyone, take this opportunity!" 

The silver mist of the Stillness glowed golden as Tiffany used her very soul to weaken it, becoming chaos with her very essence to power her final spell. With Celo having managed to stabilize the gateway from outside, Xellos was able to call more of Beast Master's power and fuse it with Filia's holy energy in another massive fusion magic attack. Before the golden glow of Tiffany's last attack faded from the silver mist that was the Stillness, the black and golden energy of fusion magic, collided with the Stillness in a bright display of power. 

The group was terribly tired, exhausted beyond anything they had ever felt. Zelas released Xellos again, but this time he was left in a much worse condition than before, coughing out blood, due to some internal bleeding caused by the pressure of so much monster power coursing through him. "Xellos!" Filia shouted worried. "This is different from having a dragon lord possess someone, a monster lord's energy is too harsh. Even if you won't need this human body after this fight is over, you still need to survive long enough to become a monster again. If you die now then... then I don't know what I'll do!" Filia cried as she tried desperately to heal him. 

"Stupid dragon... I'm not done yet," Xellos assured with some difficulty. "But it looks like I won't be calling for Beast Master again," it was too risky, too suicidal. His human body wouldn't hold out long enough to finish an effective attack anyway. 

"We'll call out monster and holy magic separately and let the fusion happen within the enemy," Lina theorized with a new strategy. It looked like the Stillness was trying to start up with its previous attack with the life draining ribbons of light that had disappeared completely after the latest fusion magic attack. In the conditions the group was in, they would soon collapsed if they were exposed to that again. 

In a desperate move to cause a diversion, the Stillness made an effort to call forth more human zombies. They were a lot smaller than the zombie dragons of course, but more numerous and it took a lot less energy to control them. "Gourry, let me see your sword!" Zelgadis rushed to the swordsman's side, who held out his sword to the chimera. "Astral Vine! There, try it now." 

"Alright, here goes!" Gourry slashed away at one of the attacking zombies, reducing it to dust. "Wow, that really powered it up!" 

"As I thought, the dragon horn has traces of holy magic properties," Zelgadis concluded. "Powered up with Astral Vine, that sword should be strong enough to exorcise the zombies now." 

"Good thinking," Lina agreed, getting back into leader mode. "Gourry, we'll leave the zombies to you. Make sure the rest of us don't get eaten!" 

"You can count on me!" Gourry assured as he took out the many zombies, guarding the rest of the group. 

"Filia, your energy might be drained from the fight, but you can get holy energy from another source." Lina continued swiftly explaining her strategy. "I'm sure Luna is somehow aware of our situation; call out to her in prayer. Call out to the knight of Ceifeed and have her channel Ceifeed's energy through you." 

"I understand!" Filia determinately agreed, immediately setting out to do her part. 

xoxox xox xoxox

Slayers: Alive - Episode 150: Finale! Every End Brings A Beginning

It was the final effort against the Stillness. Lina had come up with a plan, which she quickly finished explaining. "Xellos, you'll be forcibly pulling Shabranigdu's energy from the Stillness' grasp along with me, but this won't be a double Dragon Slave." The crafty red haired sorceress got the idea from when she saw Amelia and Zelgadis casting Ra-Tilt together before. "This will only be one Dragon Slave casted by both of us. You better make sure not to fall out of rhythm, but don't strain yourself and put your life in danger either. I'll be counting on you to talk Beast Master into throwing a victory banquet for us when this is over with more of her delicious cooking!" 

"She better not include dragon cuisine in the menu!" Filia protested. 

"Dragon cuisine is the food of champions," Xellos teased, "of course we need to have some of that." 

"You piece of raw garbage, we'll discuss this later!" Filia growled and went back to concentrating on calling out to Luna. 

"Zelgadis," Lina continued handing out strategic roles in the final effort. "Prying Shabrannigdu's energy off the Stillness won't be easy, especially if it goes on the attack with those draining waves of light again. Keep the Stillness busy with astral attacks!" 

"I'll give it everything!" Zelgadis assured. 

"Amelia, we'll be counting on you to watch over all of us," Lina set the final piece in place. "Heal us with your magic and keep our spirits high!" 

"I'll make sure we all continue our wonderful lives together!" Amelia cheered. 

Thus the group effort against the ultimate enemy continued, against one that was in a sense the opposite of the Mother of All Things, and thus the opposite of all of them. 

"Source of all souls which dwell in eternal and infinite..." Zelgadis called upon power from the astral side. 

"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows, buried in the stream of time is where your power grows..." Xellos and Lina chanted in perfect unison. 

"Ivory beyond white, everlasting infinite light..." Receiving Ceifeed's power from Luna, Filia casted a powerful holy spell. 

It was something against nothing, existence against nonexistence, chaos against emptiness. Gourry protected the group from the attacking zombies, using his skills and speed to move around them, not allowing any of the zombies to reach his precious friends. 

"Everlasting flame of blue, let the power in my soul be called forth from the infinite... Ra-Tilt!" Weakened by Zelgadis' attack, the Stillness was losing its grip on Shabranigdu's power. 

"I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hands..." Xellos and Lina continued simultaneously. 

"Brightness that pierces the night, by your endless power destiny ignites..." Filia continued her spell as well. 

To the tune of the improvised rhymes of the 'life is wonderful' song, Amelia constantly casted healing magic to make sure everyone maintained the strength and stamina needed to play their respective roles. 

As soon as the Ra-Tilt was released, Zelgadis started casting another one, empowered by Amelia's healing magic. "Source of all souls which dwell in eternal and infinite..." 

"Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess..." Xellos and Lina had amassed a good amount of Shabranigdu's energy, forcibly stealing it from the Stillness. 

"Let the world be purified by your might..." Filia was almost done with her spell. 

"Everlasting flame of blue, let the power in my soul be called forth from the infinite..." Zelgadis' second Ra-Tilt was almost ready to attack. 

"I won't allow this... I won't allow this world to exist!" In a final desperate effort, the silver mist glowed brightly, trying to drain away what little life was left on the surface of the planet, along with the planet itself. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

In Seyruun, Philionel, Naga, Gravos, Jillas, Elena, Palou and the people of Seyruun felt as if their very existence was being drained. The most recent zombie attack had just ended and Philionel was in the middle of addressing the city and all those present in it when they felt the attack from the astral side. "The enemy is reaching out to us in desperation! That means our comrades are almost victorious, we cannot let their efforts go to waste! We cannot allow the enemy to use our own energy against us!" 

"Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" Naga laughed loudly and vigorously. "I came to Seyruun to make sure the world could go on after the battle, to make sure there was a place our brave heroes could return to, a place we could all call home." Her royal roots started to show as she addressed her people as a princess would. "Seyruun was and still is one of the places that is keeping the world alive. We are supporting life itself. It's up to us to do our part to help save the world. Everyone, hold on to life, wish to live with all your heart, think of the brave victory that lies ahead! Laugh with all your might and let us celebrate that we're alive!" Naga cheered. "Ah! Ha ha ho ha ha!" Everyone who was gathered actually started laughing with Naga, not caring about how obnoxious they were. Their combined will sent a rush of positive energy towards the Stillness as it helplessly tried to steal their life force, only to have it work against it. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At Taforashia, Pokota had been addressing his people as well. "Our will to live will save us. Be strong, let's show that we can't be erased!" 

Similar situations were taking place all over the world, including Dragon's Peak where Milgazia's clan was putting up a strong resistance against the Stillness. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

At Wolf Pack Island, Zangulus, Martina and Sylphiel stood surrounded by wolves. "We're defending a monster lord's territory, but I guess it's okay this time," Sylphiel concluded. 

"I'm pretty sure our boss' boss will be pleased with this," Zangulus agreed. "And these wolves are actually pretty good battle comrades." He patted one of the many ferocious wolves that Zelas kept on her island. Though they wouldn't normally allow humans near them without ripping them apart, they were used to having certain humans around when Beast Master said it was okay and acted more like puppies than wolves with those few exceptions. 

"They're adorable once they know who their allies are," Martina agreed. "With the reward Lord Beast Master will give us we can rebuild the kingdom of Zoana and maybe even build a shrine to Zoamelgustar and a shrine to Beast Master! Ah! He he ha he he!" 

Fang came running over in his semi-human form, with little Val flying by his side in dragon form. "Val is a fast learner; I've taught him a few tricks that are useful for battle!" 

Sensing something in the atmosphere, Sylphiel pointed it out. "Do you sense that? It feels like the enemy is trying to drain our energy. I can't allow that!" 

"The Stillness has another thing coming if it thinks it can steal energy from us!" Zangulus resolutely declared. 

"We're too strong for it! Right, Val?" Fang cheered. 

Val was all too happy to agree, "right!" 

"We're protected by Zoamelgustar and by Beast Master, we can't be defeated!" Martina shouted victoriously. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

In a random little town where human survivors had gathered, Zelas was wrecking havoc. "Are you just going to give up? Are you just going to die? Feel fear, feel anger, feel a thirst for vengeance, feel alive!" Fighting a hopeless situation depressed people, but when the problem was an enemy rather than a seemingly hopeless situation, having a face to blame for their trouble gave people a target for their efforts. With that came the motivation to bring forth those efforts seeking vengeance, even if it was an impossible revenge. 

The townspeople fought against the wolves that accompanied Zelas with no real chance of victory, but a stubborn lively determination. They didn't know she was planning to spare their lives to use their frustration to feed her monsters. This also contributed against the stillness because even negative emotions could encourage living when they fueled a strong fighting spirit. The monster lords couldn't get too close to the Stillness and the atmosphere was uncomfortable to them, but they were far stronger than regular monsters and could still put up a fight. 

In other survivor settlements across the world, Dolphin and Dynast were bringing terror to the citizens in a similar way to Zelas. They never truly understood all of the complex details of the hidden truth, but they knew this was a good way to generate anger, fear and despair. The kind of negative emotions that had some substance to them, rather than that empty sorrow of quiet acceptance that tried to overtake the world. Overall, Zelas was enduring much better than the other monster lords because of the links she cunningly constructed with the chaotic living creatures of the world. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

In the main battle field, Gourry continued his efforts until every zombie had fallen to his powered up sword and the Stillness could no longer call anymore undead minions, as it braced itself for the impact of the powerful magic that was about to assault it. 

"Resurrection!" Amelia extended her magic to the other spell casters for one final boost of power. 

"Ra-Tilt!" Zelgadis released his spell, opening the path for the final blow. 

"Dragon Slave!" Lina and Xellos released their team-casted spell. 

At the same time, "Heaven Light!" Filia released the spell she had been casting with Luna's energy. 

The magic hit the Stillness all at once, causing the silver mist to glow in all the colors visible to the eye as it finally began to fade away. The Stillness' final effort to drain away the energy from the people left on the planet backfired and it continued to disintegrate without a defense against the power of its opponents' magic and will to live. "It is not my end, not until everything ends!" The Stillness screeched as the silvery mist that formed it started to fade away. 

Lina had begun to cast another spell soon after the Dragon Slave she casted with Xellos was released. "Multiply my humble speed, let all my energy be freed, to quickly do as I please, accelerate all my deeds. Haste!" Lina was drained from the battle and using a haste spell would only cause the remainder of her life to be drained away faster. Her hair was already starting to lose its color from her dangerously low energy level. Yet she knew this was necessary. "I won't let you escape; you won't retreat to come back again!" 

The Stillness was an inch away from being completely destroyed and Lina knew they couldn't afford to go through a battle like this more than once. This enemy had to be defeated permanently now. "Invisible links of the chain, which binds all in this plane, make the target's struggle vain, follow the inescapable lane! Pursuit!" Lina casted the spell on herself, linking herself to the Stillness so that it wouldn't get away. This time it was different from the way the spell was used in the past. Probably because of the properties of the atmosphere where they were, Lina could clearly see a chain of astral energy linking her to the Stillness and dragging her along as it faded away. 

"Lina!" Gourry struggled to reach Lina, but there was no way he could get to her fast enough. He could hear everyone calling out her name, none of them would be able to reach her. No one would be able to stop the Stillness from taking her away; Lina had chained herself to it. "Lina, take this!" Gourry couldn't reach her, but he could at least lend her his sword. Lina caught the dragon horn sword just in time as she faded away completely along with the Stillness. "Lina... Please win and come back like you always do." 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Lina held on to Gourry's sword as she went through a tunnel of light, the astral chains binding her to the silver mist ahead. "Human, there is nothing you can do. This is my final ability, the power of rebirth. I was destroyed back there, but I was not erased. What I have learned, I'll take it back with me to the past and come back stronger. This war will be repeated until I win and I know this second time will be the last!" 

"So you're going to the past to merge with the past Stillness. That would create a paradox that would shake the very foundations of the world and make it that much more chaotic!" Lina threatened. 

"It doesn't matter, because all that chaos will be gone in the end. The world will simply be even more imperfect than it already is!" The Stillness argued. "Don't you know? The illusion of logic is nothing but a lie, because the chaotic world is a mass of energies pushing and pulling with the random whims of those who inhabit it. You strive to create the effect that you expect and call it logic. Yet in the end the chaos of the world is ready to make it burst at the seams at all times with all its inexplicable phenomenon, starting with life itself. Existence is illogical, what is to live? What is to be? What is to exist? It is all imperfect chaos!" The Stillness bitterly accused. 

"Bitterness," Lina observed, "even you who are nothing have become an entity. Hypocrite, if not for the chaos that contaminates you, you wouldn't exist. Since you hate chaos so much, I'll be taking it away, leaving you as a pure nothing that will forever fade into the emptiness of nonexistence! I will not allow you to reach the past! I was the one who caused the Lord of Nightmares to stop shielding the world for a moment and set the cycle of the end in motion. In a stubborn foolish whim that only a chaotic existence such as a human could have, I exchanged the world for the life of the man I love... Even though no one has directly blamed me, this time I'm going to take responsibility for my actions!" 

'I allowed you to live even after you gave up everything, do not expect it to happen again...' Lina remembered the words spoken to her by the Mother of all Things. 

"This sword's blade is made of dragon horn and the hilt is infused with monster energy, the dragons and the monsters, the representatives of the opposing forces that fuel the chaos of the world. Let this blade be tempered with the energy of the Mother of All Things, the Lord of Nightmares!" Lina shouted with unbreakable determination. 

'I have been avoiding using this type of spell since your warning. I know I shouldn't abuse this power, but this time I'm not giving up anything. This time there's not a hint of desperate resignation in me,' Lina called out to the Mother of All Things in her thoughts. 

With the power of chaos surrounding her, Lina chanted a powerful spell, using the dragon horn sword to channel it. "Lord of dreams that terrify, sword of cold and darkness, free yourself from the heaven's bonds. Become one with my power, one with my body and let us walk the path of destruction together! Ragna Blade!" 

The dark chaotic energy of the Lord of Nightmares covered the sword becoming one with it as Lina attacked the Stillness one final time. The blade cut through the silvery mist, dissolving it truly and completely by absorbing anything related to chaos into it and leaving the Stillness as a pure nothing that could not exist. Finally, the Stillness was no more. The Ragna Blade faded from Lina's hand, the sword in its core being reduced to dust along with Lina's body, leaving her with a ghostly appearance. 

Lina looked into the distance and saw the Sea of Chaos. A ghostly Tiffany that, other than being partially transparent looked like her original self, floated towards the Sea of Chaos. "This isn't your place, Lina. Don't you hear him calling you?" 

Lina focused and she could hear it, faintly at first, then almost as clearly as if he were standing right next to her, it was Gourry's voice. "I hear him and I'm sure Celo is calling out to you too." 

"He is..." Tiffany smiled with more warmth than anyone would guess a ghost could have. "But I don't have enough energy left to answer right now and he understands that. You're still charged with chaotic energy, so you can go back, you can be restored to how you used to be." 

"Sorry for all the trouble I caused..." Lina apologized. 

"It's okay," Tiffany assured. "You are the manifestation of chaos, acting rashly and evolving as a result is part of change, of motion, of life. I am free from the End and for that I'm thankful. Now go, Lina Inverse, let the strong emotion of the rush of a chaotic moment take you back to those who wait for you. Go and be alive!" 

The ghostly Lina nodded with a bittersweet smile as she looked towards the blue sphere with patches of green and swirls of white, surrounded in a red glow of magical energy, that was her world. "Victory banquet, here I come!" Surrounded by a bright chaotic light, Lina flew towards the world from whence she came. 

xoxox xox xoxox 

"Lina... Lina... Lina..." She slowly opened her eyes and saw Gourry's smiling face with a background of clear blue skies. The group had returned to the surface and were at Zelgadis' island. "How do you feel, Lina, are you okay?" 

Lina smiled, glad to be back. "I'm better than okay, we won, the Stillness is gone for good." She took in her surroundings, glancing around. Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia, Xellos and Celo were all there. "I lost your sword, broke it actually. Sorry about that." 

"It's okay," Gourry smiled sweetly, lovingly. "I'm just glad you're back." 

Lina leaned into Gourry with the smile remaining on her face until she noticed a peculiar detail. "Why am I wearing Filia's cloak?" 

As if it wasn't a big deal, Gourry explained. "You were naked when you fell from the sky, so Filia's letting you borrow her cloak so you don't catch a cold or something." 

Lina's face turned an impossibly bright shade of red. She discretely peeked into the cloak, while making sure to keep herself covered. "I fell from the sky na... na..." 

"Now you know how I felt during that town rampage incident," Filia commented with a teasing smile. 

Lina felt her whole body shake in mortified rage and she reacted in the only way she could think of right now. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows..." 

"The Stillness was destroyed, so Lord Ruby Eyes is no longer being drained by it," Xellos pointed out. That meant that the Dragon Slave should be back to normal and given Lina's temper that translated to trouble. 

Lina continued, "buried in the stream of time is where your power grows..." 

"Lina, don't destroy this island, I need it!" Zelgadis pleaded. 

Too mortified to listen to reason, Lina did not stop. "I pledge myself to conquer, all the foes who stand..." 

"Forget the island; if anyone tries to interfere with us again they'll have to answer to me!" Amelia bravely declared with more aggression than anyone expected from her. She wouldn't let anyone come between her and Zelgadis again, especially not because of an outdated technicality. 

Lina kept going, "before the mighty gift bestowed, in my unworthy hands..." 

"Amelia..." Zelgadis was taken by surprise with Amelia's determination and it made him very happy. He too was set on making things work by any means necessary. 

Lina was dangerously close to finishing her spell and it didn't look like anyone, not even Gourry, could stop her now. "Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed..." 

"Everyone gather around for an emergency teleportation!" Celo urgently called out. 

"By the power you and I possess!" Everyone except Lina was teleported away from the island. "Dragon Slave!" The island was no more... 

xoxox xox xoxox 

Several days later, Seyruun was full of great festivities. Amelia and Zelgadis were enjoying their time together. He expected trouble to arise because his island was destroyed, thus he was no longer the ruler of anything. Yet surprisingly, no one tried to steal away the throne after all. Maybe the stubborn distant relatives of Amelia came to their senses, perhaphs because Amelia got fed up and threatened to break their bones with a pacifist crush. Either way, the point was that the happy couple was allowed to be together without any further complications. 

Lina and Gourry were pigging out. King Philionel was giving a victorious justice speech. Naga and Martina were laughing loudly. Gravos and Zangulus had formed a mutual understanding for each other and became good friends. Martina had recently noticed she was pregnant, she and Zangulus were very excited about baby Zoamelgustar, or excited and terrified in his case. Jillas and Elena were talking animatedly, clearly enjoying each other's company. Fang was playing with Val, Palou and Fili. Milgazia, Memphis, Phythan, Onyx and Sylphiel were also guests at Seyruun. Solex was safely sleeping inside his egg. Xellos was a monster again, continuously teasing Filia as he always did, but she was okay with that. 

Even Zelas attended the party at Seyruun... and brought some dragon cuisine to share. Lina and Gourry appreciated her cooking, though none of the dragons present were happy about it. Enjoying the festivities, despite the inconveniences, Filia mused about how much her life had changed and yet the essence of it had been preserved. Life was certainly full of a lot of crazy twists and turns. The unexpected occurred and the impossible was discovered not to be impossible after all. Life was unpredictable, erratic, hectic, confusing, exciting, amazing, chaotic... Chaos, that's what it was to be alive. Filia realized that deep down she didn't want it any other way. 

End of Slayers: Alive

**Author's Note:**

> Fantasy Bit: http://mikari.piratesboard.net
> 
> Deviant Art: http://mikaristar.deviantart.com
> 
> Fanart Central: http://fanart-central.net/user/AzureMikari/


End file.
